Recommended by Nick Malakhow

A surprising, sharp, and darkly comedic exploration of white America's preoccupation with legacy and ownership of "American identity" as well as their abuse, categorization, and othering of Indigenous people. Benj and Spooky are compelling and warmly drawn central characters and serve as a perfect counterpoint to Bud and his family's erratic, eclectic members. The juxtaposition of Benj and Spooky's humanity with the white folks' figurative resonance/symbolism is impactful. I'd be eager to see this piece on its feet!

This was a ride and one of the most inventive theatrical worlds I've had the pleasure of reading. I appreciated the interplay of dark and light here, particularly when there were these stark, unsettling, potent shifts into slightly more naturalistic storytelling/monologue from the buoyancy and vibrancy of prior scenes. I would love to see some of these unforgettable stage images, sequences, and moments on their feet and tackled by a creative production company!

A deeply unsettling and surprising piece. While ominous from the start, Marlin manages to lull the reader/audience into focusing on the humanity of these characters before examining the disparate and often troubling journeys of these folks to this meeting (to say more would betray some of the surprises at hand). The irregular and human and natural dialogue is offset perfectly by some huge theatrical grand gestures that will leave images in my mind in days to come! Effective human exploration of prejudice, racism, and much more crossed with mindbending horror, especially towards the end.

A spectacular theatrical world rendered with such clarity and specificity. The tenderness with which Dring writes about these characters is always evident. The story is also told with much humor to balance out poignant moments of pathos, connection, and loss. The aesthetic mix of more naturalistic conversations with awesome movement sequences and lyrical theatrical poetry is also an original and compelling artistic whole. Akio's journey is a concrete anchor that allows expansive exploration of this world. I would so love to see this onstage soon!

An absolutely spectacular, fabulistic piece that marries folktale and movement theater with a specific, poignant, funny, and human story. Lena is such a compelling central character, and I was so moved by her journey and the way she explored her betweenness, her connections and lack thereof to various parts of her identity, and her own definitions of family. I will not forget many of the stage images within the piece, and a creative theater company should have a field day bringing this fantastic play to life.

Superb piece that tells a gorgeously rendered, human story amplified with moments of high theatricality and some potent and powerful metaphors and stage images of biblical proportions. Johnson manages to explore huge themes of privilege, race, gentrification, found and blood family, legacy, and much more with his microscopic focus on the relationship between Jay and Evan. All the characters are compelling beyond those two, however, especially Stacy who is so awesomely empathetic and antagonistic all at once. I hope to see this on its feet sometime soon!

This manages to be both VERY funny and VERY profound. Stafford does so much. She explores the relative importance of responsibility to self vs responsibility to others as a central ethical question and connects it elegantly with social expectations and gender roles. Secondly, she examines a very real and finely rendered relationship between two people who love each other, but whose priority shifts, communication failures, and waning abilities to be deeply honest with one another have shaped their marriage undeniably. The laughs flow quickly (and Leaf is a priceless character). The end is so poignant, well-earned, and deeply-felt.

This is a tightly-written, potent, atmospheric piece of genre-bending sci-fi/horror. The juxtaposition of the natural, rhythmically/humanly irregular support group scenes with the more heightened and theatrical sequences is very powerful. There were some incredible stage images which I will remember of would love to see crafted with lights, movement, sound, and bodies in space. Herrera's exploration of support groups, the multitude of experiences people have within them, conflicting journeys of healing and resolving trauma, and much more is rich and subtle and nuanced. I'd love to see this live and on its feet!

A surprising and engaging piece that looks at the intersection of faith, belief systems, acceptance, identity, family, and queerness. The looming stage image of Jonah and the whale provides a potent visual metaphor for the major themes and events within. The twists and turns in Ann's journey are powerful and organic. The connection between Daniel and Troy is, at first, poignant and illuminating and full of its own surprises, which makes the "resolution" of their relationship even more of a gut punch. I'd love to see this briskly-moving piece onstage.

Watching Andy dig himself further and further into a (fictional) grave was a delightful festival of schadenfraude to see unfolding before my eyes. Behind the quick-moving and comedic scenes, Mejia explored important themes like commitment and honesty in relationships, the importance of not seeing gay marriage as a panacea for issues facing queer people (and not always "the answer" in a perfectly functional relationship), intimacy, and getting oneself out of destructive relationship cycles. I'd love to see this staged with a truly diverse cast of queer men--which would no doubt add intriguing nuances and subtleties to the relationships.