Recommended by Nick Malakhow

An inventive, original piece that explores loneliness, isolation, and connection in a multitude of ways. Liza and Dale are such vividly realized characters, and the ways they complement one another feel organic. The use of soundscapes; music; lyrical poetry; simultaneous private moments; digital connection; and natural, poignant, human, humorous scenes all coalesce into a cohesive theatrical aesthetic. I'd love to see a creative production team tackle this! Additionally, I really appreciated the vivid sense of time and place.

I found this romantic comedy to be a wonderful mix of wistful and charming. This exploration of grief and death and moving on is nuanced and subtle. O'Grady utilizes paranormal reality and ghosts as a lovely way to explore what is left behind when our life partners die (or move on in other ways), what we take from them, and how we rearrange and recalibrate our realities in their wake.

I was definitely here for the intrigue, the fun toying with chronology which bolstered the storytelling, and the sharp and incisive humor throughout! I also loved the examination of dynamics in intergenerational gay relationships, the need to assimilate vs. stand out, and privilege and power. The way Barlow plays with time and space is theatrical and compelling, and I found the piece equal parts hilarious and thrilling.

A boldly theatrical play that tackles adolescent identity formation, bullying, and family trauma and violence with a wildly dark comedic bent. Martin and Daphne's chemistry and quirky relationship feels specific and human and contrasts nicely with the larger external forces tormenting the both of them. The Pooka serves as an excellent extended metaphor for all the rage and anger and helplessness it is so easy to feel when encountering trauma as a young person and feeling completely out of control of your own destiny and unable to change the things that impact you. Creative, theatrical, and startling!

I loved the fact that, at the end of this piece, I felt that I had this extremely complex and nuanced impressionistic portrait of these four women's friendship. Villanueva looks at Anisa, Bethanie, Carolynn, and Danielle from a variety of angles and refracts their interactions through examinations of female friendship, mental health, assault, identity formation, body image, and adult self-actualization. The malleable chronology illuminated rather than obscured new dimensions to various connections within the friend group, and I appreciated the presence of maleness being represented by one actor. I'm eager to see how this lives and breathes onstage!

A really interesting variation on socio-political conversations about bodily autonomy and teen sexuality. Villanueva examines other topics as well within this fascinating speculative scenario--identity, family and the way those things intersect with nationality and immigration. All of the characters manage to be complex and sympathetic, even as they engage in damaging or contradictory behavior. I love the messy, human, ambiguous bow the piece is "tied up with" at the end!

This beautifully rendered scene seems to be the germination of Dudley's full length "Song of the Wind." That larger piece is expansive and beautiful. This individual moment is a lovely exploration of tentative courtship, adolescent identity formation, and the search for like-minded people to have on/at your side. It works wonderfully as a small, intimate moment in time and as an interesting foreshadowing to a more lengthy and tumultuous relationship to come.

A highly theatrical, genre-defying piece that explores capitalism, complacency, social responsibility, and existential dread of the current moment. Vermillion's theatrical reality is original and mind-bending. Nuanced moments of humanity are interspersed with heightened language and completely bonkers stage images. I'd love to see a bold production team realize this--from actors to directors to designers this play in the right hands would be a sublime, pitch black satire with a fabulistic feel.

Such a beautiful, melancholy, atmospheric piece. Dudley utilizes reverse chronology to great effect--tracing Carrick and Daithi's relationship backwards is illuminating, poignant, and heartbreaking. The evocative sense of place is conjured fully by the supporting characters and skillful dialogue. I imagine designers could have a field day capturing the atmosphere of the locale, but I was so blown away by how clear it was to me through dialogue alone. An exquisite examination of two men's separate journeys with queerness and intimacy and what they provide one another and what, ultimately, they cannot be for one another.

There is a parable-like quality to this piece that emerges from the heightened moments of theatricality. Because of them, "La Sirena" straddles an intriguing line between well-rendered, intimate human story and a larger and more expansive allegory/tale about sexual assault, trauma, queer friendship, identity, and the ability (or lack of ability) for perpetrators of assault to recognize their actions and meaningfully change. It's easy to root for both Thelxi and Chim. In Wyatt and Tanner we see two different but parallel forms of destructive masculinity and male identity. I'm eager to follow this play's trajectory!