Recommended by Shaun Leisher

A mind-blowing experimental piece of theatre that looks at a piece of LGBTQ+ history while also showing one man's experience at a time right after the AIDS epidemic killed so many in the 80s. The playwright does a great job weaving factual pieces of history and revisionist history to tell a story about the importance of mentorship and acceptance and how that was robbed from the Queer community by the inaction and hatred of those in power.

This play looks at campus sexual assault and the impact of protest in such a unique way. Showing the side of those that care for loved ones going through trauma and how their intentions can be distorted was an inspired choice and will start some very necessary dialogue.

The poetry, the images, the pacing all work in perfect harmony to create a stunning work. No easy answers are given but this conversation about the intersection of LGBT+ identity and faith is one that needs to happen more often. I love how Benne brings these characters from different faith communities and see God very differently today and it's not just about them butting heads. The tense conversations are there but they are also able to connect in magical ways. People of faith aren't a monolith and I'm glad a play like this is around to show that.

Zajdel is really good at balancing the fantastical and naturalistic elements in this moving coming of age story. The mundane and the extraordinary of growing up in a female body is given the same weight and respect in this play. Really glad a piece like this exists for teenagers to see themselves and their stories reflected in theatre.

This play takes such a specific and unique world (competitive figure skating) to raise awareness about the extreme pressure that faces teenagers today. It doesn't give us villains to demonize or root causes to focus. No one is truly at fault. All the characters in this play are human and like humans they are capable of love and nurturing and also cruelty and neglect. Glad to see a play like this out there for young people to feel seen and to see themselves in.

Like so many of Rosenberg's plays this does not provide audiences with neat, easy answers. It wouldn't be true if it did. Eating Disorders and other forms of addictions impact everyone and take shape in a variety of ways. By creating such complicated characters, Rosenberg is able to put real faces on these diseases and depict them with humor and the heaviness they require. This is the kind of play that will create much needed dialogue and shine a light on a crisis that needs to be addressed.

"Whoa. God almighty. Very Tony Kushner." This meta-theatrical line in the play makes sense for obvious reasons. Like Angels in America this is a play that employs elements of fantasy to look at the AIDS epidemic. This play also should be in conversation with Kushner's epic because it does what Angels doesn't and that's share the perspectives around AIDS from people that aren't white gay men. It's a beautiful story of an inter-generational and inter-racial relationship that asks some vital questions about the state of AIDS today and how it impacts people of different eras. PRODUCE THIS PLAY!!

A really well done living room play that explores ideas about sex and relationships. Love the possibilities of play and improv written in this script and I hope to see brave actors take this on very soon.

This is a pitch black comedy about friendships among teenage girls that will disturb audiences for sure. But since when is disturbing audiences a bad thing?

This is a truly epic play. I'm astounded by the way Barbot is able to interweave these plays and characters. It's a play about the mistreatment of marginalized people by Shakespeare and us today. It's a play that needs to be produced and part of the canon. Instead of doing Othello or The Merchant of Venice, do this play!!