Recommended by jose sebastian alberdi

One of my favorite plays of all times. When I first read it I remember knowing that I was deeply moved and enamored with the play, but I also feared thinking about it too much because I was afraid that it would unlock some eternal wailing inside of me, or make me reckon with something I'm still too afraid to touch inside of my heart. That's a very dramatic way to say this play is beautiful gem we should all experience at one point in our lifetime because we're all better people after it.

This play made me laugh and fed my often-emotional nostalgia monster. A love letter to every theatre lover who started loving theatre because of musicals / online & IRL communities that touched and knew our deepest secrets and desires. This play exists as a deeply entertaining archive and snapshot of a bygone (very special but did we realize?) time in Broadway history and I'd love to see it on its feet. Thanks for this, Jan.

After seeing this play read twice at the O'Neill's National Playwrights Conference I've come to the conclusion that Collin Van Son is a poet, a folk historian, and a hilarious, thoughtful writer. A post-apocalyptic play that cleverly unfolds into a meditation on folk history, the gifts of our National Parks, and everything that is at stake in our rapidly warming planet with an ending that'll break your heart. I'd love to see this play produced, although I know I'd be a little devastated by the end of it—but maybe we deserve that?

Liba Vaynberg's The Matriachs is brilliant. This play unfolds like one of those too-short nights spent (lovingly) arguing with your friends about the mysteries and complexities of human life and existence. I got to see two readings of the play at O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and both times left the theatre a little smiley, a little in awe, and a little heartbroken thinking about what it means to be a human, a parent, a child, and a friend in a world that feels more uncertain by the hour. I'd love to see this play produced ASAP!

This play is gorgeous and tender and painful and beautiful. I saw a reading of it at the O'Neill's National Playwrights Conference and I've been craving a fully-realized production ever since. a.k.'s way of dramatizing love and tenderness and revolution between the people in this play is a thing of beauty and revelation. I think I'll be thinking about this play for a long, long time. I can't wait to see it produced.

I saw a reading of this play at the O'Neill's National Playwrights Conference and I can't stop thinking about it. What I think is so wonderful about Pluck is that Jan is tackling so many topics we think about every single day in a single, tight, never-confusing play. My favorite through-line? The way our society's obsession with youth and size and sex is skewered during genuinely hilarious/upsetting online chatroom scenes. What can I say? You had me at Baby Hotel and Gaydar. Can't wait to see this play produced!

God, I freaking love this play. I saw a phenomenal reading of it at the O'Neill's National Playwrights Conference and it had me cracking up, gasping, and genuinely just enjoying the ride that live theatre can be when it's really, really good. The casual cruelty and love these women have for themselves and each other... whew, I could watch it night after night. Produce this play NOW!

How is this play only four characters?! I was lucky enough to see a reading of this piece at The Duplex in NYC and was thoroughly enthralled the whole time. The world of this hotel felt so huge and lived in, I felt there were new characters to be discovered around every corner. Being a witness to this piece feels like you're watching a bygone cult classic you've never heard of but won't stop being obsessed with. Funny, campy, queer, delicious, tender, and melancholic. I love this play and can't wait to see it fully realized in production.

A really funny, sometimes-sexy (with Samantha/David only!), and ultimately moving play about the ways in which the student/teacher dynamic can so often be an avenue for reciprocal learning. There's so much to love about the play, but so much of it is sort of spoilery, so I'll just say read it. It reads quickly, and it would be a delight to see this play on its feet--I mean c'mon, there's a Gender Elephant!

An absurdist, deeply funny take on the dreams we hitch our wagons and life purpose to—so that we never have enough downtime to think about what our life actually is amounting to! Here's my take on the play with a cake metaphor: if the humor and unpredictable verbal sparring in this piece is the delicious, plentiful frosting slathered all over, the poignancy in its exploration of purpose and loss is the subtle but necessary flavor found in the just-right sponge. One-acts are hard, but this one is great.