Recommended by Asher Wyndham

After reading this play, you'll want to have lots of sex. Has a play ever done that to you before? Let this be the first play to do that. This is an erotic performance piece with voice exercises and Grinder chat that intelligently explores sex as a 'language of the body' (to use Kathy Acker's words). That language might be the most powerful tool we - gay or not - have when words are not enough. Your voice coach, the protagonist, might be a slut, but don't slut-shame: he's a smart slut. Loosen up your buttons and read this play.

This playwright is a wordsmith, and her world-building is enchanting, memorable like the poetic works of Caridad Svich and Epic plays of Brecht. The madrina character, La Tules is as riveting and complex as Mother Courage or Prior Walter. The interludes of magic realism are a lot of fun. You'd be a fool if you don't read this. You're a greater fool if you don't read this and you're a director or artistic director. Consider this for your season or, at least, pass it to someone else!

The greatest short play about a vibrator! (I actually haven't read another short play about a vibrator. I think that's just a great tag line.) It's an awkward, really awkward situation, embarrassing and uncomfortable, but we've all been there, minus the vibrator (or maybe not). More than a funny play about an unfunny subject (sexual dysfunction), it's a 'love play' or 'marriage play' that suggests how to navigate a problem relationship through communication, compassion, and humor.

Read this play now. What this play does in ten-minutes with the topic of gay conversion therapy is outstanding. And honest. And disturbing because this cruel conversion from gay to "straight" is still happening all across the country. It made me wonder about the possible rise of conversion therapy alongside the rise of Christian dominionism under the Trump administration. If you don't choose this play for your festival on LGBTQI themes, you're making a big mistake!

Just like Sickles' short play Turtles and Bulldogs, death brings people together with unexpected results. I was entertained by the modernizing of the eloquence and rhythm of Elizabethean language and how that intensified the conflict and theatricalized the play in such a way that made these half-brothers larger than life. It was like they were on an Elizabethean stage! And learning about the 'empire'...hilarious. If you're looking for a fun linguistic challenge for your actors, check out this play.

A play that takes place in a cemetery and it's surprisingly not gloomy; it's sweet and touching. A backstory on bullying was handled effectively while at the same time developing the present day story, a reunion that is startling in its intimacy. Collin's monologue on cats asks the right questions on life. Replace 'cats' with something else or rephrase the questions slightly and you might find yourself relating to Collin. If you're looking for a gay-topic play for a festival, check out this play.

I'm anti-gun but I rooted for Kate like I do when I see a badass vigilante on the screen. Kate's interrogation of the big star Elle at gunpoint forces you think about the oodles of $$$ women (and men) in America pay to desperately look like their TV/film idols. It made me think of those who can't afford it and how that affects their self-esteem. And how it's really cruel for Hollywood to mess with women's minds with this illusion of flawless beauty. A smart, silly comedy that deserves many productions.

Everyone has something they're afraid of, like tigers or spiders; for some, like Rik, it's something unusual: a burnt match. Not a lit match. A burnt one. Once it's revealed, the play is definitely a page turner. This little play speaks to how the weirdest fears, when fully understood, are complicated, not something that can be easily overcome. I like Stubbles' choice to have a girl as the one helping the boy overcome his fear.

"I really hope violence touches my life in some way." That's a revealing, shocking line; one of my favorite lines I've read in a NPX play. It makes me wonder about gun owners -- Is that what you really want, violence in your life? What do you have to prove? Are your guns like James Bond toys? Just like this gun owner, many American gun owners, I bet, love their gun collection like they do a toy collection! It's not obviously anti-gun; however, it does a fine job of presenting the ridiculousness and questionable psychology of American gun owners.

In this encounter between a homeless man and a city worker an unexpected tenderness and understanding. Romero's purple protestations against the removal of a beloved bench reveal slowly his plight and sorrow, while Julianne's sudden revelation of her emotional trauma forces you see her in a new light. This unlikely pair for dramatic conflict speaks to the similarity between strangers. This kind of play reminds you that some of most beautiful encounters are off stage--and that happens when you open up to a stranger. Beautiful writing.