Recommended by Nick Malakhow

A clever piece of satirical horror that examines where we are culturally speaking in a broad sense and, specifically in the context of secondary education. Using a supremely clever extended metaphor, Guerzon explores the ways students, teachers, and administrators alike are impacted by the specter of culture wars, socio-political strife, civil discourse (and the lack of it) in schools. The horror elements are threaded in subtly at first until they reach a grandly theatrical climax!

A nuanced, complex, character-driven piece with a truly engaging non-linear structure. David manages to both look at the immediate and collateral damage that mental illness can cause. Each of the characters' stories are peeled back like an onion as the play progresses, and each comes to a point where the audience understands and feels for them, even characters who seemed unsympathetic from the outset. The way small details--turns of phrase that Matt and Alan share, baggage they discuss, relationship details between Matt, Louise, and Sarabeth--reveal themselves feels organic all throughout.

A gentle and thorough exploration of these two men that, for all of the subtlety it finds in their everyday existences, manages to be monumentally adventurous in form and thematically profound. I loved how reading this conjured imagery of an exciting movement-based theatrical evening in my mind, but that I could also tell how it could change so much depending on which creative production team tackles it. I'd love to see this on its feet someday soon! A narrative that explores male intimacy and friendship with such tenderness is a precious rarity.

A tightly written and disarming solo show that endears us to Bob, show us his charms and flaws, and then reveals the way he is taken advantage of and how he comes out the other side of that experience with perspective and grit. Dave truly explores all the complex facets of Bob's identity and addresses how they inform his actions and experiences. Additionally, the characters jump off the page and Bob's personal reflections and growth are poignantly detailed here. An honest look at fandom and coming of age--read and watch Dave perform it!

A funny, human, and eerie story about loss, family, home, and more. I loved how Kisa's relationship with her home and her family was a small, nuanced narrative that connected to larger themes in the play: the collective loss Ishinomaki faced in the wake of natural disaster, evolving definitions of home for subsequent generations and for those who don't fit into society's norms, and questions about tradition and progress. I could visualize just how exciting design elements could heighten the supernatural aspects beautifully. I'd love to see this staged!

A lovely, poignant exploration of a relationship. This play winds itself back and forth in time with dexterity and each successive scene adds layer upon layer to Uri and Luca's story. Pilapil looks at the ways we both expand and contract in response to others in our lives and the delicate journey that is finding our own way and our identities while also fumbling for lasting connection. An alternatingly sweet, funny, sad, sexy, and ultimately hopeful piece that I'd love to see performed!

An exciting canvas for a director, actors, and team of designers. In the vein of "Our Town," it explores universal concepts of life, love, and death that apply far and wide while zeroing in on subtle, nuanced, and beautifully specific images, ideas, and experiences. That said, this is even more formally adventurous than Wilder's piece and offers a lovely roadmap that production teams can take in their own, unique directions. I'd love to see this produced many times over to appreciate the disparate visions of different companies on this poignant play with a clear POV.

And excellent, atmospheric piece that looks at family trauma, memory, abuse, friendship, and coming of age in a skillfully written play populated by engaging characters. The multiple actors portraying different versions of the same characters is a deftly used device here to explore how memory distorts truth and also the hypothetical imaginings we project onto those we have run away from or haven't seen for a long while. I can imagine an aesthetically rich production of this play which begs to be seen on its feet!

Phew! Essential reading and viewing at this moment. Using the community in a small, Indiana public school, Erik Gernand deftly comments on political polarization and the dangerous collision of personal identity and friction between ideologies. All of the characters have these delightful little human nuances which only underscore how complex humans are beneath the bluster of big, competing political viewpoints and the ways relationships and movements suffer when we forget that very thing. In Judith, we have a wonderfully flawed nucleus with an Aristotelian level of hubris that haunts her final decisions in the play. Produce this now!

This is such a lovely, human, somewhat melancholic play about friendship, mortality, grief, and how our perceptions of/relationships to these things change and evolve over time. The theatricality of how Kuo plays with time and space is beautifully realized and integral to the storytelling. I loved how, even though some moments wound back and forth in the timeline, there was always a sense of forward momentum in this relationship between Eloise and Anna and a greater understanding achieved between characters and by audience/readers. I'd love to see this realized onstage!