Recommended by John Bavoso

In C*NTLOAF, Halle McPherson has created a visceral script filled with striking images and suffused with magic and theology that’s thrilling to read. The play being set within a garden perfectly tees up its themes of religion, gender, sinfulness, and creation stories. While packed with over-the-top moments of theatricality and the supernatural, it’s the more tender and down-to-earth bits of connection between flawed and well-intentioned characters that really shine. This is a play that I’ll be thinking about for a long time and one I truly hope to get to see on stage one day.

With True Identity, Quinn shows off his remarkable talent for subverting an audience's expectations—each character is at times familiar but also surprising, as they grapple with their own identity, their place in the world, and the actions and attitudes of those around them. But the best part is that, thanks to the playwright's quick and natural dialogue and biting sense of humor, the script can engage with weighty subjects while still feeling spritely and entertaining. I highly recommend reading—and producing!—this incredibly timely play!

As the slightly train-obsessed son of a formerly avid As the World Turns and Guiding Light watcher, I was immediately hooked by the synopsis of this play! Schwarz has crafted a lovely, comedic world that is both an homage to and send up of a much-maligned genre. But it’s the small, tender human moments in an otherwise over-the-top script that really resonate and stick with you. If you’re looking for a fun read, check this out!

In a white haunting, Brian takes the tropes of the slasher genre and deftly uses them to deconstruct the way white privilege and internalized racism can wreak havoc on queer people of color. Vacillating between hilarious and horrific—except when it’s both simultaneously—this play is visceral and highly theatrical, and would, I imagine, be thrilling and harrowing to see on stage. It’s sure to give audience members a lot to discuss on the way home from the theater, hopefully over pineapple pizza… I know I’ll be thinking about it myself for a long time to come.

Based on the title alone, I thought this play would be about the supernatural; instead, it’s a grounded dark comedy centered on very human characters struggling to connect. Guerra has created a structure and roles that would truly let a talented group of actors shine. The details are just fuzzy enough to give the whole thing a slightly sinister feel, but the characters are so engrossing that it doesn’t even matter. Highly recommended!

This script is an absolute gift to the ambitious casts and creative teams who take it on… and I hope I get to see the results on stage one day soon! Wetzell has created a highly theatrical world and infused it with comedy, philosophy, and, ultimately, tragedy. Truly a masterclass in world-building and allegory. Everyone should read this play—and then produce it!

In LIFE BOAT, Khaner explores how capitalism can turn even those of us with the best of intentions into monsters. As a room full of executives shift blame and deflect responsibility, we see that each one has his or her reasons to do what they did, even if there are no valid excuses to be found. The real-time nature of the action adds an urgency and claustrophobia to an already fraught situation. This play is like being a fly on the wall as backroom deals are being made, and leaves the audience with lots to think about and discuss.

In Rx Machina, Violette takes something as complex and overwhelming as a massive opioid epidemic and deftly brings it down to a human scale, where ambition, desire, and profits drive people to make decisions that have unintended, cumulative consequences. This piece never feels like an “issue” play; the characters and their needs and actions are always at the heart of the story. Overall, a very timely play with five great roles for women actors and lots for directors and designers to get excited about.

This play is a delight to read and, I imagine, an absolute joy to see on stage! Suffused with magic, humor, and dance, this script is nevertheless rooted in important questions about who gets to celebrate a culture, in which ways, and for whom. Andrei has crafted a sprawling piece that is both a celebration and critique, written from a place of personal experience yet epic and relatable. Read this play… and then produce it!

This ambitious, original, surprising, and highly theatrical play contains shades of Her, The Matrix, and other sci-fi touchstones, but Stull deftly combines them to make something wholly unique. Via sharp and fast-paced dialogue, this script asks thought-provoking questions about technology vs. art, identity, free will, and more—and does so while employing an innovative structure and even method of writing. I’m a big fan of the play-within-a-play format and the opportunities for genuine improvisation within a scripted piece. I’d love to see this one on stage; highly recommended!