Recommended by Shaun Leisher

Loved this play. A play about teenage girls that have true passions in their lives. There is lots of magic in this play and twist at the end really knocked my socks off. Great play for high school aged actors. This play deserves to be in the canon for YA theatre. Rich characters for young actors to really sink their teeth into. Definitely a play that young audiences will be able to connect with. A play that explores tough subjects like grief that does not talk down to young audiences.

Great play explores the challenges of being Black in America and the toll mental illness can take on people. The imagination runs wild while reading this play. Would love to see how a director and a design team manifests the various locales that are visited in this play. Loved how everything comes back to the grave reality that these brothers are dealing with. Duke has crafted a fantastic tale that perfectly captures what it's like to be a person struggling mentally and how to support them.

What an epic and bold piece of theatre. The dialogue is pure poetry and the stage directions are thrilling. A play about what it's like to be truly known and loved by another person. I couldn't help imagining how these stage directions could be achieved as I was reading. A challenge for any adventurous director and designer. The possibilities for stage magic are truly endless. Anastasia West is such a fresh voice in our current theatre landscape.

I really enjoyed this play and was engrossed by what it has to say about body acceptance and how pervasive fatphobia is in our world. Loved the use of social media throughout the play. Loved how this play looks at body acceptance through the lenses of people of all sizes. Katy is a wonderful role for a fat actress. More plays like this that celebrate bodies that aren't seen that often on our stages.

A delightful short play that has something really meaningful to say about the desire to not stand out. The idea of conformity is put under the microscope in this play as Schuett imagines a meeting between a North Pole plastic surgeon and Santa's most famous reindeer. This play really moved me as Rudolph explains why he just wants to be like all the other reindeers. This play would be a blast to work on with two adventurous actors. Loved this short.

This was such a fun play. A very humorous look at the afterlife. Great world=building in this play and I loved the comedic duo of Lenny and Steve. Really made me think about how one would react to seeing their life choices laid out before them. Hysterical play with a great twist ending.

I really love plays where people have a task they must achieve. These two characters have to dig holes so of course conversations will start about the meaning of life. The dialogue in this play is fantastic. Loved being a fly on the wall as these two prisoners wax poetic about mortality.

A wonderful play about the pressures that Indian Americans face. You can't help but root for Priya. I really admired how much these characters are written as 3 dimensional people that just want was is best for each other. Great writing that actors can really feast on.

I really loved this ensemble of layered and complex characters. A play about family the family you are born into and the family you make by being in community with others. This play deserves to be in conversation with the great works of Miller and Williams. Secrets are revealed and wounds are healed in this moving play. Loved how this play builds to the healing ritual of "spa day" and how we get to see these people really care for each other. I hope this plays gets productions all over.

Finally got to read a play by Valles and wow did this play deliver. It's a moving story of four boys as they try to navigate their 9th grade year. Forces at home and in school push down on them and try to keep them from having a bright future but they dare to dream nonetheless. Loved the moments where these boys are shooting the shit and making fun of each other. I hope this gets produced everywhere. Boys like these characters need help and guidance and this play creates empathy for them.