Recommended by Jordan Ramirez Puckett

With evocative language and a dose of humor, Tsyrlin creates a landscape that instantly pulls you in, giving you characters to both love and despise. And with United States and Russian relations in the news and the US having it’s own detention centers, this play set in the 1940’s feels increasingly relevant. I was fortunate enough to see a university production of this play, and I encourage theatres to consider putting it their season immediately.

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing a production of SUNNY DAYS at Ohio University. This play made me gasp, laugh out loud, and cry , sometimes all in the same five minutes. This beautifully drawn play about teenage/parent relationships and the difference between our online and real life personas is definitely worth a read.

I had the pleasure of seeing this play at the Seabury Quinn Jr. Playwrights’ Festival. Egdorf has created a rich landscape with likeable characters facing morally complicated dilemmas. There are no easy answers in this play and the final scene will stay with me for a long time. I would love to see a full production of this play.

I had the pleasure of watching HERE LIES VIVIENNE GREENE at the Seaburry Quinn Jr. Playwrights' Festival. It doesn't take long to genuinely care about every character in this play. In particular, the relationship between Vivienne and Hugo is one of the most beautiful love stories I have seen on stage. Matthews' ability to transport you to a time and place is masterful. This is a play that I won't soon forget and I sincerely hope that it receives a full production soon.

I had the pleasure of seeing a workshop of THE ENDURANCE OF LIGHT at Athena Project's Play in Progress Series in Denver. I was impressed by Amanda's ability to tackle a deeply personal and emotional subject matter juxtaposed against the writings of Shackleton and a reimagining of Einstein and Hidegard von Bingen. THE ENDURANCE OF LIGHT examines grief, science, and faith in a truly theatrical manner.

I had the pleasure of seeing a workshop of TEACH at the Athena Project’s Play In Progress Series. I was blown away by the innovative use of casting to create a uniquely theatrical play. But the play doesn’t rely on spectacle alone. Donna has managed to create characters that I am genuinely invested in, regardless of their gender. This is a story that demands to be told on stages across the country. I sincerely hope that I get the chance to see a full production of this play soon.

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing the workshop production of DEFIANCE OF DANDELIONS at Ohio University. Philana's command of lyrical storytelling is breathtaking. She creates a world slightly different from our own (a world in which girls can give birth to dandelions), but at the same time this world is all too easily recognizable as it punishes black girls for being too loud, too boisterous, too strong... This is a play that demands to be seen.

I had the pleasure of seeing the production of LA MUJER BARBUDA at Ohio University. This play brilliantly intertwines two distinct time periods and characters, who on the surface seem to have nothing to do with one another. But as their stories unfold, it becomes aparent just how far we haven't come in the last four hundred years. Infused with humor and heart this play thoroughly engaged audience members at Ohio University. I hope to see a professional production of it soon.

Jean's treatment of depression in her play How to Bake a Genouise Sponge without Breaking Any Eggs is enlightening. Here she shows a young woman’s mental health struggle without any condescension or judgement. I found that I was able to strongly relate to this story about trying to follow your dreams and battle your depression at the same time.

A unique look at the intertwining stories of two women who have immigrated to America and two teenage American girls. They should have nothing in common, but their stories show that violence against women and girls knows no borders. A play, beautifully rendered, I would love to see this work developed further.