Recommended by Hallie Palladino

This play is charming and funny with a sharp edge of heartbreaking truth. I also saw it at OPC and found it clever, moving and ingenious. It takes on our assumptions about people's character and the painful sacrifices we make for love and family. At its heart though it is an uplifting story about young star-crossed lovers wrapped in a comedy wrapped in a satire with a healthy streak of political commentary.

This play manages to be hilarious and terrifying at the same moment so your heart is always in your throat. The way Walker showcases women's use of humor as a strategy of resistance is brilliant. The way she demonstrates that with tyranny the most terrifying threats often come from within our own communities and social networks is urgently timely. This play needs to be seen by audiences right now.

Ballast is a beautiful play about marriage, love and self-preservation. All the characters are appealing and their stories converge around the theme of becoming one's true self. This play is exquisitely emotionally honest and thoughtfully composed. The complexity of the ideas presented is mirrored by the poetry of its language. And the subject matter is urgently important. It is a play about characters in transition but it manages not to be an issue play and remains at all times a powerful, character-driven story.

I had the pleasure of seeing the OPC workshop of Ripe Frenzy which ranges from brilliantly funny to bone chilling. Barclay's disquieting play tackles the question: how can a parent continue to love a child who has done the unthinkable? A beautiful meditation on maternal love, friendship and gun culture in America, Ripe Frenzy is also a clever commentary on the way America has seized on Wilder's version of who we are, often willfully misunderstanding the project of Our Town, perhaps the most American of American dramas, which like this play, undertakes to expose our cultural blind spots.

Cozzola does a bang-up job of giving us the flavor of the 70s in this quirky period piece. A play about two women living in a small world that collides with the big one explodes questions about women's agency, feminism, sexual politics and religion. Ultimately though it is a disquieting play about friendship and the ways it can sometimes hold us back and other times propel us forward.

This lovely two-hander is about taking a chance on love and embracing the things that frighten you. Dance for Beginners is one of those rare love stories that shows people falling in love past middle age. Cozzola does a beautiful job of showcasing the unique vulnerabilities of her characters. Through dance Jerry and Jenni are able to express themselves, challenge each other and test the seriousness of each other's investment in the relationship. Their tenderness along with the boldness of their choices pulls us into this charming romance.

Popup Kid is full of sharp wit, unexpected juxtapositions and surprising discoveries. MT Cozzola's observation of character is excellent and her endearing protagonist grabs us from the get go. The play explores mother daughter relationships in a highly original way through the introduction of "the Popup" child. Through this lens Cozzola explores Chris's positive choice to live childfree in spite of her late mother's expectations. It is lovely to see a play about a woman embracing her professional ambitions and finding her own path to fulfillment. A delightful mix of magical realism and absurdist humor.

Hannah Langley's play is smart, funny and thought-provoking. The unlikely Twitter friendship between a young woman being raised whose family organizes hate-fueled demonstrations and a young Jewish man who is willing to keep the dialogue open even when he knows the worst. This play gives us a window into an American subculture that we rarely see in drama showing us that sometimes staying engaged and keeping the conversation going is the bravest thing we can do. It's a timely and important piece that treats the divisive issues it tackles with appropriate seriousness.

Dana Lynn Formby's play is an impactful examination of how war can transform the human psyche. As young Layla follows in the footsteps of her Marine father, a reclusive man whom she idolizes, they bond over Marine Corps culture of shared vocabulary, ritual and experience. Johnny delights in Layla's success as a Marine even as he fears for her safety and soul. This play never lectures or politicizes, it only humanizes. It's heartbreaking, important and perennially relevant, one of those uncommon American tragedies that feels like a classic even though it's brand new.