Recommended by Elizabeth A. M. Keel

There's some great storytelling going on here! I loved the adult siblings' realistic relationship, and so many of the one-liners. We get to watch these adults navigate the new normal in the wake of their grief. The play is comfortable being exactly what it is, much like the titular restaurant. No bells or whistles: it's here on a mission to fill us all back up.

The early 2000s feel so distant now, and I wasn't sure I would able to go through a play about this topic - but then 9/10 unfurls. The structure is terrific. (For one thing, it would be easy to rehearse the four vignettes separately with casts of pairs!) There's also a very satisfying payoff in each story line. The script wisely allows the audience to do the bulk of its own deep thinking and connections to what we know will happen the following day.

A tight comedy with three killer female roles! My favorite line was, "Mountains are always mountains, but good luck navigating one range with the map of another." I really appreciated the intelligence and zestfulness of this piece. It's quite a thought experiment, simple enough once presented, but so achingly human in its execution. Kitt's profession is one that I have not seen onstage - except as a male, creepy, horror-centric subplot - and it was fascinating to watch her navigate the ethics of it.

There are lots of dinner-party-gone-wrong plays, but The High Priestess swerves into a place of magic and depth. The play has so much subtlety, particularly around wealth and the way it ties marriages and people together, and the invisible struggles of motherhood. A sublime tension builds as we question what is real, and what is imagined. And I have to highlight the excellent little flashes of humanity present in each character, keeping them grounded and (maybe) forgivable.

This is a naturalistic, clever, hearty home run! A delightful examination of masculinity and an ambitious way of bringing baseball to the theatre sphere. I was quickly and pleasantly surprised by the nuance of their relationship. The writer has captured how best friends develop insight into each other's lives over time, particularly when parents are abusive in any way. I love what Jamie and Sam provide for each other.

This play hurt in the best way possible. I felt like I had done some growing of my own by the time I finished reading it. Steve and Frank's irascible, foul-mouthed, grudging concern for each other is incredibly endearing, and Marty's sunny optimism and Alice's sensible romance are lovely subplots. While we know all along that death is looming, the play offers such a compelling trajectory of whether or not these men can make their peace in time.

This was an incredibly rich and rewarding epic. I always start a play *hoping* it will come to life on the page, and House of Joy delivers from the first moment. The intersection of romance, action, complicated friendship, and adventure is gorgeously spiced by the complex inner world of the Harem. Thank you for posting!

Sheathed offers a marvelous world full of honor, humor, and heartbreak. The ensemble is populated by complex characters who must balance their deadly skills against their soft hearts. I’d love to see this terrific tale performed by a campfire one day.

This play is so charged it almost overheated my computer. The competitive chemistry between Will & Kit is downright thrilling. The historical research is palpable but freshly humanized - there isn't a speck of dust on this legendary pairing. I can't wait to see it performed!

Our Black Death is immediately captivating. The playwright has crafted a world of extreme immediacy, where the urge to survive is spurred on by true love, potions brewed with shorn hair and tears, murder and - all too relevant - the looming threat of the plague. This is a fascinating examination of self-possession.