Recommended by Samantha Cooper

This is a beautiful and quiet play about growing up in the aftermath of a big catastrophic event. With an exceptionally well-drawn young protagonist, Breathing in the Rain explores what it means to do everything in your power to hold your family and your life together when so much of the world is out of your control. Magical elements and puppetry truly highlight the gorgeous imagery inherent in Callan's writing.

Last Night in Inwood is a striking and terrifyingly realistic apocalyptic exploration. Sobler expertly delves into the nearly impossible choices we have to make for ourselves and our loved ones in the face of unpredictable circumstances. This play is funny, heartwarming, thrilling, and deeply honest all at the same time. There were many moments when I was breathless, waiting with hope and dread for the next moment. A piece great for any ensemble, Last Night in Inwood is ultimately a play about connection and finding a way forward.

A witty, snappy two-hander that covers all the baggage, backstory, and cycles on an old relationship. With a pace that flies, The End of Days, is a smart look into how we react when we worry we're running out of time. Keyes' play comedically and tenderly delves into the reconnection of a two people in the face of larger, looming cosmic events.

Black Hollow is haunting and relevant, a beautifully quiet play that screams about an issue that becomes more and more prevalent by the moment. Using structural devices that mirror what the lead-up, experience, and aftermath of a tragedy is, Hemphill weaves a compassionate look at a horrific event. This is a great ensemble piece for any group looking to face deeply American issues head on.

BigFoot is possibly the greatest American myth. A writer's room...is a close second. Giacopasi has hilariously interwoven these two things to create a really special play - a witty, surprising, heartfelt look into where our stories come from, who tells them, and how those stories shape our sense of the American legend. With pop-ups from some of your favorite historical figures, Giacopasi ultimately asks us to interrogate the gatekeepers of our myths, the accessibility of our shared national history, and how that ultimately effects representation in our media.

Crashing upon you like waves, "Outer Banks" investigates the swirling depths of the grieving process. Through some fantastic scene work and a little bit of magic at times, this piece beautiful captures the desperation and isolation of grief and the way in which sometimes, even our best attempts at connection, fall flat. Foglia is a deft captain of the riverboat through this play.

Who knew the world was in such bad need of a mystically play about a female magician fighting for her legacy in the boys club of grand illusions? Well, Dendinger knew, that's who! This play clips along at a fantastic pace, mirroring the twists, turns, and misdirections of the world of magic it explores all while exploring questions of female histories and how we take control of our own stories when the world is doing everything it to make our contributions disappear.

As a person pretty far outside the gaming world, this play is a wonderful insight into the depths of Gamergate and its sprawling effects. It's also incredibly funny, smart, and full of heart with a lot of beautiful scene-work. This play does not shy away from the trauma of the toxicity of the corners of the gaming world, viewing them with an illuminating and incredibly human lens.