Recommended by Annie Considine

A extremely relatable, beautiful dialogue exploring the power dynamics between a mother and daughter. The secrets revealed and one character's inability to take responsibility for how she made another person feel create an intense, intimate drama that left me wanting a second scene.

I saw this as a reading at the Midwest Dramatists Conference and was taken with the mysterious, threatening dynamic between the TSA agent and passenger. The mistreatment of the passenger after revealing his illness was striking and a fascinating insight into the historical treatment of people with HIV. The ticking clock of the flight leaving really pushed the play to a great climax. Loved it.

I saw this as a reading at the Midwest Dramatists Conference and was enthralled by the clever premise of a Shakespeare "multi-verse" (as someone who has directed a lot of Shakespeare, I'm shocked it never occurred to me!). Making Shakespeare an antagonist in his own world presents a truly great plot structure and left me wanting to see Juliet and Horatio bounce through all the plays!

I saw this piece read at the Midwest Dramatists Conference and it was one of the most entertaining works I saw. The Uber Mom was a brilliant construction of an antagonist and dialogue between her and the "normal mom" character was hilarious. The medieval kids store environment surrounding them ("Kid Kingdom") was also magical and The Fool trying to help them had some awesome one-liners. I had an incredibly entertaining, absurd time.

I saw this play at the 2024 Midwest Dramatists Conference and thought the dynamic between the two characters very funny and interesting. It felt like experiencing what would happen if Liam Neeson encountered a malicious Spongebob! Loved the premise of Psycopaths United and really enjoyed this piece.

I saw a reading of this play at the Midwest Dramatists Conference and it has stuck with me. The idea of being "called" to gun violence is captivating and terrifying, and Jessie Salsbury has executed it beautifully.

I saw this play at the Midwest Dramatists Conference and am tempted to categorize it as "cozycore" because Layli Rohani infuses comfort between the two characters and in the environment effortlessly. The discussions about tea juxtaposed with conversations of death and grief were perfectly executed. Really comforting to watch.

I saw this piece at Valdez Theatre Conference and was deeply moved by the subject matter, characters, and important questions it poses about how to be human politically chaotic times. The humor that Nina Kissinger has infused into the dialogue is intoxicating and makes me unusually happy as an audience member to be stuck in a room with these characters for almost an entire play! I cannot WAIT to see this as a full production.

I saw this piece at Valdez Theatre Conference and was blown away by the characters and world Kanika Vaish has created. The stage direction to "move a mountain" may effectively demonstrate to how epic the plot of this play is and the influence of that into the design is incredible. I can't wait to see this in full production!

I saw this at Valdez Theatre Conference and was so impressed by how much fun Claire Dettloff was able to pack into a ten minute piece! Subverting the male gaze into something funny instead of something to compete over was very cleverly established in the doofus waiter, and the friendship between the two women is so enviable! Love this piece.