Recommended by Rachael Carnes

Hilarious and a little too real? In Calandrino's zany short play, talk of 'Draining the Swamp" raises the ire of impassioned mudmen. Yep, mudmen. This brash, farcical story really heats up, reaching absurdist heights that can only possibly be matched by the current political administration.

Complex and thrilling - those are the words to describe this play. Lewis gets at the heart of fear, I found myself having a visceral reaction to the setting, like my heart and mind just didn't want to remember. There's a smoke and mirrors here, an unknowing. It's smart and relevant, with high stakes and a pointed POV.

Yes! This is a treat. Historical, yet so relevant and lively - dropping us into an important moment, and then turning up the tension. By 3/4 through - I was reading it with my jaw hanging open. Maynard has such a way with language - and I love the way her dialogue hovers between poetry and the one-two punch.

1939 — On the edge of tomorrow, the cusp of War: Eleanor Roosevelt, sharp and focused, takes in the World's Fair, and lobs her critique. McGregor gets right at the heart of this bracing figure, as we know her, finding subtleties and humor within her reasonable concerns. What will our future be? This play explores whether we have the capacity to change it.

This is just brilliant! Shafer reminds us that #MeToo is as old as history and it's just gotten worse. Here we find a young art student, Georgia O'Keefe, besieged by her disgusting colleague. Even though this takes place in the past, Shafer's bright dialogue and ratcheting tension bring it all-too close. I felt a catalog of O-Keefe's paintings fill up my mind as I read it. I love that this play made me see her work in a new light - not simply as outlandishly stunning flowers and dreamscapes, but as gorgeous moments of confrontation.

Heartbreaking. Burdick explores the dynamics between the absurd and the absolute, delving powerfully into the racing mind of a teacher, who just wants to do his job. Any educator, parent or person, exhausted by the stranglehold that gun culture has on our society, will connect with this play. And someone who's indifferent should have the opportunity to see it, inviting them to consider this invaluable point of view.

What a remarkable piece of theatre! Hansell weaves together a narrative based on composite visions of women in the last century, in this poetic, powerful play. With big, lush, epically broad color, she paints a canvas, filling the frame in with detail and light. I'd love to see this onstage.

An engrossing play, about the intricate dynamics that exist between and among family members, as the past creeps into the present and the future, and old wounds are excised. Will they heal? Burdick's story is Pittsburg’s story, or a steel town’s story, or a mill town’s story. He does such a wonderful job establishing the past, the way it lingers, right from the get-go. I can see this story happening in so many communities. Missed opportunities, lost dreams, and family issues are universal, and this play explores those themes with grace and energy.

Anyone who lives in the Pacific NW has likely made peace with the possibility that one day, the earth might succumb to its fault lines, crack into various pieces, and swallow them whole. It's a thing. And in this hilarious short play, Calandrino explores the fearful prepping that has seized this couple - Sure, it seems extreme, but is it really? Maybe Sam and Declan are onto something. A lively, physical comedy, with punchy dialogue and tension that keeps pushing the Richter scale higher and higher. Great fun!

DEE-lightful great fun! I am a big fan of Browne's world building, this inventive scene created with crackling language and the kind of kooky details that make you lean in. There's a physical, romping mystery to this moment, a Big top energy, that would be such a pleasure to see onstage. This is the kind of script that gives a creative team full license to invest in the puzzles, untying the knots to discover comic riches, and layers of meaning. Browne's clear artistic voice lifts right off the page.