Recommended by Emily McClain

I KNEW ONLY THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS COULD BE THE REAL FORCE BEHIND LAG DURING ZOOM READINGS! This 1-minute play skewers the submission-rejection-self-loathing-rinse-repeat cycle that we all know so well in a delightful way. This would be such a fun interlude in a night of plays.... or perhaps a zoom reading?

This play celebrates the magical moment when parents and teenage children suddenly see each other as, if not equals, then at least as more complex people who contain multitudes than they'd thought before. The decision to own a firearm when you haven't before, the casual drug habits of teenagers, and the evolution of a mother-son relationship is a lot to pack into a ten minute play but Cathro does it with his classic sincerity and genuine affection for his characters. This is a wonderful play!

Steven Hayet weighs in on the really important moral questions of our time in this play. It's dark and disturbing, the kind of story that will make you side-eye the people you're sitting next to as its performed, wondering if the same sick moments are resonating with them like they are with you. Ready to get weird? Order some good take-out and read this play.

There is a strange echo of "High Fidelity" through this incredibly powerful one-man show. Maybe "High Fidelity But For Heroin Addicts." Brian's unflinchingly honest portrayal of his own journey through the valley of the darkness of addiction is a cautionary tale and a beautiful exploration of the power of our connection to others as a life-preserver that can rescue us if we let it. Thank you, Hope. Thank you, Chuck. Thank you, Chuck's mom. Most of all, thank you Greg for bringing this vital story to life with your words.

Adolescence can be alienating all on its own, but Martin injects the metaphor with a beautiful energy in this ensemble-driven story. Abigail's journey to make connections with the other "troubled teens" is engaging, despite her unwillingness to interact as a human. When Abigail finally opens up and speaks her truth, it's much less otherworldly than we expect. The play ends with a truly phenomenal visual bang! Brilliant work!

As always, Gunderson's blending of science, literature, and interpersonal connections creates a beautiful mosaic of the human experience. This play is an intense emotional journey and anyone who has a complicated relationship with a loved one but still held that loved one's hand as they walked a lonely road of aging and dementia can relate to Lauren's experience. People are complex creatures, y'all.

If only Walter Mitty had the help of Busser's Voice Over movie trailer guy, he wouldn't be stuck just imagining his life away! Carl bounces between wanting to be the super-masculine action hero he's described as and a recognition that he is SO NOT the character being described. Poor Carl. But audiences will enjoy his hapless bumbling towards romantic success.

The best science fiction never allows the "science" aspect of the story to overwhelm the "fiction" and Pangea achieves the perfect balance. Sickles' beautiful love story is set at the bottom of a world that is careening towards collapse just as two soulmates are meeting physically for the first time. It is incredibly powerful- and while it stands alone as its own gripping story, if you have read MARIANAS TRENCH (and if you haven't, what are you waiting for??) you will appreciate the poignancy and depth of Lincoln and Andy's love all the more. Simply glorious. Plus there are penguins.

My most sincere wish is for everyone be fortunate enough to have as loving, funny, and *accurate* a portrait written of them as Steven Martin has done for me in this monologue.

(See what I did there with the list of adjectives? DIDN'T EVEN PLAN IT. God, he really gets me....)

I enjoyed this fantastic two-hander so much! Very clever dialogue and just the right amount of surrealism, while staying grounded in the authentic emotional journey of the characters. Wonderful work! I'd like to hire Jordan to accompany me on my next solo trip to the grocery store, since that's the most epic thing I've done for the past 10 months.