Recommended by Emily Hageman

Oh, wow. Oh, wow. I have just read the most marvelous thing and it is Reykjavik by Steve Yockey. This play is about as close to perfection as you get. I could talk about the gorgeous dialogue, the unique characters, the fascinating lay out, the opportunities for technical wizardry, but all I want to talk about is the sheer perfection of the story. A story--or a group of stories--that weave in and out of each other with such an effortless quality. This play is a masterpiece with one of the most intentional stories I've ever read. Highly, highly recommended.

A fantastically funny play with an absolutely delightful premise. Pfeffinger has packed a lot of thought and humor into seven extremely tightly written pages. Both characters are fully fleshed out and funny in their own right and I would love to see what a director and a stage-combat choreographer could cook up for the end. Sure to be the delight of any short play festival--and a great masterclass in saying a lot with very little. Highly recommended!

Funny, sweet, and beautiful, Austgen has created a deeply romantic, humorous, and conscious look at the romantic, tragic novels that some so eagerly consume. Every line is incredibly intentional and the ending is tender and meaningful. A carefully crafted ten minute play that does the form justice and needs to be included soon in a ten minute play festival. Especially fun for a literature buff. Highly recommended!

Partain has a gift for writing unique monologues for powerful, self-aware women, and Blood & Wine is no exception. Lyrical and lingering, threatening and tempting, Partain paints a daring picture with this short piece. An actress would really be able to make a statement with this monologue--and probably leave casting directors with their jaws on the floor. Partain knows how to write for women in a way that really makes them FEEL like a woman.

Haas has done it again. Three sisters, as similar as they are unique, gather together to stay in place for another year. Each character is lovingly and beautifully fully fleshed out--and their mother is a living entity, weaving around the sisters and speaking through them. This play is not a grim dwelling on the tragedy of 9/11, it is a celebration of life and how time continues to spin forward. Haas has made a beautiful noise with this play and as always shines a beautiful light in the darkest of places.

A very interesting little play that says a lot without saying much at all. Weaver has carefully stylized the play to be respectful and thoughtful. As with any Weaver play, it is sweet and uplifting and never condescending while tackling the important issue of consent, romanticizing the opposite sex, and learning to embrace reality as being just as beautiful as fantasy.

This is a remarkable play about the unremarkable. Rain and Isaac are not beautiful and they are not special and they are not even particularly interesting. They are actually kind of pathetic--but that is what I love about them. Kras has created something that is so painfully real that it almost hurts to look at, but you can't stop because it's so true. The dialogue is written like poetry and this play IS poetry--an ode to the crappy. This play deeply resonated with me and would resonate with our generation now. So much is said and unsaid. Wow. Highly recommend.

Pure magic. Burbano has created something that is unlike anything that I have ever read. Somehow simultaneously ancient, current, and futuristic, Policarpa is a magical story of a magical girl and the magical people she knows. It is a story of bravery and terror and loss, but ultimately, the incredible power of love. Burbano writes with magnificent storytelling, poetic dialogue, and stunning descriptions of the stage acting. This show would be absolutely incredible to see.

Mystical and timely, Jost has created a fascinating world for an audience to live in. Everything is strange, except for the people--the people are real and the dialogue is natural. There is a lot to unpack in this fascinating piece--it truly calls for multiple readings and multiple viewings as an audience. Jost has done a fabulous job of creating a world that none of us would want to live in, but one that we might live in one day--but in this world, there still is hope and truth.

An absolutely lovely piece about one of the saddest things imaginable--the loss of memory. Art's beginning monologue is enough to bring you to your knees, but Suzanne keeps going. We can understand why Art's love of CJ is almost frustrating, but then, the end happens and you know that all is right. Simple, sweet, and powerful, Suzanne paints this short play with incredible precision and beauty--and the result is equal parts gorgeous and heart-breaking.