Recommended by Aleks Merilo

Often hysterical and at times tender, Morogiello has created a farcical narrative on the place of the artist in the face of world conflict. Full of wonderful homages to the genius of Chaplin (my personal favorite it the recreation of the famous boxing scene from "City Lights", this play surely has many more successful productions to come.

With a touch of wicked and ironic humor, "Never Forget" is a story of artistic birth and public shaming that eventually and cleverly folds into its source material. The playwright astutely takes on the the inscrutable role of an artists being forced to explain her creation, and is able to tie in themes feminism and puritanism at the same time. A bibliophile's delight, and enviable role for an actress.

This is a solid, old fashioned crime of intrigue. One scene, one, setting, and one story. The dialogue is tight, succinct, and reveals just enough information at a time to keep the audiences focused. The reminded me of old fashioned crime noirs I have seen (“Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, “The Maltese Falcon") but it seemed like a fond tribute to those structures, not a cheap rip off. This is an admirably formed thriller.

Gritty, desolate, painfully human. While the characters exist in the closest thing imaginable to hell on earth, the playwright keeps the audience engaged with the heartbreaking hint of hope. To hold the audience engaged through such a dark situation is a herculean feat that the playwright seems to execute effortlessly. Lewis also sets up a brilliant structure, isolating 2 narratives until they blend seamlessly.

A very timely jolt of a monologue. Alex is a rare dichotomy of a character; strong enough to admit they feel weak, brave enough to let us into her fear. Despite the cruelty of the circumstances, the character remains grounded, realistic, and very, very human. This is a monologue I would like my students to use.

Deeply atmospheric, ominous, and richly layered, McGhan's HELLFIRE is biblical in it's scope, and harrowing in its execution. This is good vs. evil on a grand and epic scale, and I can only imagine what it must be like to see this play live - My pulse raced simply reading it.

I had the pleasure of seeing this in production at Artists Repertory Theater. The contemporary and the classic blend seamlessly in a script that pivots effortlessly between the fantastical and natural, drama and humor, as well as intimate and universal.

The incredible but nearly unknown story of Vanport is an epic drama somehow absent from the history books (I lived in the setting of this play, and had never heard of it till this script). In the style of Moises Kaufman, the playwright recreates the tragedy of how Portland could have been a racial utopia, until a hurricane Katrina-sized disaster. Though based in history, the playwright avoids any dusty platitudes, and delivers a narrative full of life, joy and sorrow, that is as timely as it is timeless. I'm not surprised at all that is is an award winner. Bravo!

A taught mystery full of deeply realized characters, and a horrifying reveal. I watched a workshop of this play and still remember the audience gasping during the plays labyrinth of twists. Though based in history, it feels deeply and tragically relevant today.

I've admired David Rambo since seeing "God's Man in Texas", and this follow up did not disappoint me. I had the fortune of seeing "Ice-Breaker" several years ago at Theatre 40, and have been thinking about it a lot in 2018. Rambo dances the tightrope between high-minded science and gentle humanity beautifully, and I expect to see this now-even-more-timely play on stage again soon.