Recommended by Claudia Barnett

Yes STRING FEVER is "kooky, zany, madcap," "surprising, inventive, and unique," but it's also just plain smart, and it made me feel like I was getting smarter just by reading it. The descriptions and applications of string theory are so clear, so lovely, so apt, and the characters themselves are complicated--multidimensional, even. My favorite (and maybe everybody's favorite) is Girli, according to the character descriptions, "a very happy sad man." STRING FEVER is a very happy sad play. Or maybe a very sad happy play. Highly recommended!

LILY is a play about science, but it's also a poem, modern in subject matter but ancient in themes. Its language evokes jarring visual effects: "i give you my word / i give you / my hands." Here it's the scientist who says "everything happens for a reason" and "i made something. and it's beautiful": He's the believer, the artist. But it's his creation, Lily, who truly captures our imaginations.

When I saw this play at the Great Plains Theatre Conference, I was wowed by the way Tira Palmquist had mastered the language of science, the language of politics, and the language of loss, not to mention the perfect pacing. I just reread, and it's even better than I'd remembered. There's so much going on here, yet the play seems so neat. And I like all the characters, even when they dislike one another. I think that's a major achievement.

Fan Me With a Brick takes us on an unforgettable journey to a past both lucid and surreal. Set at once in the near present and the Jim Crow south, this dual-narrative captivates us with vivid characters and the love and cruelty they inflict on one another. This play is filled with poetic language and images, as well as memorable horrors and moments of grace.

This is a brilliant play about science and religion, youth and age, hope and fate. Yasmeen is utterly compelling, combining bright scientific genius with unflappable faith. Dr. Royston is equally intriguing, toeing the line between integrity and desperation. With a single set and two characters, this play achieves remarkable complexity, the kind that makes you ponder it for days.

Lauren Gunderson tells this complex tale with utter (and enviable) simplicity. And charm and grace. She celebrates science with passion. And she's a master of pacing. SILENT SKY is a bright and bittersweet play.

I've wondered about Rosalind Franklin's role in the discovery of the structure of DNA--but I wonder no longer: Anna Ziegler has educated me. And as importantly, she's presented this lesson as a beautiful play, one with a cast of distinct and memorable characters and conflicts.

This Little Light is poetic, provocative, and funny. It’s a subtle yet deeply thoughtful examination of identity, of what shapes us. Four Sadies—women (or not) from four different time periods—meet up in and outside a tent in the woods. One’s been shipwrecked, one’s stolen a horse, one’s conversing with aliens, and one’s just taking a break from working at Macy’s. The writing is smart and tight, the stage is filled with striking images, and the whole play is bright with light.

I saw LIFE JACKET last year at The Seven, and since then I've been worried about Galia and her children. Seriously. This short play packs a punch. Its high stakes and meticulous detail bring the refugee crisis to life.

Water is a hot commodity in this "post-rape" culture. Jennie Webb establishes the world of JILT so simply, while including a bunch of super-important issues and intriguing, conflicted characters, making me care about them, and making me laugh. Great things are going on here with movement and communication and visuals. This play is brilliant.