Recommended by Rachael Carnes

This nuanced, resonant monologue would offer plenty for an actor to work with — Wyndham defines the physical space with everyday activities and not only presents a finely-crafted, multidimensional character, but develops the language and cadence of the piece so believably that it's the character's non-existent listener that comes into incredibly sharp focus here. There's a history here, a richness and depth - humor and grace - as the writer explores the most horrific themes imaginable. That's why it works so, so well.

I'm late to the party but oh my word, so glad I read this play. Craig-Galván's voice is crystal clear, her craft honed. Damn. Now I want to read it allover again. WHY hasn't this play had a production?? Theater peeps — Get on it. This, this right here, is the NOW.

I had the pleasure of seeing this as a staged reading at the Inge festival. Richly detailed, with a delightful range of emotions and powerful subtext, this piece responds across decades of time. Few plays develop out a particular place, as metaphor, quite as well as Lawing's portrait of love and loss. Sensitive, relatable -- plays like this keep me reading new work.

This impressive piece digs through layers of underrepresented characters with humor and grace and engaging drama. What if I am my own obstacle? What if I create my own tension? With sensitivity and depth, writer Rosenblatt treads knee-deep through waters I've not really seen presented onstage. His writer's voice is both charmingly self-depricating and confident. A new Spalding Gray, exposing a vein. Glad to discover and learn from this writer.

A farcical romp through the folly and foibles of casting a show - Writer Rinkel has tons of fun with this send-up of, and homage to, theater and the Bard himself.

Aaaaagghghgh — this play! I hate clowns and I love this show. Delightfully absurd and chillingly relatable. I am Cole. We are Cole. And we're all afraid of this theatrical nightmare — Rugburn. The clown's name is Rugburn! It's perfect. Weaver is funny as all get out in this one. I love the fourth-wall breaking and all the fun business. It has this visual and auditory and creep-factor that would be SO FUN to see onstage. In a line-up of shorties, everyone at intermission and after the show would be talking about RUGBURN. They might also need therapy!

A delightful adventure into corporate culture, with puppets - or a puppet. I love Mooney's investigation of the loopy power plays and asinine artifice that seem to take hold, until everyone is using the same jargon and no one is making any sense at all. This play's a nugget — Fun, fresh, would be a delight to direct or perform in, with so much weird-but-believable-because-work-is-weird action and universal truth.

Gorgeous dialogue and funny as anything — This winning play zips and hurdles through all kinds of conversations about race, power, money — With style, humor and a good wallop of truth. Oh — how I love this writer! Michelle Johnson's characters seem wrought from a universal source, and the intricacies of their jostling and differences is handled so easily and so effectively, this becomes a gold-standard example of how to pull off multiple person plays. Not sure HOW Johnson manages to make an investigation of these weighty themes look so effortless. But I'm so grateful she has! Brava.

Gripping — Goes straight for the jugular and doesn't let go. And underneath the ferocious language and rhythm, lives a kind of poetry, a delicate, subtle backstory, as though the writer can hold our hearts and minds on the nerve that aches every time these characters imagine a future that might have been. In TV, or movies, it's easy to be dismissive, to fill in the idea of "prison" with our own presuppositions, accepting mere caricatures. Writer Gonzales doesn't let us do that here, painting a masterwork with depth, dimension, despair and divination. This beautiful play is a gift.

Oh man — This is so wacky and fun! I love the imagistic approach! Visual and punchy and just refreshingly *silly*. WHERE IS THE ONION COSTUME? I MUST SEE IT ONSTAGE! The one in my mind is glorious after reading this play. Writer Weaver gets at the heart of agricultural dramas. Heck — He dominates the entire field! NO ONE is writing about root crops. It's Weaver's creative imagination that leads us there. Love this one.