Recommended by Alisha Espinosa

Writing suspense is one of the most difficult things to do--especially in a play--and Rosa nailed it. I thought it was a good idea to read this after midnight and I was wrong. Thanks for the nightmares, Rosa! The rich, interesting characters with firm rooted beliefs create even more drama than the ghosts.

Sancocho is a brilliant play. Not only are the characters complex and earthy, but the structure of the play is impeccably clean. Cato knows how to set up your expectations and satisfy them with beautiful callbacks and vulnerability. You’re going to be hungry at the end of this play, but your soul will be full.

Medina creates a pressure cooker situation for any mother-daughter, but especially for a mother and daughter who are struggling with so many unsaid questions and fears. Simultaneously, you can see the story of two generations and the war between their values. But is this war anyone can actually win?

There's a quietness to this play--just like its characters--full of sorrow, hope, fear, and possibility. Framed by classic traditional celebration, this play takes you on a journey with a simple convention: what will every new year bring?

This play is for anyone who's family is divided deeply along political lines--so most everyone. The characters are fiercely drawn and their clashes are intense and necessary sketches of family tension and political tension. Reyna isn't afraid to show you a world that's deeply flawed and dissatisfying, but not without it's glimmers of hope.

A play that plays on your expectations and teases you with suspense. I love how you're never quite sure who the enemy is or if they will win.

Davila’s use of the structure in this play is crucial to its tone. You could say it’s cinematic, but really it’s dreamlike, giving the audience the dizzying feeling of having your beliefs questioned same as Johnny is experiencing. The parallel story about Michelle and Salvador is a heartbreaking foil to the other couples (friends and romantic alike). The magnifying glass is on how we’re all complicit in this country’s atrocities and it burns hot and slow.

Stoo’s Famous Martian Gumbo is a delight! My favorite part is the diverse cast is organic and fully realized. Even the stage directions feel like they are meant to be read by youthful, eager eyes. I love the way the play guides you into accepting the circumstances of the world through the characters, and in subtle ways introduces the themes of acceptance and individual uniqueness. The tone of this play is so joyful and it has the feeling of Blues Clues and Out of the Box—exploratory and generous.

So rare to find a piece of theater that truly embraces and understands style while still delivering rich, nuanced emotional stakes. Also, a joyous playground for all actors involved.

What I love about this play is that the characters are deeply flawed and still I love them. The family has heart, sabor, and struggle that connects us to them on a personal level and a much larger story about the Puerto Rican diaspora.