Recommended by Nick Malakhow

I love this fantastical, intersectionally aware, and sharply observed exploration of being an artist of color living at the margins of the already marginalized queer community. Rincon establishes a clear, colorful, and hilarious theatrical world inhabited by some spot on renderings of these greats. I am perhaps most impressed by how the characters all work as nuanced and distinctly human people, while also serving a greater purpose as clever extended metaphors. This play is a delight as a piece in and of itself, and a helpful and inspiring reminder as a queer writer of color.

What a beautiful and tenderly written play! Mateo and Diane's relationship was realistically drawn, subtly shaded, and poignantly sweet and intimate. The poetry that punctuates deftly drawn scenes provides key insights into Mateo's identity and journey. Because we have those moments, Ramirez Puckett is able to tell us so much about Mateo without betraying that realistic tendency of teens to hold back and pick and choose what to share. I'm floored by how the dramatic action is so crystal clear, but entirely based off these small little seismic shifts within and between characters that are exquisite to watch.

Fantastic! Christopher crafts a poetic and profane theatrical world full of spectacle and nodding to all kinds of theater and performance forms. All of the characters, but especially Lost, read as both credible and nuanced human beings while also representing large and significant themes and issues in queer male culture. Christopher offers a unique interrogation of desire, mentorship, connection, and a longing for peace and place among queer men. There is some outrageous and bold humor, but the overall feeling I left the play with was an empathy for and a great tenderness towards its complex central characters.

Max was such a strong protagonist, and I found her harrowing journey compelling from start to end. I appreciated the way Langley played with time and space in the first act--the veritable chaotic kaleidoscope of action orbited around Max but wove an intriguing and surprising theatrical world. When things settled down in act two (well...relatively speaking!) Max's grounded and more naturalistic conversations with Officer Taft took on a great urgency due to the baggage we know about her from the start of the play. I hope to see this developed and to follow its journey!

This is a beautiful, lyrical play that lives in its own bold, fully realized theatrical world. Gabriel is a compelling central character, and his relationship with his mother is deftly rendered. I was amazed at how this piece, in all of its non-linear, dreamy glory has such a clear arc and throughline. Otero pieces together a well fleshed out family in his sometimes spare, sometimes realistic, sometimes lyrical scenes. He also explores trauma with a deft hand--subtly, so that the moments that wrench us make their impact without histrionics or exploitative drama. I'd love to see this onstage!

What a fantastic, compelling read! Jaime is an exquisitely rendered imperfect protagonist whose motivations are crystal clear. I loved the parallelism between her and Theo, as well as the potent conflict between Jaime and Belynda. The way the scenes transitioned into one another kept the play moving at a brisk pace, and threaded throughout were subtle world-building details that painted an interesting portrait of a hypothetical near future without intruding on the character-driven storytelling. In focusing on unique and specific character interactions, Johnson manages to explore themes of family, loss, and the loaded dynamics of race and ancestry.

This gorgeous piece mines the lives of five unique and distinct characters for a universal and powerful exploration of grief, loneliness, alienation, and the blessing of finding connection in the oddest of circumstances. Each character is vividly realized throughout the poetic yet naturalistic scenes. Finocchiaro has crafted a play whose character-driven potency would be crystal clear with bare bones production needs. The funny, heartening, and at times heartbreaking interactions between and personal moments of these humans are exquisitely chosen and impeccably paced. I would be eager to experience this sweet and melancholy play on its feet.

What a compelling, fast, and affecting read. The initial setup provides us with characters that have potent desires and obstacles, and the plot unfolds with a hefty dose of subtle but powerful surprises. At the end of an emotionally wrenching final scene, the play ends on an ambiguous, unresolved note that is not unsatisfying--on the contrary it serves to underscore and solidify the strength and hope of the three central women. I would love to see this producible and important play have a long life! How awesome that it is having a run of productions recently.

A gorgeous, humorous, and highly theatrical play about grief. Raymond and Andrew are the unlikeliest of friends who clearly need what one another has to offer to come to terms with the loss of their shared loved one. Liu tackles universal sentiments about grief while also telling a very specific and layered story that shows how intersecting identities and clashing cultures and cultural values inform one's processing of personal events. Liu also manages to establish a strong grounding of place in New York without the contrived feel of some plays set in that notable global metropolis. Produce it soon/often!

Whew! This is a beautiful and melancholic heartbreaker of a play with a strong undercurrent of humanity, a good sense of humor, and a subtly woven sci-fi bent. "i" is a unique extended metaphor for grief, depression, and the lengths we go to heal ourselves after traumatic events. It poses the excellent question--what is the cost living with your grief rather than relegating it to a compartment you never open? Talbott offers no easy answers to Sarah's plight. Sudden revelations at the end are effectively potent, and the play's conclusion is both somber and hopeful. A lovely piece!