Recommended by Elizabeth A. M. Keel

I admired this play’s unapologetic use of Arabic. (A specific translator is offered to productions in the opening note.) It gazes directly at the bright sun of the Syrian refugee crisis, and allows the audience to experience the tragedy through a personal zeroing in on Jamie’s loneliness. The ongoing metaphor of the camera: when to look, when to shutter, the inescapability of proof, is effective. I also enjoyed the blend of poetry with dialogue, and the fact that all four actors take turns portraying the wolf. That’s a nice bit of pure theatricality.

What a rich script! All three generations are polarized by their alliances, loyalties, and secrets. Ms. Berry does an excellent job of tempering the pain they face with the sweetness of their true hearts. And you'll swiftly fall in love with the extremely entertaining, cobbler-consuming aunts. Lastly, the table-side apology near the end of the play is one of the best written family scenes I've ever come across. Definitely worth your time!

I adored this script! Yes, yes, yes. It feels so vibrant, current, and frank. I was living for the displays of male friendship, the explorations of anger, and the pride that can be found even in the most dehumanizing jobs. The Hombres is also extremely well titled: it’s not just The Men, but men together, as a unit, and their responsibilities towards each other. The metaphor of construction (we’re all trying to build our world) paired with yoga (we all need to rest) was extraordinarily human, and unifying. Five stars.

I applaud Ms. Corthron’s ambition. She leaps through 800 years in a way that feels cohesive and consumable, confronting slavery in all of its iterations - including the modern ones we'd rather not think about. While this script was not easy to process, it generated a great deal of reflection. I believe What Are You Worth? will catalyze many conversations. Thank you for this powerful play.

Father/Daughter matures as it goes along, moving from meet-cutes in bars to much richer, deeper territory. Through the clever casting device, the playwright creates a compelling world where no one has all the answers, whether they are in the role of child or parent. The characters dig deep for their courage, avoiding sentimentality in favor of plain language with more heft, heart, and weight than poetry could hold. Thank you for this one!

The lioness Sally is the heart of this play. Her powerful tactical maneuvers and defensive sizing up of each man broke my heart. She puts up the fight of a lifetime in the span of an evening; I was devastated by her grace. Mr. Stanley has done a remarkable job of humanizing America’s own Capulets and Montagues. I’m going to be thinking about this play for a long time.

This Truman Show/YouTube museum of Boyd's misspent youth provides a startling anthropological goldmine of boyhood. As I grew through loving the awkward baby Boyd to growing increasingly uneasy about his life's future prospects, I found myself literally inching forward in my seat. The short, realistic dialogue feels fresh, and the emotions and subtext radiate with heart.

One of the most ambitious plays I’ve read in awhile! Time jump plays normally give me a headache, but this one was such a clear descent that I was able to keep up with no problems. There’s some ghostly, mad rowdiness in here I have not yet seen onstage! Furthermore, even though it is a “football play,” it is still anchored in the truthfulness of the family dynamics. It's a long journey through time and space, but it held me captivated all the way through. Just fascinating.

It’s clear that the script has received a lot of love from its various readings and workshops! It is so taut, rhythmic, and alive. Mr. Weitzman has navigated huge themes, such as PTSD, the war in Bosnia, Islamic faith, the sexual challenges between mothers and daughters, pedophilia, disability… but all of these were so expertly blended into Maja's world-at-large. This isn’t “a Bosnia story,” or even “a basketball story.” This is Maja’s story of reclaiming her confidence after a war. Thank you for the heartbreak.

A proper, hot, feral, mess of wild girl power. I congratulate the playwright on "going there."