Recommended by Doug DeVita

Oh, if only that message had gotten through on time... well, in the immortal words of Comden and Green as embodied by the late, great Judy Holliday in "Bells Are Ringing:" "THOSE TWO KIDS'D BE ALIVE TODAY!

Hansen's wonderful monologue is written in a more serious vein than those comic lyrics from a fluffy '50s musical, but it is nonetheless a charming, touching, and thought-provoking "if only..." moment that attends, and could've averted, many a famous tragedy – both real and fictional. BTW, it's on YouTube if you'd like to see it performed beautifully. (And read along!)

Craig-Galván goes right for the heart with the sharpest piece of chalk in the box. Beautiful, touching, and wonderfully human from beginning to end. Have tissues ready before you read – or better: see this performed. A really, really special work.

Full disclosure: I am not a fan of Strindberg, and/or "Miss Julie" in particular. Here, however, Heather Meyer has deconstructed that ponderous play and in so doing has turned it on its ear, blown away the cobwebs, shaken out the pretentious clap-trap, and provided a refreshingly modern, witty piece that may have Strindberg spinning in his grave, but the rest of us spinning in delight. Meyer's intellectually savvy adaptation honors the original, but in ways that illuminate, uplift, and make a generally dour "classic" an entirely new work. Brava, Ms. Meyer! And thank you.

We've all got 'em: family members who are members of opposing political parties. It used to make for lively discussions at family barbecues, but now...

Tangredi's eloquent passion never tips the scales in one direction or the other, but this one line – "I’m sick of being a chump. I’m sick of trying to be civil and take the high road against people who don’t give a damn about any of that. You can’t fight fair against Godzilla..." – is a brilliant double-edged sword which nails the whole conflict of both the play and our current world.

With just a few succinct lines of dialogue, Brisbane hooks and drags you into the messy lives of four damaged people, creating an atmospheric world just a bit to the west of Tennessee Williams in the process. It might look like she's provided a happy ending for these characters, but don't be fooled; the play ends just as her characters' private hells are just beginning. A funny, sad, and sometimes messy work, REX KING AND THE SUIT OF LIGHTS is full of life.

What fun! What dark, dark, dark fun! Breathtakingly inventive and breathlessly paced, Bultrowicz riffs on comic book action, magical realism, food, revenge, and star-crossed love with hilariously pitch-black audacity, and pulls it all together with enviable ease. And as much fun as it is to read, I can only imagine how much more exciting it would be to see: so many wonderful opportunities for a gifted director and cast to explore could make this a wildly entertaining treat for its audiences.

By turns charming, funny, heartbreaking, and horrifying, Ellen Koivisto’s series of short (150 words or less) plays chronical the ever-shifting crazy quilt of life during the pandemic. Koivisto has a keen eye for small details and and an ability to capture huge emotions with just a few sharply drawn words; the ever growing work (she adds to this diary daily) is a captivating portrait of our current world, and may be prove to be an invaluable document in years to come, showing how we dealt with, and came through this devastating time.

A stunner. Difficult truths presented in uncompromising language are dovetailed gracefully into a heartbreakingly tender story of love, loyalty, guilt, understanding, and a form of forgiveness; beautifully written, and it's encomiums are well-deserved. I am looking forward to seeing this produced again soon – it deserves a long, long life on stages everywhere.

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This swift-moving backstage comedy-drama captures the world of punk and heavy metal rockers with grit, wit, and sass. Drawn with both knowing humor and compassionate acid, Gill's characters – particularly the three women in the center of the story – are all alive with the complexly conflicting emotions that can push and pull a play forward with the kind of exciting tension that keeps one riveted. I'd love to see this staged.