Recommended by Michael Pisaturo

Deray has a true knack for genuine sentimentality, and “Brightly” is a shimmering example of it. Oftentimes with coming out stories, we get lost in saccharine melodrama, but there’s just something special about the way Deray’s character articulates paternal honesty. It really is what every little queer boy wants to hear growing up, and I sincerely hope theaters take advantage of the opportunity this piece provides.

I have not been this excited about a new play (nor its inevitable future) in a long time. Afghanistasia brings us a host of thrillingly complex, multi-faceted characters whose voices are so wonderfully distinct that, as a reader, I hung onto every word they said. The willingness with which Chuirc thrusts them into the silent hurricane of unchecked, toxic masculinity and allows them to organically respond to it - either succumbing to its power or emerging on the other side - truly makes me want to be a better writer. Be on the lookout for this play...because it's unstoppable.

An absolutely wonderful intergenerational comedy. Heinze has crafted a piece that is biblical in both scope and content, while keeping the two characters at the center of the story as down-to-earth as possible. Self-assured writing at its finest.

King has written a wonderfully endearing piece of theatre. IN THE SAUNA brings you into this room with these two men and envelops you with its subtle sultriness and unexpectedly pitch-perfect dark humor. Please give this a read...and tell me you won't think twice about the next UPS delivery man that comes to your door.

The poetry imbued in this dialogue lifted me off the ground without my knowing, and by the end, I was still soaring. BLUE has a stunning simplicity to it that just cannot be replicated - it is wholly unique and truly breathtaking. Hageman's play may be short, but its wingspan is enormous. Do yourself a favor and fly with these characters.

I was enraptured by this play mere pages in. Much like the whale, THE PLACE THAT MADE YOU is an absolute behemoth and - with its hauntingly beautiful dialogue and wonderfully ethereal atmosphere - swallows you whole. Equal parts expansive and intimate, it is simultaneously a biblical epic and an intensely deep character study. The people that Bruce has created here are handled with such grace and maturity that their interactions feel almost threateningly real, but trust me - you will not want to look away.

In just a few short pages, Wyndham has introduced to us a character as fully realized as any other. Janine knows exactly what she wants to say and is not afraid to say it. This monologue has true clarity and endearing boldness that would be a joy for any young actress to bring to life.

Osmundsen has created a genuinely lovely play here. The use of fireworks as a theatrical device is exhilarating, and the way they punctuate dialogue in the most precise manner lets you know that this writer knows exactly what he's doing. Ned's final monologue also gives the play a wonderful bookended quality that is as satisfying as any great fireworks display.

Diaz-Marcano has crafted a lyrical, linguistic masterpiece. It takes a great deal of talent to create theatre that is both thought-provoking and visually arresting in one language, but to be able to weave together two of them in a truly all-encompassing narrative while imbuing it with a rhythm that has you nodding your head the whole way through is something special. ‘I Saw Jesus in Toa Baja’ is rhapsodic and revelatory in all the right ways. Produce. This. Play.

Carnes has crafted a truly masterful piece here. The hauntingly rhythic dialogue sings off the page as we are allowed a glimpse at one of the many hidden stains on America’s historical tapestry. Pure poetry.