Recommended by Julie Zaffarano

“Mrs. Harrison” is a gripping drama with compelling and complex female roles. R. Eric Thomas masterfully propels his audience though a journey of ownership, ambition, race, and former friendship. Brilliant.

The subtext in Rachel Lynett's "In Transit" is everything. This "classic" scenario of a chance meeting of ex-lovers is anything but ordinary. The characters are vibrant and real as they painfully navigate their losses and calculate the costs,

"from" by Nikki Brake-Silla is a poignant look into an African American family. The playwright's gift for authentic dialogue pulls us into the family home, as we see the complex relationships develop. Well done.

A fascinating and heartbreaking journey of five men torn from their world during 1935 race riots. Teresa Miller skillfully weaves the tales of these friends who are forced to run from their home, but their home never leaves their hearts. Well done.

Chasing Waves is hilarious and heartbreaking with gorgeously messy characters. Quinn Eli masterfully unravels these characters with their hopes, desires, and fears. They are so real we fear and cheer for them as if the live next door. Brilliant.

A beautiful, vibrant, heartfelt work. Josh Campbell weaves compelling images through his devastating poetry. This piece needs to be produced again and again.

”Juggling with Mr. Fields” is seeing a legend come to life. Jennifer O’Grady deftly shows W.C. Fields as a man past his prime, indulging in self-sabotage in career and relationships. In this play, Fields is not just a man on the screen, but a living, breathing person whom we grow to care about as if he were our own grandpa. Well done.

Emily Hageman play “Character Arc” is authentic in its dialog of things said and not said. As this family struggles with what is best for each member, they know there is not a good solution, only the “least worst”. The childhood roles we play in our families take us into adulthood. This play mirrors it all.

In this short play, we see an entire family relationship through the years unfold before our eyes. Quick paced dialogue between this father and son leaves us hoping that it is never too late.

There are lines that cannot be crossed. A stranger helps Ciara see this more clearly than she sees it herself. A lesson in love and respect.