Recommended by Shaun Leisher

What a great monologue. A moving and poetic piece about life, death and searching for those we love when we are reborn. If that sounds bizarre it's because things definitely get wonderfully bizarre in this play. Frye does a great job at imagining what the future world will look like. Tally's lives will break your heart and make you chuckle quite a bit. I would love to see an actor take this piece on.

Frye perfectly captures the mundanity of work and how you get to know people that you only know as co-workers. I loved that Dani plays flute. It seems like such a random major but Frye manages to squeeze a lot of conversation out of this scenario. This would be really fun to produce. I love plays where a characters have tasks to do and just talk to pass the time.

I had to Google "Crane and Persimmon" to see if this short play was based on existing story. It is not and that really knocked my socks off. This feels like a piece of literature passed on from generation to generation. It's a play that looks at a bleak future but finds room for humor and love. I really hope that these characters keep finding each other and keep falling in love. I'd love to see this produced. Great opportunity for scenic designers and intimacy directors to stretch their muscles.

I really enjoyed reading this play. Loved how Herriges uses the format of the yoga class to explore issues like motherhood and body image issue. Herriges creates a lot of compelling tension between Emily and Sasha. It's hard not to laugh at how clueless Sasha is but you're heart also breaks when you hear the hurtful things coming out of her mouth. Emily is just trying to get through the first bit of motherhood and she does a great job speaking her mind.

This was a wild play about the gun epidemic and the insane laws that surround it. Characters that couldn't be more different search for connection. I really enjoyed getting to see these messy characters try to find common ground in this divided period in time. I loved how the absurdity of this play gradually intensifies by each passing moment. Carson and Starlee both want to "win" but it becomes clear that they have no clue what that means. There are lots of tricky stage directions in this play that I'd love to see a design team take on.

A brilliant adaptation of my favorite Chekhov play. The monologues feel like absolute poetry. Loved the choice to have the graveyard always a part of the play as a constant reminder that no matter what we will all end up there. I loved the moments where the characters break the fourth wall and interact with the audience. Those moments were really powerful and they each made sense for the character that was speaking. This play excites me so much and I look forward to seeing how it develops.

An absurd play about what happens in a world run by plastic. This play explores love and sex and parenthood in such a unique way. Really made me think of my own complicity when it comes to the use of plastic. Loved how this play moves through centuries as we watch the plastic baby Sprite "grow up." The rules to this world are so clearly laid out and yet no scenes of too much exposition were present. I'd love to see this play produced and see how designers create Sprite and the costumes of the third part.

I love the American Theatre but I hate how much it can exploit and harm young artists. SMJ does a great job at showing the dangers of the apprenticeship system. They manage to do this while also writing a hilarious and romantic play. Lindsay is obviously a despicable person but even she is made human. The dynamic between the apprentices is messy but I couldn't help but root for all of them. This play features lot of stage directions that will require stage magic and I'm all for it.

I was so moved by this play. Life is a lot for these teenage girls. They have to think about their present love lives, their futures at college and the fact the their planet is a hot mess. I haven't read a play before that looks at climate change with this much urgency. These characters are trying to pass something along for aliens that are visiting after the human race has gone extinct. This is such a great ensemble piece. Each character is crafted with such complexity and given moment to show their depth.

This is a great short play. Loved how the playwright dramatizes something like school fighting in such an over the top way. The moments before the fight with Eddie and Tyson are humorous and intimate. Would love to see this produced with a full set and stage magic for the blood. This could be a great piece to work on in a stage combat class.