Recommended by Erin Malone Turner

I was deeply moved by this play, & I imagine many others will be as well. These characters are sincere, impassioned, & beautifully painted portraits of what it can look like for young people trying to figure out who God is while becoming who they are. The ferocity & joy of the ending is particularly commendable!

Love how this play about a small bowling league team was so heartwarming as well as sporty. The tension of the athleticism & the relationships between the characters is incredible! Anyone - bowler or not - can relate to the ideas of dedication, taking shots at romance, & figuring out how to stick together when things seem to be falling apart that are explored in this wonderful play. Additionally, it allows actors & directors to be inventive with physicality. I need to see this fully produced!

This is one of the most profound & meticulously written plays I’ve ever read, especially with only three characters. Clark has created a phenomenal world, mostly taking place in a high school indoor swimming pool, & the push & pull of each character to the others is magnificent. The spotlight on Middle Eastern & African experiences/cultures & the lovely unfolding of the storyline join together beautifully!

Watkins has created characters who are both heartwarmingly introspective & sharply focused on the world(s) around them; a tender reminder of how we're expected to do/be/hold onto as much as possible. They're passionate, awkward, & earnest - painted crystal-clear for us to root for. A big question for us to answer: how do we protect/love/support each other within all of our little worlds? A beautiful play for a strong trio of actors!

In this play, Pennycook beautifully explores the desperate yearning of that peculiar/fraught/lovely time right on the cusp of adulthood. These characters so deeply want to be seen, understood, accepted, & taken seriously. The tension, joy, & wonder of growing up are all incredibly palpable. An excellent piece!

This play asks: do those in charge have the peoples' best interests in mind? What will it take to make the good ones stop fighting for what's right? Can anyone really take one's livelihood, free speech, & knowledge away? Berryman is surgical in her undertaking of very big issues & showcasing the individual, valuable lives, dreams, & fears involved in keeping truth alive. A heartfelt, harrowing, excellent play!

I got to see a staged reading of this at Kitchen Dog Theater, and it has haunted me since then in the best way. It's one of the most heart-wrenching two-handers I've ever experienced. An exquisite diorama of reaching out in loneliness, the intimacy of trading stories & secrets, and what the world could have to offer at the end of it. It's funny, desperate, rich, and clings to hope / joy / wonder. This play is a gift.

WHOA. Such a complex & natural portrayal of teenage friendship, the terrifyingly constant presence of online madness, the isolation that can come with seeking better opportunities as POC, and the shame that can accompany hiding deep-seated truths about oneself. Sasha & Raymond's respective art forms fit them and their personalities so well. This play also depicts the injustice that is all-too-often snaking about within academia and its systems. Lovely characters and storytelling - I hope this play is produced far and wide!

OOF. This play is a beautifully sharp portrayal of what trying not to give up can look like, mending damaged relationships, healing from pain, the difference between speaking and being truly heard, and the power that art has to shape and heal even the youngest of us. Gorgeous and organic in its representation of Black people. Would love the world to experience this play!

This show is a heavy, powerful look at a very possible future for our world in which robots are intertwined with human life in varying degrees. It is intense and complicated in organic and intriguing ways exploring bonds, temptation, and choices made from simple curiosity or from the intrinsic needs to love and belong - and whether those needs could ever exist within a mechanical being. I’d love to see this onstage!