Recommended by Brianna Barrett

An emotionally resonant journey spanning a century, following the legacy of a portrait as it intertwines with the lives of multiple generations, from its creation to its purchase by a young Jewish art collector, through World War II, and beyond. Descendants of Holocaust survivors and perpetrators grapple with their inherited legacies over time, and those histories (and their emotional tolls) are explored with nuance. I loved this play, I found it very moving, and I’d love to see it produced.

Love the way the frame of the podcasters also functions as almost Marcel’s inner dialogue – given that many of our insecurities come from the conversations/opinions/contexts/communities that surround around us, I found this a really effective motif. Loved that Brandon and Marcel’s history with one another wasn’t played for shock value – long before the characters spoke of this directly, the podcast characters made it clear this is what the play was going to be about and I was here for it.

I love the choice to pair a road trip to "disappearing places" with this story of a person dealing with the horrible revelation of her own disappearing memory. A great concept that beautifully highlights the idea of cherishing whatever we have -- in whatever form we have left. Ultimately a very sweet story about an aging couple and how love is about sharing the burden and taking things as they come.

A memory play with the repetitious rhythm of a folk parable. The use of magic/escape artistry would be a lot of fun to see staged, and I particularly love the idea of the unseen escape artist in the background, demonstrating the tricks during the characters conversations. Ominous and rigorously researched -- female magicians are bizarrely underrepresented in the field and I appreciated the opportunity to learn more.

This highly theatrical, actor-driven ensemble piece maintains a fast pace and a straightforward, playful handling of a large cast with a lot of doubling. It's sarcastic, but joyful. It embraces the fun of being a play about celebrity gossip, while taking its subject seriously and presenting an ultimately disturbing portrait of a life gripped by Scientology. A breathless and humorous retelling of a story you may have peripherally thought you knew, laid out in such a way that we're left wondering what we ever can truly know.

This lyrical, wispy, heartbreaking drama pairs music with powerful imagery to explore the trauma of native people displaced from their original lands. Poetic in its language and the way it plays with visuals. All of the characters feel larger than life, imbued with meanings and double meanings. A twist that leaves you with much to consider once the play is over.

A completely arresting look at a true, historical event that absolutely deserves to exist more predominantly in the public consciousness. This play explores how homophobia, internalized shame, politics, and a relentless new cycle contribute to a climate where it's possible for a man's life to be ruined by LITERALLY SAVING THE PRESIDENT FROM AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT. It's heartbreaking, compassionate, nuanced, and utilizes space, sound and an ensemble of actors doubling various roles to absolutely gorgeous effect. I very much hope to see this play staged.

A captivating look at a mother-son relationship poisoned by shame and mistrust, along with the ways in which our justice system, perpetual news cycle and perhaps even our nature as humans prevents us from being able to look past the stain when someone's reputation is tarnished. Donny is a great character because he's not a great guy -- he's messy, rough around the edges, he may not have a heart of gold -- but being an obvious suspect is not what makes someone a killer.

A horror comedy that externalizes the idea of “inner demons” to explore how we can ever get over our own insecurities enough to love anyone and accept love in return. It’s a clever concept and offers lots of opportunities to be creepy, funny and oddly touching.

This play delves into the absurdity of war and violence, as well as the arbitrary nature of who is on what side of a war you have no say in anyway. Instead of focusing on the battlefield or the heads of state, this is a wartime play about the women sidelined by a conflict. Something I love is that no one is positioned as conventionally “heroic” in any way. It’s much more about survival than heroics, but in a way that successfully makes the case for the overlooked heroism in doing what you need to do to survive.