Recommended by Quinn Xavier Hernandez

Most pieces of American Realism can only handle one major family secret, but Michael J. Mejia uses each of his characters to pile secret on top of secret until the play is bursting at the seams. FELIZ is straight up, head-banging, gut-punching conflict that keeps you hooked until the final moment. #PlaywrightPlug

Jarring, bloody, poised, and delightful! Cristina Florencia Castro’s rich visual tapestry overwhelms the senses while her dialogue creates a magnificent theatrical experience. HOW THE COLDS WERE RAZED presents ideas of mercy, duty, honor, sacrifice, and consequences with an exhilarating forcefulness that will leave you on the edge of your seat. #PlaywrightPlug

NATURAL SHOCKS is a marathon and a sprint wrapped up into one twisting, unpredictable, ever-evolving story. Lauren Gunderson masterfully lays out a framework for her single performer and deftly brings back most, if not everything we’ve heard throughout this powerful and moving piece to force her audience to pause and see our world and society for what they are. #PlaywrightPlug

Writing for high schoolers is incredibly difficult, but Emily Hageman succeeds in knowing her audience almost intimately. THE CAGES WE BUILD confronts themes of being outcast, blame, and the consequences of actions while not being preachy or overdramatic. #PlaywrightPlug

Inspiring and honest, MERMAID gives us a peek into the emotional struggles of accepting one’s self and how life isn’t always what you originally thought it might be. Andrew Rosendorf’s characters are truthful to the bone and hide none of their insecurities, emotional distance, and flaws. #PlaywrightPlug

QUEEN OF SAD MISCHANCE is delightfully dizzying. What starts as a collision of personalities and intellect transforms into a heartbreaking tale of struggle, decline, and acceptance. John Minigan really breathes life into his characters so that all of their nuances and backstory seeps into each word as their relationships develop and devolve. #PlaywrightPlug

VISTING HOURS has you hooked from the first page with it’s wide array of unhinged characters that are all desperate and unrelenting in pursuing their wants/needs. David Caudle presents a story of second chances and compromise that will have everyone second guessing his characters’ motives and personal truths until the very end. #PlaywrightPlug

GOOD FRIDAY is the hot barrel of a gun pressed up against every inch of your skin. Utilizing a unique structure that lends itself to an impeccable flow, Kristiana Rae Colón raises serious questions about womanhood, community, abuse, and justice. #PlaywrightPlug

There is a swiftness and danger within THE STROKE that unsettles you at every turn. Edith Freni knows exactly where to place the clashing of her character’s voices and when she suddenly needs to hit the brakes and let silence do all the talking, often for wildly funny and tragic results. #PlaywrightPlug

There is a mysticism to Siena Marilyn Ledger's writing that is profoundly impacted by the use of silence. MAN AND THE MOON utilizes this mysticism and a certain directness that makes this hard-hitting two-hander a journey of acceptance, discovery, friendship, love, and loss that resonates on multiple levels. #PlaywrightPlug