Recommended by Nick Malakhow

Absolutely gorgeous! I loved all of these small and beautifully observed and captured moments. I can so easily see how each micro-story could take on new and exciting nuances if a truly diverse ensemble of actors were brought together to stage this. Beautifully universal like "Our Town," but in a way that someone like me might not have to do mental gymnastics to map that cis-het-white narrative onto my own unique identity crossroad. I'd love to see this in production.

A small, nuanced, and keenly observed piece about two incredibly drawn characters. The pacing of this piece is impeccable, as is its structure. I was immediately drawn in and entertained by Marlowe and Danny, intrigued where their partnership would go, and was surprised, delighted, saddened etc. (all the good emotions) once we were on the journey. Couldn't put it down! I also appreciate how theatrical the piece is for a play that takes place on, theoretically, a very small footprint onstage. I seriously hope to see a production of this soon!

Highly theatrical, engaging, and sheds a light on a narrative that should be more well known. Meg is a dynamic and persistent protagonist, and it is compelling and heartrending to watch her fight. This play also has a wonderful sense of humor and uses stylistic quirks to evoke place and time. Blackmer also uses thoughtful doubling and chorus work in an impactful way. I think that the readable and flowing story and topics would engage audiences of various ages, and I think teens would be interested and inspired by this play. I hope to see this produced soon!

A wonderfully thrilling and engrossing piece! All of the characters are distinct and compelling, and the action moves briskly and with mounting tension. Prescient and terrifying to read in our socio-political climate in the US, but all the more important to do so because of it. I love how Berryman succeeds at navigating and exploring a nuanced discussion of "upstandership," activism, and the power of individuals to make change or be complicit in the status quo. In fully fleshing out her unique and specific premise, Berryman succeeds in rendering a universal rumination on these topics.

The deathbead genre is reinvigorated in this funny, highly theatrical, exciting, and intersectionally unique play. This large and baggage-filled family is full of miraculously dimensional and developed characters. It's so amazing how Christopher packs revelations and nuance/character shading into a briskly moving evening of theater. I was moved to both laugh out loud and tear up as I read. Discussions about colorism, assimilation, living your truth, and losing your home culture were integral to the story, so thoroughly realized, and hit close to home. I hope to see this piece developed and produced soon!

An amazing piece. I found myself so grateful to read a trans narrative centered around love, fellowship, friendship, and community vs. isolation and violence (while also appreciating how the characters articulated the place those things have in trans and queer experiences). All of the characters are so distinct and compelling. A subtle and nuanced piece with palpable conflict that doesn't veer into overwrought drama. I hope to see this produced soon!

What a consistently inventive, surprising, and cohesive piece. I love how history is adapted and portrayed in part one, and then refracted and exploded in the remaining two parts. Corthron navigates dramatic territory from hilarious satire to gutting, alienating truths, to fascinating imagined future with seeming ease! Hope to see this very theatrical piece produced some day soon.

So incredibly inventive and highly original. Whimsical and hilarious in the best way, while so powerful and grounded in part two. I found myself consistently and pleasantly surprised by both what was happening onstage as well as the profundity of the straightforward language. Huge themes of legacy, impact, history, access, and isolation are all explored so deftly and imaginatively here. Would love to see this highly theatrical piece onstage!

A beautiful, beautiful piece! Three amazingly drawn characters with distinct voices. I was so impressed with how vividly this town was rendered with only three characters. The dialogue was briskly moving and natural, with some beautifully lyrical moments and monologues that never felt forced or disingenuous. I was also always pleased that, just as I'd be tearing up or holding my breath, I'd be able to exhale or utter a soft chuckle at some unique and specific and utterly human moment. So happy to see productions on this play's horizon, and I hope I get to see one soon.

What a wonderful, human piece! Freni so deftly captures the rhythms and irregularities of human speech and plumbs those stilted interactions for both hilarity and pathos. Each character is multi-dimensional and unique, and I appreciate the intersectionally diverse set of identities presented. We learn about how each character is treated and viewed by society not through arduous exposition, but through simple, immediate, and nuanced conversations. This play brilliantly interrogates the purpose of support groups and the stigmas and assumptions attached to chronic illness in a way that respects each character, but also doesn't let them off the hook.