Recommended by Mackenzie Raine Kirkman

Henderson's "The Paperclip Maximizer" is like walking down an uneven staircase. You assume you know exactly what's coming and then three steps in you stumble, catch yourself on the railing, and carefully make your way down with a fresh appreciation for the form. Hilarious, goofy, and a ton of fun to play with as an actor Henderson's piece is a delight.

Absurd, silly, and just a little stomach-turning squirmy, Urrutia's piece is unique for its ability to pull heartwarming moments out of a completely inappropriate setting. They don't shy from the penis jokes but he doesn't press to a place of sheer ick either which makes it unwholesome (or hole-some?) fun for everyone. Dickery Pokery is like National Lampoon's Body Modification, give it a read and a production.

Proctor is the god of plays about God. Her incredibly deft hand refamiliarizes us with these infamous stories without ever making them inaccessible to those who weren't inundated with Abrahamic lore from a young age. Husk explores what the first death might have been like and in doing so makes the famous allegorical story painfully and frighteningly human. This play breathes (unlike Abel) and like all of her work, it's a must-read.

A seemingly quirky way to represent the grueling immigration process quickly becomes a nightmarish jab at how America as a nation plays with the lives and dreams of those involved in the process. Moreover, and maybe more importantly for any productions inside the US, highlights the complicity of the American public in one haunting scene. A clever application of immersion lets us see the "presentation" and the "truth" of our host America and builds a dystopic world you quickly realize is just the real world with a thin veneer. I can't wait to be in the front row, opening night.

The world of Art Duty is fictional (sort of) and familiar (completely) because of Prillaman's delicate control over the piece and the tiny scraps of information we can wring from this tight script rife with dry humor. Here we're given scenes, tidbits, thoughts, and moments to consider. No answers (the security isn't here to give answers, after all) but I don't think you'd want them. Real art is for art's sake, real art owes you nothing. Real art exists and this is a play that truly just exists in the most brilliant of ways.

Raucous and chaotic in the way only a tight-knit but maybe slightly toxic friend group can be. There are a lot of opportunities here for actors and directors to make staging and timing choices that could be incredibly interesting! The characters are vibrant, modern, and expressive even in their shortest quips. A play that speaks not only to a specific social moment but utilizes it to heighten familiar tensions in a way that helps to make the piece a time capsule to the first year of the "Panera".

a very wholesome approach to theatre for young audiences! Accessible to young performers without infantilizing any of the language. Urrutia's piece shines in its comedy and distinct characters in such a short piece. It would be a real treat for young actors just dipping their toes into theatre and a good message for their peers!

This piece is genuinely so beautiful; the way time moves, the scenes that are all exactly as long as they need to be, the openness for the artistry of the producing company, and the honest complexity of history and the humans that make it. Definitely immediately slid on my favorites list and I'm sure I'll be thinking of it for a long time, waiting to visit Shayna and her world once more with fresh eyes to find what else Proctor so cleverly hid for us there.

A soft and charming play that tucks thoughts on parental expectations and children's need to self actualize inside the haunting myth of changlings and beautiful verse. The heightened language in Cross's piece is effortlessly accessible because of the well crafted metaphors and practiced choices between simplicity and artistry.

Diana is so grotesque but so likable a bit like Devine in a way. Throughout Midnight Showing Heily does an expert job of crafting an impeccably clear character with incredibly fun clowns filling in around her. The humor of the piece is so quick, so effortless. It's such a fun trip and it would be a riot to stage.