Recommended by Lisa Kenner Grissom

With crackling dialogue and complex characters that you want to spend time with, Barrett gives us a highly theatrical piece that comes to life against the backdrop of a fascinating time in history. It's a highly entertaining ride, and one that also makes you think, as Barrett doesn't shy away from delving into gender and workplace issues that resonate today. I'd love to see it staged!

In Muthaland, Minita Ghandi takes us on one woman's journey as she discovers her own power and womanhood in relation to her family and her culture--and in the face of a life-changing event. Ghandi does so with vivid imagery, captivating language, laugh-out-loud humor, and fierce truth. I was engaged by this story from beginning to end, rooting for her all the way. I can't wait to see this play come to life on stage in its next production.

In "This Will Be Our Year," Ali MacLean gives us a devastating portrait of unrequited love replete with beauty, pain, humanity, and humor. With wickedly funny, rapid-fire dialogue, Ali creates a star-crossed pair who are destined to love each other as fiercely as they push each other away--and yet we root for them from start to finish. This play draws you in like a romantic comedy, then punches you in the gut like the tragedy it ultimately is. And yet, we are still holding out hope for Hugo and Gen...even after 'end of play.'

In The Giant Void In My Soul, Bernardo Cubria explores the big, existential questions-- how do we find meaning in this thing called life? How can we be happy? Cubria's characters undertake an epic journey in search of meaning that is at once relatable, profound, hilarious--and truthful. When was the last time you read a play that made you feel all the feels? The Giant Void In My Soul is is a brilliant piece of theatre, and I hope it gets produced widely.

With acerbic wit and rapid-fire dialogue, Farr explores the complicated and often hilarious entanglements of family dynamics set against the backdrop of a gay couple's desire to adopt a baby from a young 18 year old. This play explores the complexities of what it means both to "make" a family and to "be" a family, especially when it matters most. This play has humor and heart in equal measure. A wonderful read, with great roles for actors.

In this beautiful piece of theatre, Jennifer Maisel gives us the epic and the intimate, the heart-breaking and the life-affirming, the tragedy of the past and the hope for the future. Maisel's rich, multi-layered characters take us on a lyrical journey that reverberates through time. Hopefully this play will be produced far & wide. 

In this funny, moving and hugely theatrical play, Sarah Tuft deftly illuminates the complexities of 90's feminism and gender politics by both deconstructing and reconstructing the past, while also shining a light on the present. By combining source material with inventive characterizations, Tuft offers a fresh perspective on the Monica Lewinsky narrative. In today's #metoo environment, Marvel-ous Monica is relevant, inventive and fearless. I look forward to seeing this play, and Monica, on her (heroic) feet.

in "After, all" Jennifer Berry creates a beautifully honest portrayal of motherhood, loss, and survival. She delves deeply into the complicated dynamics of female friendship, opening a window into what it means when unexpected loss and tragedy changes everything...forever. She seamlessly toggles between past and present as these two women struggle to find meaning in their shared history and an uncertain future. A powerful two-hander with juicy roles for women!

Kyle T. Wilson has created an entertaining satirical fantasia replete with sibling rivalry, Old Hollywood glamour, and outrageous schemes for revenge. While Olivia and Joan's rivalry is front and center against the backdrop of paternal abuse, Wilson weaves in a parallel narrative that highlights the fight for female empowerment within the studio contract system, and imagines a female uprising that has reverberations in today's poitical climate. I saw this as a staged reading and look forward to seeing it fully on its high-heeled feet.

Match is a play that keep you thinking long after you leave the theatre. What is it like to walk in the shoes of someone with a failing kidney? What motivates someone to become a donor? These are a few of the questions that Maisel poses in her inventive dramedy about what it means to give and receive when lives hang in the balance. Maisel's vivid characters and comedic surprises kept me engaged at avery turn.