Recommended by Rachael Carnes

If six months of the pandemic's got you down, read this, because poor Devin has it worse: Work sucks, family's brimming over with dysfunction - and (no spoilers) - their world's about to turn upside-down, in this fast-moving ensemble piece. Bright, crackling dialogue, evocative physicality and varied and inventive theatrical spaces encourage sound, lighting and set design, create a transporting vision at once humorous and heartfelt. Devin! I so get her. A relatable, funny new piece that would be a delight onstage.

Smart, sharp - With an intense reveal. Chaney's language crackles in this riveting play, we think we're in the doctor's office patter and then - no spoilers. Check it out.

West plumbs a relatable, one might even say universal moment - the transfer of responsibility and caretaking between adult child for their aging parent - in this deeply-felt short piece that dances artfully around themes of loss of independence, and the crystallization of lived experience in memory, showing that sometimes we move apart, to come together.

Hilarious and resonant, Bavoso takes an old story and makes it new, creating a dynamic that's fresh, funny and all-too-relevant.

Absolutely gripping, at turns hilarious and harrowing, this piece resounds with wit and raw, unmitigated nightmare. We connect, and then the world's upended brilliantly - a powerful, engaging commentary on where we are, and where we've been. Read this yesterday, producer this now. This is a voice we need to be hearing from. Bravo!

Oof. Wow - A laser beam into a future I hope we *don't* see but one that draws certainty to the injustices and inequities in this tattered societal fabric we live in today. Sickles' characterization, the panic and inhumanity, the consciousness dulled by repetition, sends shudders down my spine. This play would be an incredible addition to a High School or college class curriculum. Get engaged - and Get Out And Vote.

Powerfully accessible and poetic, revealing depths of self-awareness and healing. An ode to writing itself, to transitions and possibilities. A reading of the piece with Portland's New Play Project lifted the narrative into a dreamy, pull-no-punches place. Brava!

Wow! This play hits the nail on the head when it comes to the transitory nature of Higher Ed, and this piece predates Covid! Let's please see this same professor, forced to teach in-person class while wearing PPE! No punches pulled in powerful work that speaks for many.

An incredible prism of people and the places they come from, and might find themselves, pivoting with heart and grace around subjects as small as a fragile, precious newborn, to as big as the foundations of the prison system. Deftly ranging across themes in poetry, theatre, deep dives on philosophy and meaning, with this charm and ease that will leave you gutted. I was so glad to see/hear a reading at the Road Theatre Company, via Zoom. These indelible characters, once they find you, can't be forgotten. A brilliant work from an important voice in American Theatre.

Mullen captures the heightened drama of the everyday in quarantine in this relatable yet inventive play written for Zoom. With sparkling dialogue and a subject that reflects a rite of passage made complex by Covid, mirth ensues. It's a relief to find the humor in this moment, and a Theatre Three production mined this one for all its riches. A bright, funny play - The perfect addition to your virtual festival.