Recommended by Nick Malakhow

I loved the claustrophobic theatrical world established from the outset. Prillaman slowly unveils the rules of the world through dialogue and character interaction without bogging us down in exposition. I also greatly enjoyed how distinct each character's personality was and how perfectly-rendered their interactions were throughout. To me, this play worked both as a "take-it-as-it-is" portrayal of loneliness, isolation, and relationships as a working adult, as well as a larger extended metaphor for the ways we both try to make and try to avoid making meaning out our day-to-day lives. I'd love to see this well-structured play staged!

A compelling and unsettling play that examines the intersection of identity, shame, faith, and religion. Verschoor makes this bathroom a highly theatrical space loaded with rich visual metaphors. The interactions between Eddie and the numerous people who float in and out of the space are all unique and nuanced. Little rhythmic irregularities and idiosyncracies punctuate the action in sometimes hilarious sometimes disturbing and sometimes sexy ways. When the play descends into a heightened and more fraught world in the final act, the shocks come quick and are full of indelible images that definitely make you ruminate long after.

This play is exquisite! Rosie Narasaki creates a theatrical world that transcends time and place yet feels so specific. The relationships/dynamics between Teishi, Sei, and Murasaki are truthful, nuanced, and endlessly fascinating. This play so sharply examines the ways women's personal and professional lives are controlled, distorted, and destroyed by externally imposed expectations in ways that honor history and feel undeniably current. The stage images and dialogue are beautiful, often hilarious, gutting, lyrical, and profound. How I'd love to see this staged, and I hope it has a long theatrical life!

Paul Michael Thomson succeeds in honoring and subverting Chekhov's source material in an interesting way, while also creating a whole new theatrical universe that is compelling and dynamic. I was impressed with how defined and distinct the members of the large ensemble were from one another, and the queering of Nik's, Love's, and Sam's characters from their Chekhovian predecessors added potent nuances to their feelings of despair, isolation, alienation, desire, and jealousy. The structural motif of opening scenes with quotations has a poignant payoff in the final act. I'd love to see this piece on its feet!

I am absolutely in love with this play! Thomson explores emerging identity, the weaponizing of woke-ness and identity politics, queer art, and social dynamics in a way that's relevant to all audiences. Thomson perfectly captures a microcosm of the importance of centering marginalized voices in art/society while illustrating the traps people fall into trying to do so. Each of these characters is vividly rendered with a loving and sensitive hand--even when the characters themselves are struggling with, bristling against, and hurting one another. With pitch-perfect big-picture structure to glorious small details, this hilarious play deserves a wide audience.

A super-theatrical, compelling, and unsettling play! Kramer masterfully creates vivid characters. The disturbing Shod, in particular, both feels terrifyingly human and like a creepy extended metaphor for the feelings of alienation, complacency, and rage that stoke prejudice and hatred and that disarm those who should be potential allies for justice. Monica and Evan's arcs are both completely different and important to watch together. To see Monica struggle with her identity and Evan's self-destructive and (if unintentional) self-absorption lead to tragedy is scary and real. Mama's presence is haunting, especially his final monologue that bridges the cerebral and emotional.

In ten quick pages, King tackles several topics--relationships that seem unconventional to the heteronormative eye ("May-December," gay in general, queer parents), growing up and out of youthful habits, adoption, and the passing on and questioning of culture/norms between queer men. The three mini-scenes within this are brisk and full of humor.

This clever and surprising piece is an excellent vehicle for two actors! King perfectly captures the inelegant rhythms and body language of the "striking up a conversation with a stranger" trope in the first few moments of the play, and then shows his hand by diving into a more nuanced interaction than one might have initially thought they were seeing. A unique play about the ways that seemingly unrelated events can serve as metaphors for a person's journey of grappling with and discovering their identity.

A tenderly written short play with a lot packed into it! King examines body positivity in gay male culture, the unique juxtaposition of theoretically positive fellowship/community with limiting social norms in the gay bar scene, and what it feels to not fit into a particular norm or subculture within your already marginalized group. It's nice to see these lives and conversations normalized in a small slice of life.

This melancholy and lyrical coming-of-age story centers around Auden, a truly compelling and complex character. His evolving relationship with Magda, his grief processing, his connection to the unassuming but predatory Bruce all conspire to tell a unique story of identity formation, connection, loneliness, and trauma processing. I appreciated that Bruce is appropriately oblique and viewed through the eyes of Auden, thus making this confusing relationship part of Auden's story rather than the other way around. There are so many beautiful stage images in this I'd love to see realized!