Recommended by Doug DeVita

Bittersweet and redolent with regret, this touching drama captures one's heart before they realize it, and then doesn't let go. Warnock's use of the past and present adds layers of poignancy, and while the play moves at its own leisurely pace, its underlying sense of urgent melancholy keeps one deeply invested in these two lonely people as they try so desperately to get things right. Beautifully atmospheric from the first word to the last, this is a lovely gem of a play.

A sweet surprise, Megan Ann Jacobs' other-worldly comedy avoids the pitfalls of the sitromcom genre because of her wonderfully human characters; as the action gets zanier – at times beyond belief – Jacobs' keeps one engaged because she's kept every character grounded with their clear wants and needs, and it's easy to root for them, perhaps even fall a little bit in love with them. It is, indeed, aMUSE-ing.

Sometimes when one falls down the rabbit hole of reading plays, one finds themselves in a wonderfully weird world of absurdly surreal comedy, which was certainly the case with this wildly over-the-top short from Jeff Dunne. With anarchic glee, Dunne makes smart points about altering one's perspective and learning to relax, and by the end what seemed insane appears normal, and what passed for normal seems intolerable. I'll take some of that tea, please. And the biscuits.

A parable for our times, Ross Tedford Kendall's THE AGE OF REASON IN THE CITY OF ANGELS is breathtaking in it's imaginative sprawl and spot-on comparisons between current and past worlds on the cusp of darkness and enlightenment. Wonderful characters throughout, and a strongly realized central role for a woman give the piece an added edge of excitement and heft.

The beauty in this script comes from Gabriel Jason Dean's unflinching honesty with both his characters – no one is a hero – and the play's deep dive into the sexual hypocrisy in Eastern and Western cultures. There are no easy answers to any of the questions posed by the text, and Dean doesn't attempt to impose any; rather he asks the questions with uncompromising clarity, leaving one to wade through the ambiguities and draw their own conclusions. It's a stunning read, and I'd love to experience it on stage. The post-show discussions alone would be fabulous.

Lyrical, spellbinding, and intensely theatrical, Claudia Barnett's AGLAONIKE'S TIGER is a joy to read from beginning to end, and I can only imagine how magical a fully-stage production would be in the hands of a gifted director and cast. Written with the kind of simplicity that belies its complexity, this is simply wonderful on every level.

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

There are two things at play here that lift this one act from merely charming into deeply moving: one, Busser's ability to infuse his characters with competing emotions, and two: the beautifully developed relationship between a grandfather trying to hide his fear by telling tall tails, and his granddaughter, who is just on the cusp of believing and incredulity. A lovely, touching, and poignantly funny work.

Busser's light(ish) comedy scores points for its deft handling of the ever-accelerating secularization of deeply religious holidays. The casual cruelty of obtuse parenting is particularly funny (and heart-breaking), as is the nifty twist at the end.

Jesus God! The depth of feeling, confusion, and despair Busser packs into this monologue is astonishing, and when he makes that hairpin turn midway through, it takes one's breath away. Bravo, John, bravo!