Recommended by Audrey Lang

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this play on NPX. Lady M and all of the other characters she takes on during the play have compelling, unique storytelling voices, tackling vital issues connected to their identities as African-American women.

In "Off White; Or the Arab House Party Play," Alyssa Haddad addresses post-9/11 Islamophobia with authentically teenage voices and doesn't feel the need to redeem any character who doesn't deserve to be redeemed. The humorous moments of the play made me laugh out loud while reading it, but they also draw vital attention to the moments when a joke stops being a joke.

This play about grief and deep connections and friendship and family made me laugh and cry over the course of reading it. I especially appreciated how Esther and Anthony talked openly to each other about big topics like race, and were willing and able to change their minds because of their profound connection and love for each other.

This is one of the best plays I've ever read about the emotions and reactions related to experiencing trauma. Yuli's journey of sorting through what happened to her and figuring out how to heal is powerful, as are her interactions with the complex, layered people she finds along the way.

My jaw DROPPED reading this play. But even before that moment, "small town icons" has such clarity in its characters. They're fun to listen to until they're not, but they are always compelling. And I love the way that SMJ's story fills a whole space. Even though I was reading the play rather than seeing it, I could visualize the action and physicality in a way that makes me excited to see the play performed!

A great ensemble piece for young actors that really does give everyone a chance to be seen and heard from in a meaningful way. "The Importance" has a lot of characters, but I really was able to keep track of all of them. Accuardi has done a wonderful job of making every single one character a distinct, unique, and interesting person.

Accuardi has written a magical adaptation with "The Storyteller." Growing up is hard for the person doing the growing, but it's hard for those around her, too, and this play represents that so well.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching HartBeat Ensemble's virtual production of Bee Trapped Inside The Window. This play brings together three distinctly different women who spend so much time in close proximity but barely communicating, and when they do finally communicate, what happens is thrilling. I love the way that Saviana Stanescu brings each character into focus over the journey of the play and brings them together.

A beautiful play that allows its characters to have both lighthearted and painful moments in their love story. Tara and Allegra untangle their feelings for each other as they untangle Frances and Mary's relationship, too. Anya Richkind's story feels authentic to the present moment and simultaneously transported at times to a space that transcends era. "tender of you too" is a fantastic piece for two young actors that explores queerness, both modern and historical, in a lovely way.

In The Jersey Devil Doesn't Exist., Jess Honovich blurs the lines of fantasy and reality, of possibility and impossibility, in a thrilling way. What makes this play feel especially authentic to the teenage girl experience, to me, is the fact that just as the characters don't totally know what happened, neither do we, the audience members or readers. The uncertainty and mystery make me lean in and hang on every page, every word.