Recommended by Nick Malakhow

Amazing piece that examines celebrity, sexism, relationships, and the sometimes toxic intersections between those things. "this party sucks" is both highly theatrical and huge while being startlingly intimate. The dialogue vacillates between spare and sometimes wordless moments of lived in reality and equally plausible frantic, emotion and substance fueled cascades of words. All three characters are so carefully rendered and multi-dimensional, and Cleo's arc is inspired and at times heartbreaking. I hope to see a production of this piece in the near future!

I had to privilege to see a great reading of this last night! This is a hilarious, highly theatrical, and inventive spin on the family drama refracted through intersecting themes of coming out, identity, religion, faith, and much more. Like all satirical spins on a topic, absurd hilarity is paired side by side with poignant truths. I'd love to see a fully staged version of this some time soon! It would be an entertaining visual feast no doubt.

Wow! A truly brilliant play about power dynamics and gender roles in modern relationships. In an extremely upfront yet nuanced manner, this play so effectively explores the ways in which straight white men refuse to relinquish power and control--and how disassembling those dynamics and structures is both a monumental task and an essential one. Hilarious, truthfully human, and profound! It also includes some of the most justified and well written onstage intimacy I've encountered.

A great Halloween (and any time) read! As a lover of horror movies, I'm always on the lookout for plays that satisfy that itch but in a theatrical way that only live theater can. As we wind back and forth through time and through different theatrical realities, the mystery of the "hanging girl" and of Sonny's connection to her becomes clearer and clearer in exciting and tension-filled ways. This piece combines movement theater, folklore/urban legend, interesting and naturally written teenage characters, and much more. I'd love to see this staged--would be super cool in an environmental setup!

Wow! What a beautiful and engrossing period piece. Sickles manages to capture distinct senses of place, time, and character through dialogue that feels from another era but that is still economical and wonderfully paced. The love triangle between Forster, Bob, and May is extremely intriguing and well-executed, and the supporting characters colorful and honored with their own powerful arcs. I hope to see this staged soon!

An ingenious updating/riff on its source inspiration, PEERLESS bursts with electric energy and moves at a frenetic and exciting pace. The deliciously rhythmic dialogue between its central protagonists and off-kilter, dark humor kept me invested throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed the C1 production of this I saw several years ago.

A beautifully told story that winds itself back and forth through time, SAFE examines the intersection of faith and living your truest life. Sam and Aubrey's ever evolving relationship is consistently compelling and I was excited to see new layers revealed which complicated and made me reevaluate the scenes that had come before. I would love to see this on stage!

This play presents one of the most compelling theatrical representations of depression that I've had the privilege to read. Anna is an extremely well drawn and realistic character whose personified mental illness offers great insights into the mechanisms haunting and informing her relationships and sabotaging her road to recovery. Funny, heartbreaking, and poignant, "She's Not There" would make for an amazing evening of theater!

Part thriller and part engaging and heady piece on academia, thought policing, and PC culture, "Theory" is a gripping read from beginning to end! I found myself both cringing at some of Isabelle's actions and also fully understanding where she was coming from and applauding the ideas behind her tactics. The transitions between scenes were theatrical and created interesting contrasts, and the eclectically sized scenes themselves kept me engaged and on my toes. I'd love to see this staged!

A well-paced, taut, intimate drama. Snider's eye towards the intersectionally challenging dynamics at play here--race, ethnicity, sexuality--make for complex and meaty scenes. This plugs along at an always engrossing simmer until reaching a sudden (and well-earned) boiling point.