Recommended by Rachael Carnes

Oh my word! I got lost in the dreamscape of this gorgeous play. Relevant, timeless - With dialogue that darts between gut punches and poetry. A terrific tête-a-tête for two actors, with limitless creative potential for design and direction.

If you miss in-person theatre, that's slowly reemerging, but it's been a minute, or if you bemoan the fact that there are only three seasons of "Slings & Arrows" - this monologue about the missed opportunities and misadventures of The Stage will be balm for the soul. "Malcom" has been sidelined, literally his whole career. What does it do to a person to always play second fiddle, yet be required to show up? Although this is is about theatre, of course the subtext is deeper and darker, asking us to reflect on the choices we make.

Evocative and visual, Speckman's short play packs a wallop in its few pages. What are we, besides our accumulations? These characters' immediate sympathy and their relatable predicament - reflecting on the past and accounting for the present - will force critical reflection of our consumer-driven society, and the roles defined for women, and how they play an integral part in the drivers of capitalism. Powerful stuff!

A gorgeous slice of life long-gone. Today, "Wade" has the world in his phone, which may provide a breadcrumb trail to the future to pathways he might follow, or role models, videos, ideas, images, community, even. Not so much in 1982. Heck -- 1982, even MTV is in its infancy, and not everyone had it as part of their cable. (If they had cable.) This play waxes beautifully, is as strong on the page as any piece of poetry, yet beats with a sensitive, emotional heart. Stunning work.

An environmental allegory has never been CUTER. Penguins?! Sign me up to see this heartfelt, funny play, with an inspiring and important message. Lawing's witty dialogue creates a wonderful ensemble, and I can only imagine the fun that actors will have as they embody our flightless friends. Amazing opportunities for costuming, as well.

Brilliant in its succinctness and breathtaking in its physicality, this play by Partain is a masterclass in what you can do with just a few pages. A complete world, inviting and scary, with boundless possibilities for a creative team.

This is a marvelous play for young people that captures so elegantly the experience of isolation, fear and frustration that comes with Covid-19 lockdowns and youth. I recently shared the piece (with the artist's permission) in a playwriting class for teens, and I was amazed at the level of candor and communication the play inspired, as though these young people were looking for the means to process what they'd collectively endured, as they look for meaning moving forward. A beautiful, funny, inspiring piece. Brava!

A beautiful ode to family and the recipe for facing grief, together. Haas’s masterful dialogue sings with humor and heart. This play made me long for homemade Italian food, no really - it’s mouthwatering in the way it depicts cooking - and it made me feel a soulful connection between older traditions and sustaining the future.

I've been looking for an artistic creation that could use comedy to explore this infuriating/confusing/unending chapter in American history, and this deft play takes us to Fall 2016, when the idea of hackers overthrowing democracy became fodder for daily conversation. Rubin's bracing pace land jokes throughout, yet there's a river of humanity flowing in the subtext of this winning piece. A recent staged reading at Theatre 33 brought out all the comic rhythms - clearly, any creative team will have a blast working on this all-too-timely new play.

Oooooo chilling! No spoilers. Super noir, fun scenic design elements, taut dialogue. Great twist.