Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

Michael Pisaturo has given us two young men in the throes of discovering themselves, and in doing so shows us a part of us that we all know regardless of age, of gender, of identity: the hardest thing to do is touch someone else. This play does this in an achingly beautiful way; with honesty and genuine feeling.

We often use the expression "in a perfect world," but we never really imagine what that means. Jacqueline Goldfinger has imagined a world where perfection is pre-determined by law, but that also should include the lesson of "be careful what you wish for." The questions that are raised and left for us to decide are both world-changing and extremely personal. The lyrical way "Babel" approaches them is masterful in both tone and character; you will immediately connect with them and know their world. What an extraordinary piece of theatre.

Not a word is spoken, but the intensity of emotion, of fear, of joy, of discovery is palpable in this part of Matthew Weaver's "Boys on the Beach" series, and it is -- so far -- the most powerful of them.

A legend may live on, but a fable has a lesson for us all. FABLE is a love song from Doug DeVita to the people who gave one of the greatest shows -- musical or otherwise -- and it teaches us is that even with harsh words, abuse, neglect, and self-doubt, there is a bond between them that is told in a way that touches us all. I loved remembering the story of "Gypsy," but more, I felt like I finally knew the people that made it come to life.

Even though I'm passionate about another team (Go get 'em, Tigers!), I totally get the love that fans can have for their Twins and how the dilemma of choosing between true love and the tension of the bottom of the ninth with the winning run on base and... oh, yes, I know. And so will the audience who gets to see this gem, told as only Rand Higbee can tell a story. (Extra mustard, please.)

This is a dry and droll look at a not-so-unlikely future for public libraries. Maximillian Gill's play has just the right touch of satire and sympathy for the plight and the ingenuity of those institutions that have to survive to preserve our souls and sanity.

Can true love ever really be... true? Even Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, can't answer that, but when she meets up with our playwright, we may find out. Even if it's in a coffee shop in Spokane. Another gem from the playwright who knows how to tell the stories.

There are very few people I can think of who could write such a funny, heartfelt, honest, whimsical, painfully truthful, inspiring, and just plain good monologue as Matthew Weaver does in "19 Excellent Reasons to Date Matthew Weaver."

And now I want to date him.

Scott Sickles said he "needed to write something abjectly silly." Well, he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams, and this delight is laugh-out-loud silly, fun, and imaginative. Having spent my fair share of time camping in the woods, it is exactly what I would imagine could happen when you hear a twig snap and a hunky ghost jumps out of the woods.

You do not have to have read "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to feel the intensity of the feelings these survivors of that children's story and to understand what their life was like after. Arthur M. Jolly, ever the master storyteller, has given us a suspenseful and deeply-felt tale of what they feel and how they respond to each other when they reunite. It has some wonderful nuggets and keeps your attention all the way through. I'd love to see this staged.