Recommended by Doug DeVita

A master class in how to write exposition and shift expectations, this is a perfect 10, and a play that must be as exciting to see on stage as it is to read. And, I imagine, a feast for the performers. I loved every word of this.

A riveting prison drama, set apart from others of its ilk by the gritty humanity Black gives his characters; Pretty Boy’s journey to understanding isn’t an easy one, but we root for him all the way precisely because he is portrayed so bluntly, and truthfully.

Being of Irish/Italian and Catholic descent, I LOVE a good revenge tale. And I love John Busser’s work, especially when he’s in darkly humorous mode. There are so many ways I could laud this brief, outRAGEous script, but I think the best thing I can say is I would hire the protagonist in a heartbeat. I have a (not so) little list of my own for her…

FOOD FIGHT! What images those two words conjure up, and with so many people with so many food issues these days, it’s not difficult to imagine the kind of group therapy session Vivian Lermond humorously, and astutely, writes about here. Lots of fun: sharp, anxiety provoking, accurately observed fun. And yes, let’s do throw a pot-luck dinner party. It would be interesting to see if anyone emerges unscathed.

As a huge fan of Nick Malakhow’s work, I’m surprised I hadn’t read this mesmerizing play until now. Gorgeously written, the tension hangs in the air like a raincloud threatening to burst at any moment – and when it finally does, Malakhow delivers a perfect storm of emotions that cuts deep and true. A stunning work, a beautiful work, a necessary work.

This is a lovely, touching, happiness-making gem. My bliss meter chimed at the exact same time as Preuss’s character Max’s did, and I’m still basking in the contented glow with which I was left after reading the play. Do yourself a favor, and enjoy bliss; it’s a choice, and it's easily found in these 13 pages.

A cat and mouse game with alternating cat and mouse, Walt McGough’s nifty psychological thriller toys with us right from the beginning, nimbly darting in and out of the shadowy worlds of truth vs. fiction, fear vs. confidence, and trust vs. doubt. McGough builds the tension steadily through his well-defined characters; watching these two turning the tables on each other is a nail-biting joy, and oh, what fun they must be to perform.

Spellbinding, gorgeous writing catapults this play into the heavens and keeps it there from beginning to end; an unsettling, haunting yet lyrical work, it’s the kind of play you wish you’d written, and will keep close to your heart forever. Oh, how I’d love to see it staged.

A tender gut punch of a play. LeBlanc beautifully captures the conflicting feelings one has while watching a parent slip away, but does it with a quiet determination: there is nothing desperate or angst-ridden about the work – it’s just a conversation between a father and son, which in its own muted way is both lovely and heartbreaking.

A slightly adjusted audio version of LeBlanc’s beautifully tender gut punch of a play; I’d love to hear this performed as it is just as powerfully written as the stage version.