Recommended by Scott Sickles

A terrific future-feminist cherchez la lune! Cross evokes a perfect noir atmosphere with a terrific twist on the hard boiled detective and the woman who knows more than she lets on. Underneath the thick shadowy atmosphere (tonally not literally; it's sci-fi so it's best to be clear), there's a rich emotional landscape and a poetic perspective on sentience and belonging in the universe.

You gotta put yourself out there. And it takes courage to even arrange the date much less go on it. And if you're a fish-god who's been in a ten-thousand year undersea slumber... Not gonna lie, it's a lot to overcome. But there is hope! Lipschutz & Hall deliver on that hope, at least for Dagon if not for the service industry and all of humanity. It's a delightfully awkward date for the romantically disadvantaged, especially deities!

"Should I stay or should I go?" This very short play asks some mighty big questions: from the ethics of scientific research to the obligations of discovery, all through the intimate lens of two scientists balancing the magintude of their mission with the responsibilities of their lives outside of the lab. The dialogue is tight and brisk, yet Wild makes sure the characters, the story, and the audience have room to breathe. And you need a breath when a whole other planet is just a few steps away.

Lines. They get blurry. They get crossed. Either as professional boundaries or embedded in the skin of one's palms. And how can they not? There's the intimacy of touch, of taking someone's hand and staring into their future. Whether it's an act of mysticism or deduction, it's a welcome invasion that's never without risk. Heyman creates an elegant flirtation, rich with personal history and peppered with an awkward wit that's at times laugh out loud funny. A joyful encounter steeped in hope.

Blevins reminds us that Medusa may have been a "monster" but none of those people would have died if they didn't invade her home and try to kill her first. And from there we have the story of a cursed woman betrayed by salvation who just wants to be left alone. But the true protagonist here is Princess Metope, blind yet searching, a resilient survivor of tremendous physical torment. The two provide a beautiful dichotomy, their histories complimenting one another, finding salvation together.

Nature is cruel to our pets. It subjects them to afflictions forcing them to experience torments that only we understand. Their one consolation and our is that through this suffering there is love. Ollett's lovely monologue is a beautiful remembrance and somber celebration of the animals who loved us in return who live on in our memories.

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!!! There's not only a change in tone in this play; something happens that so stark it sends both the characters' relationship and the genre of the piece off its axis and it's no longer the story we started in. Yet, the evolution is completely organic, logical in emotion and behavior. I didn't see it coming, certainly not in this way, but it gave me a sinking feeling from which I doubt I'll escape anytime soon. Great roles for actors. A gutpunch of a play.

DAMN!!! From its unforgettable opening image to its powder keg ending, SAMSON, the play and the man, is a brightly burning fuse made of rage, humiliation, and the desire for revenge! He possesses a pride which, before this, likely veered into arrogance – but even if it had, he did not deserve this! Both an updating of biblical lore and a searing present day parable, this is a visceral treat you’ll want to see and will never forget!

Jo is a hot mess. But at least they’re proactive! Though not in the best of ways. Either we have been Jo, know a Jo, or are afraid of becoming Jo. Indeed breakups can be bitter and so often they inspire unadmirable behavior, be it indiscriminate eating or a nefarious plan that will go belly up in so many ways. But that’s what makes this so delightful. And every Jo needs a bestie like this, someone who happens to be the voice of reason even though they never get to speak!

No matter where we are, we can only keep our children so safe. Make it from artillery fire or the bombshells dropped on the news, Kids will see hard things, sometimes inexplicable sometimes indescribable things, and ask the difficult questions. And keep asking which they should. Eickmeyer gives us a good dad doing his very best to explain a dark world. The monologue makes you feel even more deeply than you think, as it weighs the horrors of life and challenges us to decipher them for the innocent.