Recommended by Rachael Carnes

An honest, warm, heartbreaking and hopeful autobiography, Gonzales' Paletas stands with the greats. It's a stunning piece, mining the shadows for their memories, and pulling them into the light, with reversals, humor and love. I had the honor of hearing about this play when it was just an idea - And to read it now, seeing it flourish into an expression of such candor and commitment, is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Love you, Franky! You are such an important voice in theatre today, and in case you don't hear it enough: One of the kindest people anyone could know.

Another exceptional slice of life from Goldman-Sherman. This short play is invested with deep inventory between a mother and her grown daughter, their relationship casting them both into that awkward, regressive space that the holidays just seem to encourage in all of us. Family! Argh! Goldman-Sherman has such a clear, confident, hilarious voice, and this play's a zinger for two actors.

I really needed a lunch break laugh and found a bunch here. This play's awesome. Starts out nutty and just keeps getting more absurd. What fun a team would have with this! A gem for colleges or any comedy fest.

Painful family dynamics reverberate in reaction to the external crisis of police brutality in Lidell’s drama. “The Talk” takes us on a journey — through history, literature — arriving at the fundamental emotions: fear, anger, love. A compelling narrative exploring timely themes.

I’ve admired pieces of this in 10-minute play format, but they couldn't prepare me for this full-length's big, beautiful leaps across time, exploring deep layers of meaning. DeVita’s smart script peers through the lens of the past, casting back to Pre-Roe V. Wade, Pre-Marriage Equality, to a raw, funny, analog childhood. And with incredible structural skill, DeVita carries us forward, to adulthood, as the generations reckon with the past, and move towards the future. PHILLIE’S TRILOGY tackles a myriad human complexities, with characters that shine, and dialogue that’s nothing short of magnetic. A truly breathtaking play.

Rosendorf's poetry leaps off the page, resonant and clear. The way the writer approaches using two languages, English and Spanish, drew me in as a reader, it's fluid, organic, and made me ask questions, in a good way, too. The spareness of the lines speaks to their craft: Restrained, energetic, alive. How can anything be so beautiful, and elicit such strong feelings of sadness, anger, fear, in a reader? This gorgeous play so deserves to be in full-production soon. Any creative team will find luminous words, like a pathway, illuminating. Simply stunning work.

Ooooo this is a fun one. Snappy dialogue and a creepy-as-hell-setting unite to create a terrifically engaging horror play. McVay's language world is confident as the piece veers in and out of common speech and a deliciously antiquated vernacular. Golly, I want to see this onstage! Alive with mystery and humor, it'd be a hit in any short play festival.

Donnelly unpacks a lot about workplace politics in this taut ten-minutes, with the put-upon employee awakening to the ethical dilemma her complicity puts her in, as her impossible boss forces her to look back on her former self. The tension is relatable — Most of us have probably found ourselves asked to turn a blind eye, or keep quiet, or just put up with the status quo, at one point or another. This play asks: What happens on the day we don't do that anymore?

What a lovely, mournful, yet humorous play about grief. Burdick takes us gently to a familiar moment, one we'll all likely face at some point or another, but one we're never prepared for: And within this scene, the situation is coaxed along by a patient and caring delivery driver. You never know where you'll find inspiration to move forward, maybe it won't come in the form of a Hallmark card or flowers, but in just being heard. A gentle, yet unique, exploration of a tough subject, this play offers a terrific role for a mature woman.

Perfection! This fabulous ten-minute play encapsulates so much of the new parent angst, the worry, the FEAR that — We're probably just messing our kids up. Such a smart premise, and the Baby Monitor as time portal is a brilliant piece of theatricality.