Recommended by Emily McClain

What a fascinating reimagining of the Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo- Sunset Boulevard meets Metamorphoses. There are so many intriguing staging possibilities for this piece that could be amazing for a creative director. You'll never look at a mosquito bite quite the same way again!

I absolutely devoured this play! The sharpness of the dialogue and the richness of the characters drew me in from the first scene. This script hits all the sweet spots: untold stories about women, queer history, comedy of manners, "inside baseball" style theatre jokes, Shakespeare.... It has EVERYTHING! Entertaining read from start to finish. Excellent work! This play deserves to be seen!

This play resonated with me as an educator, facing down an angry parent who refuses to acknowledge a painful truth about their child. Cathro always creates high emotional stakes in his plays, and this one is no exception. It's such a great character piece for all three performers- and we are left with the chilling realization that Ty's mother is going to continue to cover for him well into his college years and beyond, and what the ramifications of that could mean.

This play reminds me so much of every time Neil deGrasse Tyson goes on a Tweetstorm about scientific inaccuracies in movies. Monica Cross perfectly captures the well-meaning but pedantic intentions of people who are obsessed with factual accuracy in place of emotional resonance. This script is so clever and the button on the end is sweet, hopeful--and I found it refreshing to see a "showmance" relationship can blossom even in the Far Future. Well done!

The deep sincerity all the teen characters have in this short play is matched only by the triviality of their situation- and Dominica Plummer understands the intensity of teen emotions and utilizes that understanding to great effect. Sadly, weather and circumstances prevent us from getting to hear the band actually play (perhaps that's for the best?) but given the size of the egos involved in the arguments in the bandroom waiting to go on and perform, we would have been in for a real trip! Great work!

Everyone knows you can't spell Christmas without Commercials (most of the letters are silent... and invisible...)! In this satire about preparing ad copy for the holiday season without "officially" connecting it with the religious holiday in any way, Philip Middleton Williams pokes fun at the rampant materialism that chokes out any "true meaning of Christmas" and leaves the crumpled wrapper behind. Great work!

The incredible thoughtfulness of this play is matched only by the simplicity of the premise: a man plays Death in a chess match. We've seen so many iterations of this story, but this humorous version feels earnest without being overly sentimental. Michael's conversation with Death ends in a comforting and honest place- what more can we hope for ourselves in our own inevitable conversation with him? As always, Sickles delivers so much emotional power in a 10 minute play. Highly recommend!

For anyone that has gone through the arduous annual slog of the Official Family Christmas Card Photoshoot experience, this play will remind you that behind every saccharine-sweet smile the camera captures, there are millions of complicated and nuanced emotions that aren't seen. The dialogue between the two siblings and the support they show each other despite their different approaches to their shared dislike of the situation is incredibly real. Beautiful work!

I fell into this play and it hit me so hard. The relationship dynamic between Rosalind and Orlando was contemporary and yet felt completely authentic to the source material of Shakespeare's play. The final moments of the piece moved me deeply and I would love to see this fully produced! So compelling from beginning to end- it's a fantastic piece of theatre!

You know, that old adage really is true: the couple that tortures together stays together.
With this play, Daniel Prillaman dives again into the dark recesses of his psyche (or psycho-psyche in this case?) to create characters that are terrifyingly dangerous and also COMPLETELY relatable. It's uncomfortable and hilarious. Excellent work!