Recommended by Jordan Bird

Equal parts tragedy, horror, and gut-busting comedy, MAN & WIFE paints for us a bone-chilling universal future that made me want to scream; at the same time, it dives deep below the skin of a single married couple to explore the deceptions, vulnerability, and struggle to do right that exists in all loving commitments between two people. Being involved in a production of this play, in any capacity, would be such a blast: great creative challenges for a large team with a grand vision, and plenty of options for a scaled-down production.

Musical and poetic, the beauty of the language of this play is like oxygen:the rhythms and lyricism keep us alive as Poynor helps us through this horror. This play is an essential voice in the national conversation about gun reform and gun violence in schools -- it at once celebrates life and hope while staring the national demon of gun violence in the face. I love the idea of staging this play in an immersive setting -- because this story is deeply personal and specific, but it is also, horrifyingly, a corporate experience. An Important piece of theatre.

ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY HYSTERICAL. I woke my dog up from her nap, I was laughing so hard. There's something -so satisfying- about women talking about sex without it being exploitative. Comedy gold for four funny women.

The world of this play feels so familiar to me -- which makes each of these characters in equal parts frustrating and lovely. The space between Jane and Abigail is so. wide. But it is in this broad space where the beauty of this play really lies because you have the sense that Jane and Abigail will find each other somewhere in this middle space, no matter how dark and mysterious it is. The set up breaks my heart, as does the slow decline of Jack's mental faculties. This play caught me by surprise.

A very short play very worth-reading. What begins as a light moment of peace between a mother and daughter takes a sharp turn that left me with chills and tears in my eyes. If you're planning a production of plays about gun reform, give this short play a look.

Sweet, honest, and so moving. As a bearer of zombie thoughts myself, I wish I had had a tool like this play as I was growing up. This play is a game-changer for kids with anxiety disorders, and an incredible tool of understanding for kids who don't. Kids and parents everywhere will be incredibly grateful for this play.

A laugh-out-loud genius cultural mashup that celebrates nerd culture, drag culture, scifi, and the power of story. So funny, so sweet, and just such a fierce and wonderful celebration. No artistic team on earth would turn down the chance to develop the sets, lighting, and costumes for this perfectly-structured heroine's journey to self-discovery and fierceness. This is a show I would LOVE to see.

This play is so freakin sweet! Jeeze louise. Hayet never fails to make me laugh (this play had me laughing at the very first line), but there is a depth of familial love and understanding in this piece that pushes his normal wit and timing into a different dimension. It's just charming. And gosh, don't we all wish we could have a brief, succinct press conference with family after a significant life event?

Oooooh this play is just so pretty. There's a humor underneath the necessary drama of this piece that lights up the characters and situation, making the drama feel even more immediate and intense. A really lovely example of magical realism done right. I love layering this magic on top of an alleyway next to a nightclub. There's so much to this short play, which would be a treat for an artistic team to collaborate on.

A beautiful, lyrical play with depth and a complex conflict that exists between the spaces of anger/distrust and understanding/respect. I love the motion and sound of this play, with sections that are long monologue-style juxtaposed with call-and-response sections that feel like church. In the end, a story of connection and creation, with a resolution to create new things in solidarity with other creators.