Recommended by Nick Malakhow

I love the way this piece explores generational differences in labels and stigmas attached to neurodiversity, examining the opportunities and struggles both William and Franklin face/faced at various ages and in various time periods. It's a poignant story about connection, loneliness, and navigating life looking for folks to share affinity spaces with--the mentor/student relationship and reversal is surprising and well-handled. Karissa and Vivian are also dynamic characters with strong arcs. Osmundsen's eye towards the intersectional identities of all four of these people, as well, brings an assured depth and nuance to both lead and supporting characters.

A funny, satirical look at contemporary relationships and existential angst. Murray captures the indecisiveness, confusion, and self-absorption that are characteristic of the transition into becoming an actualized adult. These folks want so much to find love and connection, and Murray shows the ways they stall or block these things because they are still sorting their own lives out. The dialogue is briskly-paced and readable, and the shifts in alliances and relationships are all interesting to watch evolve. I loved how the end was a poignant, ambiguous moment.

A poignant, potent story that winds back and forth through time to illustrate the ways that kids, particularly women and femme-identifying folks, who are navigating trauma and betrayal are forced into resilience at a time in their lives when they need to be most cared for. Max and Dr. C are compelling central characters, and the entire ensemble is populated by interesting, complex supporting characters. I appreciated the powerful parallels Deely makes in juxtaposing 1999 with 2016, Max with Dr. C, the toxicity of Clinton's presidency and its fomentation into a horrifyingly enduring normalization of misogyny/hatred in our present.

Zubel uses absurdity and fantastical tropes to tell an incredibly wrenching and moving story about addiction, loneliness, and recovery. The progression from the whole Area 51 trip to Lee's terrifying and glorious monologue to the final moments feel all so carefully constructed even when the piece is at its most dreamlike. This play manages to be both a juicy challenge for actors and a treat for directors, designers, and movement coordinators alike. I would so love to see this realized onstage!

Smartly written speculative fiction that makes incisive points about reality tv, celebrity, human achievement, and the ways that public figures utilize the media to manipulate others' perceptions of them. The surprises, much like a reality show, come fast and furious and really capture the scripted/real dichotomy of the genre. The characters are interesting and well-defined (and you can truly see the reality tv archetypes at play), and the pieces situation in the midwest offers pointed and essential commentary on urban coastal America vs. the more rural midwest.

A unique constellation of family is further complicated by death, grief, and a desire for connection and legacy. Cooper's eclectic characters are all yearning for very clear goals in the wake of tragedy, and it's really engaging to watch them pursue them to varying levels of success and happiness. Threaded throughout is an interesting examination of toxic masculinity and the ways men prevent themselves from loving and acting upon socially frowned upon desires (and the outlets they find to fulfill those desires anyway). I loved the melancholic yet hopeful ending.

I loved the way this piece wound back and forth through time, amplifying its themes of family, legacy, inheritance, and belonging. The characters were all vividly realized and their cultural, moral, and ethical values and beliefs were all demonstrated with subtle and nuanced word choice and body language. I particularly enjoyed Tony's revelation about his grandma's narrative--the one he really should've been in search of concerning his heritage and family, and his final monologue is poignant and affecting. A warmly told, humorous story about what we take from and what we leave behind in our family's history.

A funny, satirical examination of achievement culture, competition, and the desire to succeed and belong. It is made all the more complex and nuanced by Osorio's intersectional lens that explores the ways various identities inform one's opportunities and their sense of self. The cross section of humans in this piece and their relationships with one another are well chosen and represented. Though the stakes are high for all of these teens, I love that Osorio doesn't resort to contrived theatrics to make his points. Sprinkled throughout biting satire are plentiful, genuinely touching, poignant moments.

A fast-moving, compelling piece four incredibly complex, layered, amazing lead characters that you can't help but empathize with. There is something exquisite about seeing these four friends with disparate hopes, dreams, and goals connect, struggle, hurt, and heal in this central place of the sauna. In a number of amazingly written group scenes, Rose shows how these characters' Blackness, gender, and weight shape and dictate their various relationships, self-image, and actions. These naturalistic scenes are punctuated by moments of direct address, theatricality, group movement, and song that shape the piece. I'd love to see this wonderful play onstage!

A well-observed, vividly-rendered piece that examines small, seismic shifts that indicate broader cultural truths about consumerism, socio-economic realities, authenticity vs. selling out vs. "poserism," and how all of these things intersect with interpersonal friendships and collegial relationships. The four central characters are exquisitely multi-dimensional, and Williams' masterful "showing vs. telling" speaks volumes about their desires, passions, roadblocks, and struggles with a supernatural degree of authenticity. I also appreciated the eye towards intersectionality with regards to race, class, and gender. I'd love to see these rich characters and the beautifully rendered workplace in a live production!