Recommended by Doug DeVita

Inspired by the Yngsjö murder case in late 19th century Sweden, "Per" is part creepy ghost story, part psychological thriller, and part fascinating probe into a mother-son relationship so perversely twisted it destroyed everything in its wake. Gruesomely fascinating, "Per" poses more questions than are answered, and leaves one unsettled, curious, yet strangely satisfied.

Two deeply touching, intensely personal, and powerfully crucial stories are interwoven expertly by Nicole Burton in "Fred & Frieda." First appearing in 2005, if anything the intervening years have made this script about a holocaust survivor and the member of an all-Black battalion who saved her life even more pertinent; as our society races backwards into the grip of anti-semitic and racist ideologies, it is imperative these stories be remembered and told.

Timothy Thompson uses every classic trick in the book to great effect in this thriller that actually thrills with every twisted turn of plot (and page.) Great, creepy fun from beginning to end.

Sharp, incisive portrait of a relationship of two unequal partners as they fall apart. Kristen Field's taut scrip simmers with resentment and pain from beginning to end. A field day for two actresses.

The food, alcohol, and delightfully snarky quips fly fast and furiously in "The Big Red Naugahyde Booth (Or, Would-be Elks)" as playwright Jennie Webb builds a fraught, late-night meeting of old friends and would be Elks into a surreal, nightmarish, hilariously funny gem. As the drinks, food, and bar tab get bigger with each round (both physically and metaphorically), so do the laughs and the tension, which Webb resolves with a surprisingly tender, touching, and completely satisfying twist at the end.

Initially written in 2013, and revised in 2015, Hal Corley's "Married North" is an important play that has been made even more timely by our current political climate and horribly backwards administration, which views the '50s as a halcyon utopia of conformity at any cost. A haunting, touching work, this is a must read, and for an intrepid theater company: a must produce.

Wall Street greed, an idealistic bride and her jealous sister, a groom desperate to close a deal with their billionaire father, and an unexpected prenup agreement clash on the eve of a wedding as four people in two cars race to the rehearsal dinner, and their inevitable conclusion. BUT there’s a delicious, sly twist at the end that poses more questions than are answered, and takes this caustic comedy to a sublimely cynical and surprisingly satisfying place. (Hint: it’s not the rehearsal dinner. Not that one, at least.) Dark fun.

I attended a reading of this play in NYC this afternoon; Carnes’ premise and approach is fascinating, and it builds steadily to a final 20 minutes that pack quite a dystopian punch.

In "Paper Swag," as in all her work, Cherry Lou Sy paints on a broad canvas, using delicate, tiny brushstrokes to maximum effect; she creates entire worlds, characters, and emotions with just the simplest turn of phrase. A sort of dreamy realism pervades the piece, and she makes her points about race, masculinity, and the immigrant experience in this country with a clear-eyed, but never judgmental vision. An exciting work from an exciting writer.

Angry comedy makes for good comedy so they say, and it rarely gets angrier than in Vic Shuttee's "A Live Taping of the New Sitcom "ICE BOX." The TV-comedy pilot itself may be painfully unfunny, but the situation is painfully hilarious. Shuttee skewers everything in this script; one laughs, one cries, one realizes it's already become a part of us. That satire hits hard, and the laughs are rueful. Great work here.