Recommended by John Minigan

A very tightly written and chilling piece about the moment when love and devotion turn into control and the surrender of individuality. Powerful and frightening.

"Love and the Fear of it All" manages to be both explosively joyful and tender, and all while acknowledging the chaos and terror of the world around us. Romantic love and family love are powerful in the piece, and maybe they are what will save us from the times we live in.

This play captures so many aspects of what we've been through in the first months of the pandemic. The "before we knew," the "what will this mean," and the heartbreak of what we now know it's done to so many. Funny, dark, and ultimately heartbreaking.

I got to see this piece in a short play festival in 2019, it was the standout of the evening. Surprising, risque, lizard-tongue in cheek, and over-the-top hilarious. As the late Justice Stewart might have said, "I'm not sure how to define hilarious Hot Gecko Space Love Action, but I know it when I see it. And this is it." Read this and program it in your short play festival!

This is a richly conceived, harrowing, compelling play. More than a clear portrait of a courageous woman--though it is certainly that--it creates a sense that, even in the worst of times, there can be a possibility of goodness and nobility.

The Good Deli is a funny, beautiful, hopeful play that resonates powerfully for anyone who has struggled to redefine their relationships with parents who are aging and/or in ill health. It's unusual to find a play in which so many kinds of love and fragility coexist with witty dialogue and an such sly humor. Great roles in this, particularly "Jules," navigating a new relationship, possible loss of a father, connections with a step-mother, all with the sharp insights of a stand-up comic.

A gripping and compelling play that begins as a ghost story/thriller and ends up with powerful things to say about what happens when we don't know history--including (and especially) family history. An excellent use of an ensemble of six to create a sweeping story.

Powerful, clear, direct. An amazing coming-into-power moment from a character moving herself forward in a world that can't get itself moving forward. Program this piece--it needs to be heard.

A lovely play about how we deal with loss, how we grieve over lost traditions as well as loved ones, and how, if we stay aware of the natural cycles around us, we can find ways to evolve. Beautifully wrought.

This is a heartfelt and often heartbreaking play that explores the emotional depths the title suggests. Its alternate world is frighteningly close to ours but, despite the horrors inflicted on both sides of its imagined national border, there is light in the depths, and care and possibility to be found in love and compassion. A gorgeous work that, given how richly its world is imagined, could be as stunning on stage as it is on the page.