Recommended by John Bavoso

I’m a big fan of Thomas’s work at Elle, and that, combined with the synopsis of this play, got me excited to read it. And I was not disappointed! TIME IS ON OUR SIDE asks big, important questions about history’s role in the present and who gets to tell what stories, and wraps them in dialog that made me literally laugh out loud. I know these characters, and I want to be their friends and live in their world long after the play ends. I hope I get to see a production of this script someday!

Brutal and engrossing, I haven’t read anything that’s caused such a physical response in me in a while. I can only imagine how powerful it will be to see staged. Wellman’s characters are fully formed and you can’t help pitying them on one page and being revolted by them on the next. This one will stick with me for a while.

I just finished reading this play on the Metro and almost burst into tears. I've been searching for examples of compelling and interestingly crafted two-handers and this is definitely one. The world Seinuk creates is so intriguing and it's mysteries and rules unfold in a really natural way. I can see a pair of talented actors really digging into this piece -- I'd love to see a production of this one day! This one's going to stick with me for a while.

A familiar story about growing up and returning home, but with a clever, magical spin. I would love to see this brought to life in an innovative way, highlighting the nostalgia and longing inherent in the piece. Beautifully done!

I saw this piece produced as part of the Source Festival in 2016, and it is absolutely hilarious! The premise is both absurd and totally relatable, and the characters are hysterical (in more ways than one).

I love this play. It features characters I wish I'd see more of on the stage and screen -- overweight gay men who aren't sexless, sassy sidekicks. It deals with many unspoken themes of body image and insecurity in the LGBTQ community and the ending, while heartbreaking, is refreshing in its realism. I'd love to see a production of this in person some day.

Brilliantly written, full of wonderful one-liners and true heart and pathos. These characters are so incredibly authentic that I feel like I know, if not them, then versions of them. I hope this play gets produced and discussed far and wide.

So much more humorous and tender than one might assume from the premise alone, the characters in this play feel like fully formed human beings that you're dying to meet and get to know. Really beautifully done!

Use All Available Doors is a wildly imaginative look at the wonders and surprises and drudgery of the small, routine parts of life we take for granted. The piece is both thoroughly DC and totally universal at the same time. It moves from humor to heartbreak seamlessly and asks lots of fascinating questions, including: Can you be both be on a set track and also have no idea where you're going or how you're going to get there?

Natalie creates vivid worlds with such confidence, and Safe as Houses is the perfect example of that. The fantastical elements are compelling and exciting and ominous—but most importantly, they enhance the very realistic human emotions on display, rather than distracting from them.