Recommended by Paul Donnelly

A scathingly funny look at modern sensibilities layered over a historical context. Did what happened to the Roanoke Colony spring from bureaucratic incompetence? RCHOA makes the imaginative and entertaining case that it could have.

This is hilarious! Flat out hilarious. The world is changing around poor Batman and he just can't keep up. The satire of super hero tropes is matched by the satire of office bureaucracy. The wit at play here is just dazzling.

The spare and lyrical dialogue of this supremely moving play seduces the reader and heightens the impact of the narrative. This chance meeting between strangers is fraught with meaning and changes the course of their lives. This is a very special piece.

So much of the narrator's rich and sometimes painful life is revealed in this ostensible tribute to Stephen Sondheim. Not that Sondheim isn't well and deservedly lauded, but this monologue offers a great deal more in its short run time.

How heartening that TJ's goofy effort to make up for his major slip up ultimately works. We see the stressors on this relationship, but we also see that it is built to last.

What seems to be a charming moment of connection and discovery is turned on its head by the shocking, but wholly credible last line. A line that suggests a range of possibilities that could lead to animated post-show debates. I found myself wondering, "what does he really want?"

Perfectly captures the ambiance, the tension, the expectation surrounding the ritual posting of the cast list. Not every cast list posting has such a happy ending. Many lovely opportunities for non-verbal reactions.

Simultaneously charming and mysterious, Convergence takes an engagingly roundabout path to getting to the true spirit of Christmas. The family dynamics ring true and the appearance of the stranger is appropriately suspicious. Painful histories get sorted out, leading to a delightful ending.

Tense, eerie, and always gripping, this complex and vividly theatrical play explores family dynamics in a totally unique way. It is also a reflection on how we communicate on both a literal and metaphorical level. There is great craft and imagination manifested in this work.

This is a moving play of love discovered, love revealed, and love lost. A mother's grief is compounded by shock, but she is able to move to acceptance, however late, and regret for having kept a door closed for so long.