Recommended by John Minigan

Such a funny piece! The inciting incident for this farce is cleverly placed before the curtain rises, so we're wrapped in the same mystery as poor Betty, and the situation her fiance Adam and their "friend" Cameron find themselves in overtakes her, the room itself, and maybe her marriage. Shades of Joe Orton and Hitchcock here--as death, farce, and relationships tumble into unexpected territories. Rollicking and delightfully wild.

This is an absolutely lovely play. Clear and compelling characters on a journey that you think you can predict, but which surprises you in the way it surprises the characters--which is exactly how their lives have surprised them as they've reached adulthood. There is a finely wrought blend of joy and heartbreak in this piece, and two characters you care about and root for romantically, and then care about even more deeply as their "targets" shift during their Target shift. Precise and heartfelt work.

This play captures not just a moment in movie history and a meeting of two of the great artists of the last century, it also poses essential questions about the nature of the artistic impulse and the importance of art in the world. Is it imperative to do more than entertain, especially in the face of crisis and hatred? And where will fulfillment come from for an artist? Highly theatrical storytelling, with "silent" sequences that give us the creative world of these geniuses as they work through their differences. Compelling and remarkable.

This is a brilliant short play, starting with wit and humor and building into something that is both high energy farce and important political/social commentary on where we are and on how easy it is to take an empowering movement in completely the wrong direction. From Valhalla to Ragnarok in about ten minutes. Also, I'm sure, an absolute joy for performers.

This play spirals from what seems like a farcical opening into some deep and terrifying reflections on where we are and where we could be headed. The humor of the opening language work presents what looks like a farce about the breakdown of language in the age of online communication, but it gets to a scarier and compelling examination of whether we or our machines (and their communication) define "normal." A surprising, resonant twist in a completely engaging piece.

This monologue holds heartbreak and strength beautifully just below its shimmering surface. Lucy Wang captures the way microagression can upend expectations while also maybe beginning a journey toward awareness and understanding of identity for Mabel. Outstanding work that uses fine, specific details to reflect a huge and important story.

A stunning play about the dueling powers of love and hatred, and of compassion and fear. It gives us both the past and the present on stage, asking us to look at how the pain of the past shapes life now and confronting us with the difficulty of forgiveness, the power of guilt, and the struggle to heal the deepest of wounds. Amazing work.

This is a gem of a short play. Brilliant concept and totally delightful execution. It's the best beard "limbo" imaginable, and the re-liberation (finally self-liberation) of Tiffany is worth cheering about. Very, very funny work.

African Americana is filled with rage and filled with hope. It has a Brechtian shifting between narrative and dramatic moments, between gut-wrenching moments and piercing comedy. Its central character Warren tries to live and move through the six perfections, and the play does, too--working especially well as a meditation, a moral study, and as wisdom. Beautiful and engaging--so much that is unforgettable, and in a short play. Outstanding work.

Hype Man grabs you from the first moment and weaves as complicated a set of relationships as you can imagine between three clear, passionate characters whose personal, political, and artistic selves move in and out of connection, alliance, conflict. Goodwin gives all three characters space and time to breathe, to find independence from one another, their own truths, and a way to use art to bring their truths back together. It's brilliant, compelling work all the way.