Recommended by Nick Malakhow

What a joy to read so many young women rendered so deftly. Gina Femia captures the awkwardness and profundity of teenage identity formation with crisply naturalistic dialogue. As with all of Femia's plays, I didn't have to glance at the character list to start hearing their distinct and unique voices and telling them apart from the beginning. This play leans into questions of faith, organized religion, healing from trauma, and navigating one's identity within institutions or oppressive structures literally designed to keep one down. High schoolers should read and perform this piece.

Moss captures natural speech with an uncanny accuracy, highlighting the humor from the irregular timing and cadences of real conversations. An exceptionally interesting premise and wonderfully executed arc! This had me rolling around in stitches while also confronting some hard truths about intimacy and relationships.

As a career teacher, I love this piece. I can see where each adult character is coming from and how much they believe they're thinking in the interest of the child in question, when they so woefully miss the mark. When Michael speaks with his youthful honesty, naivete, and cynicism it's hard to see him as either the delinquent Celeste has made him out to be or the victim his mother has decided that he is. Love the combo of realism and heightened theatricality as well! Hope to see this produced soon.

A fierce and brazenly theatrical exploration of not just the specific incident at the heart of the play, but of intersectionally-conscious queer identity. This piece had me alternatingly laughing at its genius, gutted by its tragedy, and sobered by its commentary. Through a clever balance of nuanced humans whose lives we were peering into and fourth-wall breaking self-aware characters, Christopher examines how this tragedy's roots are interlaced strands of hatred, misogyny, homophobia, racism, and classism. The exploration and meditation on the idea of community within the queer culture is potent and so articulately expressed as well.

A chilling parable/"what if?" that so thoroughly explores the tendency towards dehumanizing one's enemies in exchange for survival and perpetuation of self-interest. Through her alternate reality, Rose effectively captures the fears and questions raised during the Cold War. The structure of the "guest lectures" gives a unique and theatrical framing to the piece without at all being didactic or obvious. On the contrary--this piece is subtle and full of humanity and nuance!

The humans in this play are so exquisitely rendered with unique and distinct voices that I can practically hear all of their different cadences and rhythms in my head. The juxtaposition of Islande's and Biron's trauma is so beautifully navigated and sensitively handled, as wrenching and gutting as some moments are. The stage magic on display is also magnificently conceived of! What a joy to read such fantastical stage directions and actions that seem at once so far-fetched, but that evoke about 10 different possible staging iterations in my director-brain. It would be a pleasure to see this staged!

An extremely important and underrepresented example of pursuing "the American Dream." This play uses fierce humor and wrenching tragedy to illuminate the opportunities its central characters most desperately crave and deserve but are prevented from achieving at every turn. From ball culture to cockfighting to wild animals run loose, full throated and passionate theatricality is on display here. I would love to see how this lives off the page. I appreciate its transcendent and forward-looking ending.

I really appreciated how well-developed this large ensemble of characters was. Each human had a super distinct voice that made their relationships and personalities incredibly clear even on my first read-through. A nuanced look at mental health. In examining the theme through historical fiction, the progress and lack of progress in the treatment of those struggling with mental health issues is made potently and powerfully clear. I look forward to following its development trajectory.

After seeing a reading of an early draft, I am floored as I read this updated version! What a beautiful and potent examination of faith, organized religion, how society commodifies women's bodies and virginity, and spaces where folks are able to rebel and ways those spaces are invaded by the oppressor in subtle ways. In lyrical and gorgeously irregular/natural scenes, Rockwell tackles the above themes through powerful and captivating young women. She writes teens so astutely, and always has an eye on her characters' intersectional identities. I hope to see this continually developed and produced soon!

This is a witty and charming romantic comedy without falling in the trap of being too precious. What a treat! Bavoso has many wonderful one-liners in here, but always in service of the story, as he keeps the plot moving. Preston's "errand" from earlier in the day is a perfect metaphor for depicting the turning point in these two men's relationship. A pleasure to read and, I imagine, so very stageable and dynamic.