Recommended by Quinn Xavier Hernandez

Quirky, fun, and witchy, MOMMY DANCES WITH THE DEVIL is a nice mixture of the slice-of-life for harried mothers and supernatural thriller. #RachelBublitz creates and entertaining an unique night of theatre. #PlaywrightPlug

Hilarious, tragic, and so-real-it-hurts. HAPPINESS (AND OTHER REASONS TO DIE) allows us to stare down death while at the same time reflecting on life. Bob Bartlett masterfully ties his characters into the mystery and slowly unveils more and more information about their lives that we are left rooting for each one of them in some way. #PlaywrightPlug

BUILT TO FLOAT is an insightful examination of the long-term effects of grief and how unhealthy coping mechanisms take their toll. I saw the Essential Theatre's production this summer and it served Rachel Graf Evans' words beautifully.

SEEING EYE goes beyond the blindness of its main character. None of the characters in Nick Malakhow’s equally comic and tragic piece are able to look beyond themselves in the moment. And they cannot see their good qualities from the bad. It’s deliciously human, heartbreakingly honest, and would be a delight to dig into as an actor, director, or designer. #PlaywrightPlug

Gina Femia weaves such exhilarating images into her stage directions; images so full of magic that you wonder how the play can possibly hold everything and not overflow. The same can be said for her dialogue. Put in stark contrast to the magic, the gritty and highly realistic nature of her characters leads to some of the most vulnerable dialogue imaginable. THE MERMAID PARADE is horrifying, wonderful, and delightfully theatrical. #PlaywrightPlug

THE OCEAN THOUGHT NOTHING carries this haunting quality as it shifts backward and forward in time. Kari Bentley-Quinn has a mastery of dramatic timing. Her flashbacks are well placed and offer just as many questions as answers. By the play’s end, we are left off-kilter; uncertain if we are satisfied with what we have just witnessed, but prepared to face the unknown. #PlaywrightPlug

Dizzying and sharp, LOVELAND wastes no time getting to the crux of its drama. Writing about sexual abuse is difficult, but MT Cozzola delivers each beat fiercely and leaves you reeling with how brutally honest and vulnerable her characters can get. #PlaywrightPlug

Compassionate yet distant and filled with moments of confusion and pure clarity, IT’S NOT A TRIP IT’S A JOURNEY allows four wildly different friends to let go of themselves. June, Frankie, Rain, and Willie are allowed to exist for and in spite of themselves and it is in their interactions that they form a bond beyond friendship. It’s beautiful and intimate and so not about the destination that you can’t help but feel comfortable at the end, if not longing for more. #PlaywrightPlug #PlaywrightSpotlight

A journey of self-discovery, FORM OF A GIRL UNKNOWN plays on every expectation of the typical bildungsroman story and makes it something of a dream. We, as an audience, are able to immediately connect with Amali and her struggles and curiosities become our own. When she runs off into the woods, we are right there and ready to follow along on our own version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream that helps us accept the fact that there are no answers. We’ll always be looking and maybe, just maybe, that’s okay. #PlaywrightPlug #PlaywrightSpotlight

Breathtaking and vibrant, JUMP cycles through death, life, paranoia, certainty, grief, joy, hope, and despair seamlessly. There is such a delicate balance of poetry, visual magic, sound, and humanity that makes each page a delight. It’s full of wonder, dreamlike, and mesmerizing. If you’re looking for a play that deals intimately with human connection then look no further. #PlaywrightPlug #PlaywrightSpotlight