Recommended by Alexander Perez

Herrera treats us to a compelling meditation on interpersonal relationships in tandem with a playful take on presentation and structure not unlike The Flick wherein the audience stands in as newest exhibition in a dying museum. We're treated to snippets from their own stories as they pop on and off stage each overlapping conversation acting as layers of gossamer lovingly glossed over the scene that precedes it. Through it all we're anchored to a central arc that serves as the thematic spine that tenderly ushers us across the finish line. Clever, concise, and a refreshing exploration of the theatrical form.

A marvelously elegant, simple, and potent play that explores identity and the dynamic between parent and child as the latter decides to take hold of their autonomy. Cathro's characters are finely realized, allowing for even unspoken moments of action and decision to convey rich multitudes about who they are. Truly a wonderful read and a gift to theaters looking to captivate their audiences with theater that manages to invoke moments of deep drama, tenderness, and love; oftentimes all at once.

Reilly has a serious knack for exploring loss and it's lasting effect without trading the ugliness of guilt for sentimentality. This boardwalk leaps out of the page not unlike a pop-up book thanks to the vivid set descriptions and characters that feel like people you've known forever. It scoops you into it's world while simultaneously dancing between time periods with the precision and grace of a dancer. The narrative unfurls like a spool of film from your parents' home movie collection; bittersweet but filled with comforting memory and hope for what is yet to come. Endearing, heartfelt, and true.

Boyd's bittersweet analysis of political movements, intersectionality, and social cooperation is a heartfelt, grounded experience that courageously gives itself over to the complexities in our collective philosophies that make working together for a brighter tomorrow more difficult than we feel it should be. A play that makes sure to acknowledge the often discouraging absence of simple solutions without allowing itself to succumb to despair. Funny, sweet, and frustrating, everyone everywhere should read/watch this play.

Malakhow's exploration of community, trauma, and eating disorders is wildly inventive and versatile. What begins as a peek into a niche online forum blooms into a full blown spectacle as threads leap off the screen and onto the stage. A fascinating analysis of the psychosocial effects of online camaraderie from the genuine to the performative and it's awkward transition into meatspace. The characters are carefully understated yet bold in their convictions and live deliciously contradictory internal lives. Watching them tumble through two parallel yet extraordinarily distinct journeys is a delight and a testament to the author's narrative prowess.

Fernandez displays a mastery of pace and tension in this ridiculously tight piece that straddles the line between our world and the hereafter. Finely crafted characters and grounded dialogue allow the gradual flourishes of paranormal pandemonium to hit all the harder as all hell breaks loose at Laurie house. This play deserves to be produced to its full potential; a feast of theatricality on all fronts.

Y Tu Abuela unwinds it's character's pasts, presents, and futures in an emotional cage match fit for the history books. An intimate and harrowing personal narrative sends tension ricocheting off the page; gripping you tighter and tighter until you reach the thrilling cliffhanger. How can we move forward if our past shackles us to destructive patterns? How can you save the one you love if they're blind to their own annihilation? Is there a point where the only person you can save is yourself? Trauma, grief, and Santeria collide in this explosive opus.

A razor sharp adaptation of an absurdist classic that not only does justice to the original but elevates the themes in a way that makes them painfully relevant to the modern age. Strikingly funny and deliriously madcap; this piece is undeniable genius.

A deliciously absurd and wacky play that evolves what would otherwise be a rote tale of struggling with parental approval into a sci-fi romp that effortlessly blends Kaufman-esque tension with Mystery Science Theater 3000 camp and hijinx. All we want is to be loved and supported by our parents, even if they're bloodthirsty robots hell bent on destruction.

Smith's take on Comedy of Errors is a searing look at the exposed underbelly of the American heartland turned up to eleven. An unflinching dissection of predominantly white communities and the power of sheer ignorance in the face of indisputable truth. Controversial, infuriating, but most importantly painfully funny.

Read this play if you dare.