Recommended by Paul Donnelly

What a withering exploration of the desperation of asylum seekers and the viciousness of the system that evaluates and usually rejects their claims. The game show format satirizes the process, but ultimately implicates the audience in its cruelty. This is a harrowing, but most urgent work.

I feel seen by this witty celebration of the writer's resilience and all the obstacles that resilience faces. They're all here, fear of rejection, actual rejection, competition, procrastination and resignation as despairing One is prodded along by smug Another. This duality encompasses the write's struggle and rings true.

This gripping play presents five complex and real human beings grappling with very different expectations of and reactions to attempts at having a child. Their emotional struggles are compelling and vividly rendered, and punctuated with moments of laugh-out-loud humor. The final bonding of two disparate characters is heartening and affirming. This piece is filled with images and situations that will stick with me for a long time to come.

What a gripping dystopian and psychological thriller. There is a unique and compelling voice at work here and credible and specific world building. The themes of the importance of dreams and the derivation of names undergird the absorbing narrative. The overarching aura of menace is punctuated by surprising and engaging bursts of humor. All-in-all an impressive display of craft.

Pedro is a man on a mission. A complex man with a complex backstory on supernatural mission. The great humor in this piece is given weight by the underlying political and socioeconomic issues that are hard to ignore. This is fun with a heart and a point.

A lot of big emotions are dealt with sensitively and honesty as Oliver and Charlotte suffer through a wedding reception. The source of Oliver's discomfort is explored quite movingly and his final faux pas is completely understandable and rings true.

What a brisk little comedy of escalating misunderstanding. A simple question sets off a chain of philosophical musings that become progressively more hysterical (in both senses). It all ends with a witty kicker.

And now we know how clueless narcissists handle the end of human existence. The laugh out loud moments come fast, furious, and frequently in this brief comic gem. The answer to the question, "Where is Iowa?" neatly skewers coastal pretentions. And I will never look at Tuesdays the same way again.

What a gripping and suspenseful character study. My chest is still tight from the tension this piece induced. Abe is a compelling and unique, if horrifying, individual and his story is as riveting as it is disturbing. Masterfully done.

The derivation of the title is a hoot and a half and Eileen keeps us on tenterhooks with her maddening digressions on the way to what Christopher hopes will be the big reveal.