Recommended by Doug DeVita

My mother was of the same generation as Phyllis Schlafly, and she detested her. Loudly. “I want to take one of those G...D... pies of hers and smash her self-satisfied face with it.” And in this sharp, short play Jo Brisbane limns the reasons Schlafly was such a horrible, polarizing woman with a tongue-in-cheek savagery that elucidates as well as entertains. My mom would’ve loved it. As do I.

I love a good myth creation story, and in "Guenevere," Susan Cinoman delivers beautifully. Turning the Arthurian legends on their head with style, wit, and appropriately anachronistic cleverness, Cinoman has created a modern myth that is not only a more than plausible twist on the famous Arthur/Guenevere/Lancelot love triangle, but one that resonates with loss, longing, and regret without becoming maudlin or abrasive because it is so smartly written, has such depth of feeling, and maintains a wry sense of humor throughout. Mind. Blown.

There is such beauty in simplicity, and the beautiful simplicity of this play comes from the complex depth of its soul. Life, love, and loss are so delicately handled here, and the result is a work that both haunts and elevates. Absolutely lovely.

As a dog owner who is obsessed with his pet, Emily Hageman's "Jason's Dog" hit me like a ton of bricks with it's absolutely spot-on understanding of the love a man can have for his dog. That she has written a monologue for a dark, lost soul whose only redeeming qualities are his natural charm and love for his pet shows her as playwright who completely gets the yins and yangs of human nature and can translate the contradictions beautifully to the page and stage.

This is a stunning work of art. At times terrifying, often heart breaking, always thought provoking, and ultimately: beautifully hopeful.

I love 1950's gangster/noir, and I love this play. Frandsen writes with a sharper than a stiletto grasp of the structure, characters, and language of the genre, and she has crafted a genuinely exciting work that steadily builds to its not-completely unexpected but nonetheless thrilling climax. I imagine in performance I'd be at the edge of my seat throughout; reading it, it's a page-turner. Highly recommended.

We've all had to deal with people like O'Donnell, the haughty professor at the center of Ross Tedford Kendall's "Principles of Logic:" stubborn, overbearing, entitled... and what a delight it is when they are beaten at their own game. And what a delight is this game of wits between O'Donnell and Serena, a clever, young administrative assistant who uses faultless logic to get what she needs from the unaccommodating professor. A fun piece with two great roles, especially for an older actor.

WOW. An exceptional courtroom drama, Ross Tedford Kendall's "Still Born" sizzles. While the compelling story, sharply realized dialogue, and breathtakingly rapid pacing give the script an edge most procedurals of this kind don't have, it is the thorny, complicated, and multi-layered central character, young attorney Karen Colby, who anchors the play with someone to root for throughout.

With its provocative title and delightfully absurd premise, Stephen Kaplan's "Helen Keller Visits Martha Graham's Dance Studio" is a marvelous, seriously funny little jewel. Skewering the pretensions of self-important artistes and preconceived notions with lethal charm, this piece makes one think while laughing out loud from the wit, the pretensions, and the intelligent style apparent in every single line. Absolutely wonderful.

With disarming precision, Lainie Vansant puts a ton of hot-button issues in her sites and fires a bullseye at each and every one of them. This short piece works on so many levels it's dizzying, and a complete delight. Creative, sharp, funny, and so full of (sometimes painful) truth.