Recommended by Lee R. Lawing

An emotional and heart wrenching journey of every day people living in what at times feels like a nightmare of unparalleled proportions. I've never been put in the position of being or having to be a caregiver, but I know others who have come out of it with PTSD because of the emotional drain that comes from giving the care that some are trained for and others just forced upon it due to circumstance.

The human spirit is such an incredible force that guides each and everyone of us though our time here on earth and this play shows the amazing journey of Margo Frank and her sister Anne and shows them as young women with hopes and dreams and love of sports and to debate the world around us, even as that world is over-taken by the evil that was Hitler . Belief in a higher power is always so hard to do when that power seems to have abandoned you without any warning or understanding, yet Margo still lit her candle.

I had never heard of this story. Norkin's beautifully written play Urashima Taro is one that would be enjoyed by every one. It is very dream-like and that fits perfectly with the story of Taro and what befalls him. Like a lot of myths, there are unfortunate circumstances that happen to our hero for not listening to the instructions given him and that makes a very sad ending which is truly earned by the writer in his re-telling of this gorgeous Japanese myth.

The coming out process is so different for everyone. Smith's Isaac is a beautifully constructed story about one such man's process and the struggle that it presents for him and his friends. That the world doesn't always make it the easiest of processes to go through, the me in Isaac comes to that decision at the young age of 29 It is heartening that there are so many in the world that are realizing that sooner and sooner which allows them to experience everything out in the open and honestly.

What a powerful, terrifying, and thought-provoking monologue about the future state of the world when people that cannot afford to live above ground have all been force underneath. Davida is watching over her husband who may or may not make it in the long run but she is there by his side regardless the outcome.

The more you live, the more you will encounter people who have experienced such complete and utter heartbreak in their lives and you realize just how fortunate most of us are. Hartman's play gives us one such person who gave away her child at 16 from pressure from her parents and now her brother wants to give her one last dying wish to see that son again. This play is funny, poignant and makes you appreciate all the good that life can bring you and to always be on the look out for way to help a stranger in need.

There are always these photographic moments in our lives which we have frozen in time around us that remind us of those times when we were happy. Paul Smith's emotional journey of a play, takes us to one of those moments where we see siblings coming to terms with a death in the family and the impact that it has on their lives. We all wish to be happy. It's sort of the sought-after state of mind that we prize, but there are so many around us who struggle with finding that every single day.

Perry is on to something I think. We all have thoughts about death and our own demise at different points throughout our lives and how much impact we may have made on the world or how many friends have we made. Sometimes the life we think we've led may not be the life we wanted and a mid-life funeral may be the way to right all the wrongs we have made and turn our life into one that could amaze even in the gentlest of ways.

Sometimes you have to really hit someone over the head to get them to know you actually like them. Weaver's tale of the Dung-Beetle is one that is funny and revealing and that even when you think you must follow in your parent's shoes, there are always ways to get out of that and go the way you want to go.

A lot of us see Shakespeare as this otherworldly god who has written some of the most recognizable words in the English language, but Rubin gives us Will Shakespeare who is all so human, the same guy who makes all the mistakes as we do and the guy who has the same problems with his desire to be something more in his time and world than just a tanner. Every person who is daunted by Shakespeare in any way, should read this play which brings him down to our human level, desires and all.