Recommended by Kim E. Ruyle

How do lovers deal with secrets and symbology found in one of their diaries? With photography, it turns out. My favorite line, “I wouldn’t want you to circle me out of pity.” Lawing’s use of visual and verbal imagery in this play gets a circle in my book.

Pink Moscato will send shivers down your spine. Prillaman sets it up so well – a raging party to provide cover, the basement museum, the lure of a unique vending machine, and Fortune, the drunken prey. It’s such a leisurely and creepy build to what we see coming. Brilliantly executed!

The first scene of Occupied sucked me in, and it wasn’t just Aly Kantor’s gift for authentic dialogue (which is amazing!), but the all threads she weaves into the conversation between Amelia and Jac – the seemingly mundane topics that engage them, the depth of their relationship, the social and political events of the day, the unique setting in bathroom stalls, and the serious questions raised. This play is thoroughly engaging, thought-provoking, funny, and heart-breaking. Occupied is brilliant!

The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat. It’s drama, and no better stage than a high school football team. Central to Alles drama is a new head coach chasing a winning season and dealing with a demanding principal, ex-wife, teenage son, and two assistant coaches (one of them a trailblazing female). And all this under the shadow of his mentor. Audiences will care for these characters, will root for them, and will celebrate how they each find their way to a winning season.

Wow! Ellie is a tour de force that packs an emotional punch delivered with such authentic dialogue that never spares us from the pain, cruelty, and insidious transgressions that two elderly brothers heap upon each other. Absolutely superb!

The future looks bleak between Becky and Frank as they spar over a shelf, but it’s not just the shelf, it’s what the shelf represents: commitment. As the conflict escalates, it’s looking hopeless until… Well, just read it to find out! The Shelf is engaging, comical, and authentic. Well done.

A person can find happiness, even in Bandera, Texas. Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend shows us how it’s done with sacrifice, sage advice from the ghosts of grandmothers, and a baseball bat. Life lessons are revealed in the witty banter and comical situations – day drinking, rattlesnakes under the trailer, a kitchen drawer filled with cigarettes, and more. My favorite: how the drama teacher lost his job. Well done!

Mother-daughter relationships provide fertile ground for stories, and Jeanne Johnston puts it to good use in Egg Salad. The story of a grieving widow, Helen, and her daughters, Linda and Marie, is comical, poignant, and authentic. Terrific!

Jennifer O’Grady captures the tragedy of Charlotte Bronte’s unrequited love beautifully in Charlotte’s Letters. The emotional intensity of the language is enhanced by the French phrasing. The writing is intelligent, tender, and perfectly spare. The simple set and staging described will heighten the raw emotions of each character. Brava!

I was hooked from the wonderfully spooky opening visual and then amazed by the blend of humor, theatricality, and meaning in the world that Jacquie’s created. In the words of Flurk, “All you can do is continue adding to the world you’re in.” Creative characters, highly entertaining banter, and such a meaningful story. A Shop in the Darkness is a gift to a dark world. Fantastic!