Recommended by David Hansen

A deft and powerful re-imagining of the Antigone myth, one in which the playwright aggressively seeks to subvert the dominant paradigm. Cleaving to Sophocles' original, Goldman-Sherman has created an astonishing and original emulation of the structure of both Greek tragedy and comedy. The women's tragedy is lyrical and knowing, the men ignorant, fearful and low. A compelling tale for our times.

I love this play. Palmquist has created a Millennial friend group that is a modern, diverse collection of sympathetic characters … well, except for Quinn (what is it with people whose names begin with Q?) It's a fascinating and vivid weekend gathering, ripe with real world dialogue and situations reminiscent of my twenty-something colleagues. This should be produced everywhere.

Brantley has crafted a witty, romantic fairy tale, a very timely play, and accessible, about the America that I love so much, the one in which people from varied and diverse backgrounds come together, learn from each other, and love one another. It’s got cracking dialogue, tense drama, lots of humor and an important message. Highly recommended for production!

Hageman does a masterful job creating teenage speak, telling an open-hearted story of finding your people in the face of devastating loss. “Joan’s Arc” is a touching, gripping high school drama, a teen caper set against the background of a school shooting, one which should produced in schools all across our troubled nation.

Gonzalez’s play achingly traces the creation and disillusion of a love triangle, but not in that order, telling a story scene by scene in reverse chronological order. He takes us back and back, peeling away the layers of deceit and unhappiness to get to the original sin of this doomed relationship— the idea that you can wish a romantic partnership into reality based on an idea. It’s a well-crafted romantic mystery and one I highly recommend.

Tien movingly captures the manner in which different folks struggle to manage the earth-moving devastation of a recent loss; the father by clearing the decks, the son by visiting an revisiting recorded memories of the past, and the daughter through a psychic connection with the very creatures who brought death to her mother. A lyric tale told through distinct voices, elegantly detailing one family's emotional survival. Highly recommended for production!

Bertocci has a remarkable facility with words, taking delight in messing with the works of Shakespeare. In this keen adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," a nineteen year-old Miranda struggles to cope with a father in the throes of Alzheimer's, and it is against that backdrop, grappling with an parent whose fix on reality can change by the moment that new relationships form and others break apart. Unlike Shakespeare's ingenue this young woman is wise beyond her years, though still burdened by an inability to break free of circumstance. It is a brilliant, unromanticized work, and one I strongly recommend.

Schwartz does masterful work capturing the essence of young adults speaking in conversation. It is at once affectless, and entirely earnest. The brittle conflict between Christopher and Jill, two young homosexuals who feel threatened by each other, is so handily represented through turns of control and manipulation, the words we use to intimidate and also to gain sympathy. It’s a rewarding tale of bullying which would be well used by any college program or (mature) high school drama company.

Isaac stirringly traces a century of Korean history with characters who recount ancient folks tales to console, explain, or simply draw attention away from the grief and hardship which has affected the Korean peninsula and its people. His storytelling is magical, candid, and very funny. Highly recommended!

Bartlett has transposed Marlowe’s “Edward II” into the modern era, when people are free to marry whom they like and homosexuality is greatly (though by no means entirely) accepted. But he reminds us that we still hold our monarchs to different standards. And it's complicated, because the King's lover is not only of the same gender, he is “low-born”, and perhaps even more controversial today -- from away. “E2” is witty, and very smart. Cunning in its ability to take historic events and make them believable in a modern setting. I would love to see the premiere this November!