Recommended by Rachael Carnes

Oh, my heart. This! Such a stunningly visual, theatrical meditation on life, and living. In just a minute, Levine establishes two robust characters, moving dialogue, and a simple, arresting stage device that would be so effective, I'm sure. This play is like bringing home a bouquet and watching the flowers fade: There's beauty in each moment.

A gorgeous play - Wistful and hopeful - Remarkably candid, really. Rinkel has offered a glimpse into the world of the playwright in the midst of change and uncertainty, offering wisdom, humor and much-needed perspective. I'm grateful for the moment of uplift. Thank you!

Many writers have been responding to the Zoom-o-Sphere for months, and some are testing its boundaries, moving beyond sitting-and-talking into a new space, where the audience experiences the Zoom medium in a new way. In Carpe Denim, Simpatico distills a pressure-filled span of time into just a few minutes, capturing politics in the pandemic, and pushing Zoom theatre in a welcome new direction.

A telling and relatable play about the demands of maintaining a professional job performance under the strain of quarantine, and all its kids, pets, home travails. Maybe for some, working from home is a pleasure, but for many, the blurring boundaries create chaos and exhaustion. This play peers into the added pressure of Zoom, and the way we're now judged by the way we keep our home environments and the way our once personal spaces are on display.

Prescient and powerful, this play uses language confidently and accessibly. Though this is about another place and time, one cannot help but see in Davis's work, parallels to our current extremism, and the strength and courage of anyone who defies it.

Three's a crowd in this hilarious post-Covid romance. O'Neill-Butler's mountaintop is a breath of fresh air after a year of screens - But these lovebirds can't get any peace. Lots of possibilities for physical pratfalls and silliness in this comic gem.

In a touching moment, a daughter recounts her mom's love, and the sacrifices she made to provide. Speckman paints a portrait of exquisite emotion here, in the child, and in her older self, with complex, compounding feelings of guilt, envy, grief, in just a few minutes. This would be a terrific showcase for any actor: Real, raw and so alive.

Contemporary American Theatre better *look out*, because this play is a game-changer. Cubria deftly sends up every racist trope in this personal, political romp. Why can't the playwright just enjoy writing experimental clown plays? And what does it even mean to be "successful" in a field where you can barely make a living, even at the top of your craft? How do our successes begin to corral and shape your voice, and what kind of world do we want to make for our kids? With huge humor and scathing wit, Cubria pulls no punches in this unforgettable new play.

This chilling, deeply-felt play by Lawing's a gut punch. In it, he envisions rights stripped away to chilling effect. It's a visceral, physical piece, the losses and grief held in the body, perhaps made more poignant by 2020, and the way so many of us are now living in isolation from the simple joy of... a hug. Heartbreaking and a call to action, Lawing's work will stick with me for a long, long time.

Warm, inviting and smart as heck, Accuardi's tale spins dynamically through bright and approachable dialogue, rich characters and a story with breathtaking twists and turns. Page after page, scene after scene, the author balances the brisk forward-drivers with stunning, easeful poetry, letting us eddy in moments *so lovely* -- All I want is to see them onstage. A stunning staged reading of this heartbreaking yet hopeful new work, by Playmakers Rep, has only whet my appetite for a full production of this gorgeous play. Brava!