Recommended by Bethany Dickens Assaf

WHAT a wild ride this play took me on! Sauls' work takes the original's Victorian preoccupations with dangerous sexuality out of the subtext and places it boldly into the foreground. Rarely does an adaptation get to both expound upon, deconstruct, and explore the themes of the original text while still having a grand old time on its own, gloriously over-the-top terms. Add some striking visuals, tense, queer eroticism, and well-earned digs at Jonathan Harker and Dr. Van Helsing, and you've got a play that both engages and keeps you completely off-guard!

A all-too familiar play for anyone who has worked in am office environment, "The Huns" utilizes the language of toxic meetings - pedantic explanations, inter-generational conflict, a lack of real authority, masculine bullying, and technical glitches - to engrossing effect. It's a credit to Albert's pacing and wit that such a hellish conference call could result in a play that is engaging and asks intriguing questions about gender, age discrimination, and the hollowness of the corporate world. Shelley's monologue, in particular, is a stunner and a wonderful opportunity for the actor!

From the opening page, I was completely drawn in to the beautiful language and imagery of this play. Harlowe's world, perspective, and grief are introduced with great delicacy and care, and Reese's struggle to find herself beyond her sister is deeply authentic. Lane's adeptness with metaphors of healing and rebirth enrich the narrative, and turn a compelling family drama into a near-transcendent meditation on the physical cost of being alive. Cannot recommend highly enough!

Terrifically clever play with a touch of speculative humor that makes the audience question what they're seeing and suggests the existentialism that saturates major life events. In this case, Beth and Letia are embarking on a major life journey and have stalled, both literally and perhaps figuratively. This is one of those plays that delights and entertains while reading - both characters are fantastic and well-balanced - while also leaving the audience with rich questions to ponder.

"Ting-A-Ling" is theatrical, hysterically fully, and boasts dialogue that is both highly creative and direct ("green courage", "whining is a state of mind" - YES). Dusty's journey is a delight and I found myself rooting for what became their eventual decision. This is pure joy and rhythm on the page!

A tender, honest, unflinching, and necessary piece: the heartbreaking message at the center of the monologue with a gripping and unflinching slowness. As a white reader, I was drawn into the character's universal joy at the thought of parenthood, only to be shaken, challenged, and convicted by the injustices that percolated, then saturated, his story. This monologue is sheer excellence in writing and pacing and is not to be missed.

A wonderfully sincere and romantic short play - from the first few lines of dialogue, we are rooting for these characters! Foltz's dialogue is quick and clever and has a lovely flow to it. A terrific play for two actors to really dig into and have fun with!

Sweet, lovely, authentic - just pure magic! Mark Harvey Levine does it again with a highly original premise that leads to terrific comedy, relateable conflict, and a twist that - ironically - the audience sees coming before the protagonist (read the play to get the irony!). A very special, meticulously-crafted short play.

Wow. I cannot say enough about this play's lyrical creativity and heartbreaking, honest dialogue. The metaphor of fireflies is simultaneously rich and yet treated with a light tenderness that draws you deeply into the playwright's expression of a former, younger, more innocent self. I can't remember the last time I read a play that captured adolescence so empathetically, and with such a wise and earned hope.

Theatrical, witty, and gorgeously profound, "Cabfare for the Common Man" is a breakneck journey through young life, with all of its joys and heartbreaks reflected in a piece that also happens to be very, very funny. This is one of those plays that you dream of seeing onstage (or getting to produce yourself!): Mark Harvey Levine sweeps you up in the brushstrokes of life in a way that is nothing short of genius. This play deserves every ounce of its widespread acclaim!