Recommended by Shaun Leisher

Really loved this short play. A great example of how you can effectively write a setting that serves as it's own character. I really enjoyed getting to listen on this moment between two long time friends. I appreciated what this play has to say about war and how it impacts the people that soldiers leave behind. I could see this being a great opportunity for a lighting designer to create some beautiful art.

An extremely moving character-study about addiction. You can't help but root for Max. She's a complicated character that was hurt by the person closest to her. Langley does a great job at showing how manipulative her mother was without making her a clear villain. Her mother had her own problems with trust and intimacy and passed it on to her daughter from a young age. This is a play is an honest portrayal of addiction and will create much needed dialogue around the heroin epidemic.

Would love to see what the puppets for this play would look like. A wonderful use of fantasy elements as a way to honestly discuss death and aging. Karna is a fantastic role for a young South Asian actress. I really enjoyed following her journey has she grew younger and older. At each age she has a different relationship to the passing of her mother and it made for some thrilling theatre. I really loved this play and how it tackles deep issues with such whimsy.

Authentic Native stories are sorely missing in the American theatre. I think this play does a really good job at sharing ancient culture and giving us a peak into what life is like in Pueblo communities. This is a play that is just as much about heartbreak and uncertain futures as it is about preserving tradition. I loved how the telling of the creation fable was a throughline throughout the play. I hope this inspires more Native writers to tell honest stories that fight against stereotypes.

A brilliant play. Aguilar tells a story about the trans experience that I have never seen on stage and screen before. Loved how intimate this moment is between two people who know very little about each other. You really feel for Apphia as they go through this painful process towards gender-affirming healthcare. I just can't say enough about the originality of this play.

In this play, Mahapatra explores the world of kink without judgement. Tom could easily be a stereotype but the playwright has created a fully-fleshed, three-dimensional character. Tom is just trying to survive and find love while also having needs that some would find undesirable. Dan is written as someone who tries his best to fulfill those needs but it does not always work. This is a play that definitely will need an intimacy director. So many conversations will be had with this play.

A play about a brilliant writer and her high school teacher and mentor. A play that plays with time and setting to weave a tale that spans centuries. Loved how messy all of these characters are. Loved the way power is something that constantly changes hands in this play. This is a play that looks at the way society puts up necessary boundaries and what can happen when those boundaries are crossed. I loved the way time is so fluid in this play and how past and present are questioned.

I was deeply moved by this play about the different way touch impacts the body. This play is an opportunity for Black men to be soft and tender with one another. You never exactly know the relationship between these two men but you know they are close enough to take part in this intimate exercise. McCreary gives us just enough information to keep us engaged. This is the magic that this able to happen when two bodies take up space on a stage.

A short play about what it's like to have to hide who you are. Genius move to set this play at a time when being queer was dangerous. The setting ups the stakes to high levels. I loved that, even with these heightened stakes, there is room in this play for tender moments. In this play, there is room for love, friendship and needed community. You can't help but root for a future where these characters get to be out in the open with their identities. Great use of costumes to convey tension.

An excellent short play. A play that starts out as a tender moment between a couple expecting a child takes a chilling turn. I was really moved by what this play has to say about how pregnant women are treated by doctors. Loved the break from reality that this play takes. I could see this being a really exciting challenge for a sound designer.