Recommended by Steve Harper

Competitive skating, teen angst, jealousy, divorced parents, COVID, armegeddon and more (yes, more!) collide in Megan Tabaque's playful and profound drama / comedy. With a host of characters, children and adults, and a series of locations from a skating rink, to an airport to Iceland, Megan manages to keep all the balls in the air in this enjoyable play about what it means to be young, alive, confused and facing the frailty of human life. Sharp, funny and completely absorbing.

An imaginative and theatrical deep dive into the life of Benjamin Banneker, black man, inventor, dreamer, and scientist. Malique Guinn has fashioned an absorbing tale of Banneker's race to create the world's largest clock even as fragments of his life - present and past - dart in and out, threatening to pull him off course. With playful language and intriguing imagery, the play made me think in new ways about creation, history and mortality.

This play bowled me over. A multi-day orientation at a crisis hotline creates a dynamic setting for revelations and fears. The characters are diverse and compelling. The play unfolds in surprising and moving ways. Very absorbing and well done.

Rachel Borders has written a funny play about grief, loss and family dynamics. What do we do once our loved ones have gone? How do we treat each other? This family and their patriarch's slightly odd Death Doula sort it out with confusion and humor. It made me reflect on the shortness of life. And look at myself. And laugh.

Somewhere in the back of my brain, I knew I'd heard of the folktale "The Brementown Musicians". That vague recollection didn't prepare me for this play, which is sharp, funny, futuristic and present-day all at once. It starts out with workers waiting for the guest of honor at a surprise party, and travels an entertaining distance through labor issues, friendship, sexuality, politics and justice. And it's a musical! A joyful, entertaining ride.