Recommended by Nick Malakhow

A super compelling piece that uses subtle horror to examine and explore family trauma, abuse, regret, religion/faith, societal expectations of women, and much more with a deft hand. Like a lot of excellent pieces from the "demonic" genre (thinking "Hereditary" + "The Exorcist"), this play is an excellent slow burn whose sense of mounting dread so all of a sudden comes to a head in a deeply unsettling grand gesture. Theatrical, thought-provoking, terrifying.

This is an incredibly complex exploration of kink, sexuality, addiction, intimacy in general, intimacy in the digital age, grappling with trauma, and much more. Each act is, in and of itself, a compelling individual story and arc, and the ways they work together to illuminate cycles and family relationships are so poignant as well. It would take a special production company to make this piece happen, and I imagine it would be a powerful, disarming, and unique experience to see live.

Really intriguing piece in which form/style is played with her tangibly but delicately. It has a deceptively straightforward premise that belies all of the nuanced and complex themes explored. Namely, intimacy in young adulthood; the intersection of emotional connection and sex; consent and its intersection with social norms and expectations particularly around gender; and much more. The offbeat hilarity of especially the first half is a super interesting foil to the fallout of Hal and Bev's interaction.

This is an incredible theatricalization of mental health struggles. The tightly-written, nuanced solo show is compelling and engaging throughout and was an ideal form for exploring Miles' mind in a way that left questions unanswered but still felt satisfyingly comprehensive, empathetic, and sensitive. The titular extended metaphor of the string that Miles describes is so beautifully written/explored through dialogue. Zubel writes such amazing pieces about the intersection of mental health, recovery, and care, and this one is no exception! I'd so love to see it performed live.

Wholly original work that explores identity in a super theatrical way that I couldn't have possibly dreamed up! I love the coexistence of gruesomeness and hilarity and poignancy. The fabulistic/parable-like quality also sets the piece apart, and the language feels spare and lyrical while the world is so sumptuously defined. How I'd love to see a creative production company tackle this piece!

Superb piece! It explores the intersections of things both huge and small--family, sibling relationships, incarceration, Islam and Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, music, and so much more--in a theatrical and compelling fashion. The way music is integrated and the poignant and nuanced metaphors--music style, the visual of cells and bars, etc.--make for what I imagine is a visual and aural treat in production. I'd love to see this on its feet!

Compelling, heightened, offbeat farce that explores many issues of the contemporary US--virtue signaling, class, rationalization of maintaining toxic and harmful structures under the assumptions of "do-gooder-ism." The characters are terrifyingly recognizable and Yockey's signature darkness meets comedy is on full display here. I loved the theatricality of some of the more subtly fantastical moments, especially Felicia Reed-Walker's final exit.

A powerful, theatrical piece that takes full advantage of the magic of live theater. Jo and Haywood's parallel journeys are simultaneously wrenching, heartbreaking, frustrating, and poignant. They are such fully-rendered and specific characters, painted with care and sensitivity. McCarthy's use of malleable chronology and playing with time/space illuminates and reveals character details at interesting intervals. I also loved how they rendered the surrounding environment and cultural context brilliantly with only two characters onstage. The ending scene and movement sequence was satisfying and something I'd so love to see staged!

In this piece, Varjas does a wonderful job of presenting us with complex, recognizable characters who we sympathize with even as they frustrate us. He illuminates accurate, toxic dynamics within the gay cis-male community, and I loved how we were privy to the ways the characters in this piece both were subjected to and perpetuated certain social expectations and biases. Above all, I think the juxtaposition of loneliness and connection that can be a characteristic of queer bar spaces was represented well here. Poignant, funny, and true.

A nuanced and clever satire on white privilege, exploring the complexities of reparations and whether wealth redistribution on the individual level can create lasting, structural change or just go beyond virtue signaling. The visual metaphors (storms, sinkholes, anchors) help to supplement and illuminate the broader themes in clever ways. I'd look forward to following the trajectory of this piece and its development.