Recommended by Aleks Merilo

" I have a really great reason for not being able to marry you!" That line sets the tone for a deliciously droll twist on the public proposal. A sweet short play in itself, this monologue would also be a great comedic audition piece for an actress.

A balancing act between cute and creepy, uplifting and ominous. Bohannon brings the power of search engines to the most extreme logical progression in this humorous piece. Both humor and fear are created in the audiences mind as the fate of a character is amusingly withheld by a suddenly sentient app. It aptly begs the question: is this science fiction, or our destiny? Well done.

“I don’t know if there is an away from here.” In APPLE SEASON, Lewis has created a world that is both comforting and dangerous. Time passes and recedes before our eyes while the secrets of a violent and haunted past are slowly revealed. Lewis has an ear for dialogue that is both natural and poetic. The characters are heartfelt and vulnerable without being sentimental, and we are left with a sense of mystery that leaves us wanting more. The magical realism creates a rare theatricality, especially in moments where actors move through decades before our eyes. Another wonderful play.

I saw this riveting production at ACT in Seattle. So few scripts accomplish the feat of creating genuine lives of teenagers, let alone teenage girls. Sarah DeLappe does this with a masterful ear for dialogue, and clever theatrical conventions - Young female characters identified only as their numbers hits the audience with a jolt of anxiety, melancholy, and compassion simultaneously. The dialogue of American youth is pure and deliberately unvarnished, and it is so impressive to see the how the characters are introduced in a manner that defies cliché and predictable characterizations. This script is a masterclass in ensemble playwriting.

Stolowitz has masterfully brought the frantic climate of a campus in crisis onto the stage. RECENT UNSETTLING EVENTS tells an intensely timely story where every side comes forward with the best intentions. The ultimate destiny of the characters remains open for debate: Has political correctness run completely amok? Or is it time that our thought system is burned down and rebuilt? And what kind of collateral damage do we accept in the process? Taut structure and economical storytelling creates moments of great tension, fear, and ultimately hope. This play is a personification of a conversation that needs to be had.

Sickles' writing is like visiting a mysterious foreign country- Every texture and nuance is fascinating and all the more intriguing. In this story of two people trapped in a folly of youth that will forever define them, the atmosphere is both nostalgic and ominous, braided with the themes of regret and absolution. It also paints a picture of a time when a pupil with special needs was looked on in a manner that now feels so tragic. Kuddos for creating two great roles for senior actors. Such a real moment, I could listen to this pair reminisce for hours.

I had just wondered whether or not there was a play the truly captured 9/11, and then stumbled across "110 stories." Written in first person accounts, and sharing the structures of Moises Kaufman and Anna Devere Smith, Sarah Tuft has refined the horror of September 11th into a piece of verbatim theater and living artwork. She skillfully sidesteps melodrama and manipulation and lets the raw power of the story speak for itself. The stories range from the horror of Garret Fisher, to the heartfelt Karen Slade, to Elizabeth Gilbert's near perfect coda. This is a stirring and powerful tribute.

Rand Higbee writes some of the funniest comedies I have seen or read, and I have been following his work ever since I saw his play "The Head that wouldn't Die". Another delightful play, "The Feral Child" hinges on the question of who gets to decide what we really are. The tone is so weirdly wholesome yet baffling, I smiled the whole time reading this. While wrapped in comedic structure, this is actually a great contemporary allegory for the questions "identity" poses for a confused world. I look forward to watching this play, and laughing till it hurts.

"Stand up tall. You will stand for us all, past and future". With this line, Emma Goldman Sherman astonishingly manages to connect the books of the bible to the #me-too era. Overtly provocative and extremely bold, this script creates a juxtaposition of 2 subjects guaranteed to force hard conversations: Rape, and the bible. Terse dialogue plays along side poetic monologues that could almost serve as short plays of their own. Emma accomplishes the nearly impossible task of taking biblical fables and making them personal and immediate. By the end of this play, no sacred cows are spared. Bravo!

First off, one of my favorite titles in a long, long time. Secondly, disguised by its light delivery, Triplett manages to deliver insights into the sexism and racism inherent in Greek Mythology with astute insight. He tackles such weighty subjects with thoughtful restraint - The audience is coaxed into thinking about them rather being battered over the head. The language is also very fun. The sections written in verse contrast beautifully with dialogue that approaches vaudevillian. I would love to see this staged in a classical fashion. The Greeks would be proud.