Recommended by Nick Malakhow

A complex and atmospheric piece that will stick with me long after I've put it down. Van and Hank are two disparate, aching souls whose moment of connection feels sad, dangerous, and incredibly human. Both characters feel like lost boys in need of taking care of, making the father-son motif (which comes to a fraught apex) feel so much more complicated than it would have been otherwise. I appreciated that Hank, despite the fact that he is reeling from personal circumstances and is, ostensibly, a sympathetic character, is not let off the hook for this troubling encounter.

An excellent and nuanced play about and for young people! Christopher gives us three eclectic and equally three-dimensional characters whose shifting alliances are tied to their complex grappling with identity, desire, and life in contemporary America. Luis' arc and Jesse's confrontation with him about being white-passing, his privilege, and an exploration of the complexities of Latinx identity are things I've, of course, not seen enough of onstage, much less between articulate-yet-realistic teens. Christa, who could be read as a villain, is written with nuance as well. As a biracial NJ-born Latinx boy, this hit all the resonant chords!

This amazing, intimate, beautifully-rendered play is compelling on many levels. Chance is a well-rendered multi-dimensional character whose self-destructive impulses pique and draw out audience sympathy and connection rather than alienate himself from us. On another level, through Chance's journey, Christopher explores larger themes of despair and depression, suicide, loneliness, connection, and isolation in the queer community. To top it off, the senses of both literal place and the more figurative atmosphere are vivid and well-realized. I sincerely hope to see this onstage soon!

I had a blast getting to know all of the characters in this funny, smart, and offbeat play. Reggie, Emerson, and Asha's relationships to one another, the bookstore, their identities, and activism were portrayed with complexity and nuance. The disarming presence of JJ began as absolutely hilarious before taking more tense and distressing turns. The use of Greek myth evoked tragedy and fate for me, which mirrored the conversations about the social inevitability of oppressive patriarchal structures, even if tempered, growing malignant. I love how this piece proposes a way out that's vicious because it needs to be.

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.