Recommended by Dave Osmundsen

A bleak, nightmarish depiction of a capitalist America. Jacobi writes sharp, incisive dialogue and characters that do their best to make the most out of a terrible situation. What's compelling in this play is the conflict between people who want to get out of their situations and improve their lives and the ones who are so used to things that they've convinced themselves they cannot. While the world this play depicts is one of despair, it ends with a glimmer of hope. Check it out!

This play aims right for your heart and hits it with a bulls-eye. From the heart-wrenching opening to the shattering climax, this is a play that moves rapidly through the life of a seriously troubled teen. However, the drama manages to not feel cliched or like an after school special because Hageman knows her characters on a deep, personal level, and is not afraid to show them at their worst. The play's message seems to be that there are no easy answers in life, and all we can do is our best. Bravo, bravo, bravo!

A compelling slow-burn that steadily builds to a harrowing climax that pays off brilliantly. It slowly draws you in and then, before you know it, has grabbed you so hard that you can't stop reading. The dialogue is spot-on and the characters are completely engaging, especially Karen, who is one of the most frightening depictions of a pro-lifer that I've read in a long time. Not for the faint of heart, but highly recommended nonetheless!

A very unique, deeply personal examination of one mother's grief in the midst of unspeakable tragedy. Powerful message of learning to confront our grief, even in the face of injustice. Quick, but powerful read. Check it out!

Even as someone who is not much of an animal person, this play made me bawl when I saw it at the Midwest Dramatists Conference last year. Adams has crafted a gorgeous, simple, quiet, yet heartbreaking story about where we go after we die, and whom we meet upon our arrival in the next world. Delicately plotted and tightly structured, "Old Girl" subverts expectations and shatters your heart with the force of a grenade. Read this play.

A brief, yet powerfully unsentimental short play that asks whether the sins of the past can really be covered up, literally and figuratively. Salisbury is uncompromising in her approach to this question while giving equal voice to two opposite ends of a racial, social, and economic divide. It also speculates a future that has shifted power dynamics, but refuses to forget the devastation of past bigotry. Well done!

I was fortunate enough to see this play read at the Kennedy Center. Creative, passionate, engaging, devastating, and beautiful exploration of love and violence. You can’t help but get swept up in the fantastical world of these characters and their stories. I hope to see this play onstage one day soon.

Class, ableism, and the human desire to be seen all play a part in this beautifully-written and super-compelling play. The story follows two equally involving narratives-- one about an overworked Princeton graduate who cares for a wealthy graduate student, and the other about a man caring for his wife in the wake of a debilitating accident. The dialogue flows musically, and you root for these people to connect with one another. Two fantastic roles for disables actors a plus, too. Highly recommended.

Stoppardian in its convoluted-ness (and I mean that in the best way possible), this play is a highly amusing satire of... well, excessive exposition, stereotypical characters, and cliches. Fun to a fault, actors and audiences should have a blast with this comedy.

A lot of great and relevant themes are explored in this highly theatrical and deeply disturbing piece: Sexual assault, trauma, the dichotomy of fantasy and reality, etc. The dialogue flows along beautifully, and gives enough hints at what the final reveal to be to keep you reading. It’s also incredibly bold in its discussion of sexual assault of not only women, but men too. Designers will have a field day with this play, and I would be intrigued to see it come to life onstage.