Recommended by Nick Malakhow

A deftly told intersectional story that centers around five extremely compelling and human characters. As she focuses on this small group of people, Hung explores and illuminates issues of identity and belonging, racism and stereotypes within and between various groups of color, and more! Through hilarious dialogue and insightful conversations, Anna, Cynthia, Roland, and Jimmy change and evolve through their work with Derek. The final coda to the piece is satisfying and beautifully written. I hope to see a production of this sometime soon!

I loved the clear, unique, and specific theatrical world Sam Hamashima created. George is a compelling, charming, and believable character who we rally around, and all of the other (human and non-human) characters are fleshed out and have impactful arcs as well. In looking at this individual family, Hamashima effectively illuminates broader historical and social truths to great effect. "American Spies..." pairs humor alongside poignant moments of realism, fantasy, and lyrical poetry. It would be a delight to see this staged, as it is definitely a play that truly reads like a theatrical event.

This piece is an amazing theatrical feat! Espinosa crafts her own visual/aural/spatial reality with fantastical elements and spins a powerful story centered on three complex, dynamic, and extraordinarily different women. The dialogue pairs gorgeous, lyrical poetry with spare and contemporary realism in a way that feels cohesive. Paloma's assault, Daphne's transformation, her meeting of Miel, and the powerful ending tableau make for an engrossing arc! I'd love to see this realized onstage.

This tender-hearted, intimate story is fantastic. In examining neurodiversity within an already marginalized community, Osmundsen sheds light on the ways in which the gay male community doesn't make space for intersectional queerness. In Henry, he has created a sympathetic and well-rendered protagonist. I was also impressed by the arcs of Roggie, Marian, and Joseph. They each have their own journeys that help to further illuminate Henry's struggles, strengths, and how he helps those around him grow and evolve. I enjoyed the theatrical play with time, as well as the humor throughout. The ending is hopeful and heartening.

This spot on rendering of college aged young people navigating their first few years away from home provides a powerful exploration of acquaintance sexual assault and the ways victims are gaslighted by their perpetrators and others around them. The irregular, natural sounding dialogue perfectly captures several distinct voices. The characters have well developed senses of humor as well which, in some scenes provides some great laughs, and in other scenes some of the deepest and most heartbreaking cuts. This piece should be regularly explored on college campuses.

I appreciated how this play shifts back and forth in time, making clear the impacts that past events have on the characters in the present. Mandy's guilt-driven quest for answers and forgiveness gives us a window into two other flawed characters who neglected or abused her brother as well. Along the way, Osmundsen offers insights into the mechanisms behind self-hatred, negative self-image in the gay community, and alienation in contemporary urban life.

This was a thoroughly engrossing piece about intergenerational relationships, inherited trauma, and activism. Liddell introduces us to a dynamic family full of strong personalities and tensions both hidden and overt. She impressively renders a portrait of the pendulum swing between generations on all sorts of issues and illustrates the ever-complex relationship between one's racial identity and one's personal boundaries, dreams, and limits (both external and self-imposed). I'd love to see this play on its feet in production!

What a fantastic, whimsical, playful, and poignant theatrical fairy tale. Izumi plays with and subverts our expectations numerous times throughout the story, all along the way making some excellent points about the nature of love and relationships. The theatrical world described onstage is so unique and heightened, and it was a joy to try and visualize how it might come to life in my mind. This big-hearted and beautiful story also has an excellent sense of humor and moves at a fast, exciting clip. Please produce this play!

This is a gorgeously rendered, fantastical story that takes genres and tropes dominated by white voices--coming of age, the Western, revenge--and queers and diversifies them. Tamít is a compelling protagonist, but their story is but one fascinating element of this multi-layered work. Diaz-Marcano creates an eclectic yet cohesive theatrical world populated by humans with potent motivations both hidden and public. Despite the epic scope of the world, Diaz-Marcano wisely centers these characters' journeys above all. The dialogue vacillates between the poetic, the spare, the profane, and the (sometimes darkly) humorous. I'd love to see this realized onstage!

This is a richly layered and nuanced piece that is both an excellent and full character study of three complicated people, while also being an impeccably structured play! "Queen of Sad Mischance" is a beautiful example of theatrical showing vs. telling, where all of the dialogue both serves to move the plot forward while also rendering and fully fleshing out its characters. Kym is a propulsive driver to the play, Beverly a sympathetic foil who is shown warts and all, and Roy a delightfully complicating wild card. Everyone so clearly has urgent needs related to themselves and one another.