Recommended by Nick Malakhow

An awesome piece of theatrical horror that has enough atmosphere to sustain its successful slow-burn throughout. That's of course before one even takes into account and appreciates the sophisticated exploration of homophobia, mental health, and queerness. The examination of those intersecting issues in a post-2016 election world is nuanced and well thought out. There's so much to work with here as an actor, director, and designer--an ambitious production company could have a field day both leaning into the horror tropes and the existential dread of it all. I'd love to see this on its feet!

Genre-bending, thought-provoking piece that combines ritual, horror, satire, anachronistic period drama, and more! It sounds chaotic, but is actually a very aesthetically coherent and engaging theatrical world. King's five central queer men are all amazingly rich characters that illuminate different aspects of the gay male experience and are intriguing analogues/echoes to the oxymoronic alienation, family, connection, persecution, and power that is characteristic of the community today. Ritual elements range from hilarious to sublimely beautiful to supernaturally compelling.

A lovely, poignant piece that manages to intricately explore the unique relationship of twin brothers as well as larger themes of war and anti-war moral and ethical beliefs, small-town life, and identity. It examines all of these things with equal and impressive nuance and clarity. I also appreciated that Williams eschews fireworks and melodrama and trauma connected to sexuality and LGBTQ identity and simply (and effortlessly) integrates it into the fabric of this family's existence.

This is a meaty, innovative piece that deals with family trauma in an amazing way. I appreciated how Hubbard explored perspective, the reconfiguration of traumatic narratives as a survival mechanism, dissociation, and who gets ownership of which stories in this entertaining and original piece. Meta-theatrics done well mix with some hard to watch realism and then a fantastical melding of the two in the final act. The ending is particularly effective, and the sizeable ensemble has ten great roles for ten strong actors. Lots for directors and designers to do here too!

A cycle of plays that each work wonderfully as individual units, but which are all the more powerful together. The exploration of the evolving relationship between Dan and his father Clyde is moving in its subtlety and simplicity. Williams foregoes histrionic drama for small, seismic shifts that examine how familial patterns and relationships shape one's life and leave an indelible impression even after those family members pass on.

A harrowing piece that examines a large swath of folks impacted by sex trafficking and one that takes advantage of theatricality. The use of direct address and double/triple casting is powerful, and there is so much to work with here in terms of staging and transitions for directors and designers. I also appreciated how the piece straddles the line between potent human stories and informational and instructive theater. Most of all, it presents all of these characters with insight and compassion.

A wholly original and delightfully theatrical piece that straddles multiple genres and styles, yet manages to feel "chaotically coherent." I loved the creative and vivid voices and inner lives of each character, and I appreciated how moments how sidesplitting hilarity coexisted with contemplative monologues (about intriguing architectural feats) and intriguing fodder for movement direction. The ending was affectingly poignant, and the whole piece underscored the complexities of family, loss, and forging a new path.

Beautiful, beautiful piece! I loved tracking the simultaneous theatrical worlds of Silver/Richie/Dad and Bear. The moment they met was was so powerful, poignant, and such a perfect bookend to the piece. Nina Ki combines a wry sense of humorous, fabulistic/fantastical tropes and devices, and an incredibly moving human heart in Silver to create this transcendent piece. The exploration of gender, family, sense of self, and being an outsider in one's immediate sphere is complex and uniquely presented. I sincerely hope I get to see "Moon Bear" onstage in the future!

Beautiful, subtle work. Caruso balances gorgeously observed realism in all the human inelegance of natural speech with some illuminating lyricism and wonderfully theatrical moments. The exploration of mental health, grieving, connection, and alienation feels of the moment, and all of these characters (so aptly defined in the character list by their relationship to hiking boots) are quite nuanced. Side note--as an avid backpacker, I enjoyed the representation of backpacking onstage in all its drudgery and profound majesty. I'd love to see this realize onstage!

Superbly epic in scope while never losing sight of its extraordinarily specific, human, distinct, and wonderfully queer central characters. Oliveira explores so much here--identity, allyship, and divides within the queer community; creation, inspiration, and intellectual property; subverting and reclaiming narratives that you don't see yourself represented in. Just the globally minded story in and of itself is incredibly compelling--add to that the unique theatrical world Oliveira builds here seemingly effortlessly, the brilliant use of music (video game and otherwise), and video game media. This is a special piece that an ambitious company should tackle soon!