Recommended by Nick Malakhow

I so love how this feels of the moment without simply wallowing in our current circumstances. Hayley St. James does such a wonderful job of exploring intimacy, loneliness, and connection and how those things have been impacted by the pandemic. All of this is done through skillful and nuanced "showing" as they examine the intersecting journeys of a small constellation of people. The use of intimacy feels real and oh so justified, and I'm so grateful to read such a universally applicable story led by an intersectionally complex ensemble of folks.

An amazing piece that explores white privilege, trauma, identity, cultural/storytelling appropriation, ethics, and the intersection of all those things with journalism. The fluidity of time and space as we wind back and forth through chronology heightens the theatricality and helps to boost the tension as we learn of Aaron's journey in Afghanistan and begin to quickly question his motivations and methods for creating his documentary. The storytelling also does a wonderful job of illustrating POV and the dangers of trusting an unreliable narrator.

I appreciated the use of the Alice/Wonderland images, motifs, and themes to explore sexual assault and young adulthood on a college campus. The concept of being flung down the proverbial rabbit hole goes well with the destabilizing and complex impacts of sexual violence. The theatricality of some of the absurdist devices provided a neat contrast to especially the final, naturalistic scene. I'd be interested in seeing this theatrical world realized onstage and look forward to tracking this script's trajectory and development!

A theatrical world that was a blast to dive into! The satirical, dark, and sharply drawn universe surrounding Reggie a felt like a chaotic but aesthetically coherent extended metaphor for the disequilibrium Reggie felt at the hands of societal expectations and constraints. Cain utilizes elements of spoof, in your face theater, cabaret, drag, and farce well to also reflect the overall tumultuousness and performativity of being a teen, searching for place, coming of age, and identity formation. I'd definitely be interested in seeing this world realized onstage!

I felt like I was holding my breath for the entirety of the taut 90 minute or so experience of reading this play. Hassan is an excellent central focus in this piece and his urgent circumstances make sense of an extreme request which, of course, turns into something entirely different and more harrowing about 100 miles later. I loved Fisher's complex exploration of an intersection between white privilege, youth, terrorism, and radicalization. An excellent and thought-provoking piece for an intimate venue.

A blast to read and an absolute trip. This theatrical world which is, at turns, absurd, dreamlike, melancholy, and darkly comedic illustrates the pliable and tricky things that are memory, collective family history, and evolving sibling relationships. The dream logic is so carefully structured--what feels disconnected at first are seedlings that turn into interesting reveals and potent images and motifs later on. I'd love to see this one tackled by a creative design team, director, and cast!

A theatrically compelling and original examination of identity, art creation, and complex power dynamics/relationships. Celly and Wardo are incredibly distinct and well-rendered individuals, and their relationship is represented here as complicated in a way that neither condemns nor lets either off the hook. I thought the exploration of creative voice/inspiration/mentorship was novel and done so in a nuanced fashion. The doubling is really used to amplify the examination of where influence and mentorship ends and artistic individuality begins. I can easily see a lot of the beautiful stage images in my mind.

What a beautiful, powerful play that doesn't shy away from the fullness and magnitude of grief while also not wallowing in unnecessary sentiment. Roblan does that by perfectly capturing the irregular poetry, comedy, and tragedy of death, splicing together wrenching, potent moments of realism with offbeat, dreamlike lyricism and dark comedy. Lena's journey is particularly poignant and a compelling central focus. The use/presence of Andrew himself, the toying with chronology and reality, and the exploration of spirituality and mental health all make this a gorgeously theatrical, comprehensively drawn portrait.

An original and insightful exploration of many issues in a nuanced and complicated manner. The way Tracey Conyer Lee explores race is gloriously complex as she examines the dynamics between John and Yvette; Yvette and Talvin; Yvette, Sunni and Nirav; Sunni, John, and Nirav; and other permutations of this interesting constellation of people. The use of media and tv/film reality heightens the theatricality in a powerful way as well. I'd love to see this highly engaging and theatrically compelling piece onstage!

Unsettling, hilarious, and brilliantly rendered socio-sci-fi-dark-satire with absurd elements. Paige Zubel explores masculinity, gender roles, gender identity, and the intersection between those things and violence in an extremely original and insightful way. The whole bizarre theatrical reality is established brilliantly and subtly, with nary a hint of unnecessary exposition. The contrast of Alex's urgent quest with the devolving dynamic between Beanie, Boris, and Brian creates tension and a propulsive energy. I love how this piece works as exciting, apocalyptic sci-fi as well as an extended metaphor for escaping prescribed roles with what felt like a cautiously optimistic ending.