Recommended by Rachael Powles

World War I was a writers' war and Isaac Rathbone captures the poetic tragedy beautifully in this adaptation. Every moment leaves you breathless for more. This play is a moving testament to the humanity of soldiers and the successes and failures of memory.

There are not enough historical pieces of theater that celebrate the way intense friendships transformed the lives of women. Six Summers on the Hudson not only brings one such friendship to light with an experimental twist, but also explores the nature and power of creativity.

Off The Palisades Parkway reminds us that the choice between doing what should and doing what you want is more complicated than it should be. So is the choice between fitting in and being yourself, especially when racial divides and budding sexuality are thrown in. The intensity of the characters' feelings and the sincerity in the voices are beautiful reflections of those tumultuous high school relationships, and the mistakes they make, however painful, are deeply human.

A sharply relevant dark comedy that forces you to reckon with why you find it entertaining. In such a short piece Cassandra Rose manages to successfully educate the audience while highlighting the absolute absurdity of romanticizing the Confederacy.

As the child of a tough-as-nails public school teacher, this play speaks volumes to me. I haven't seen many pieces that so perfectly capture the struggles teachers go through on a daily basis. This is a poignant commentary on life in the public school system, a culture that seems to be changing faster than we can keep up. Cannot recommend it enough.

This is such a funny, endearing, and biting subversion of Shakespearean tropes. I know my actor friends would adore performing this piece!

This play shows us what happens when language simply cannot explain the emotions within us. The awkwardness, though extreme, still feels genuine as these characters find ways dance around the situations they can't quite describe... until they absolutely have to. A wonderful tragicomedy, highly recommended!

Lang curates intensely realistic situations in her writing. Amid her poignant observations and metaphors, she does not lose the beauty of everyday language, from debates over who gets the extra tomatoes from the salad, to who’s responsible for getting rid of the rats in the office to the decadence of pre-dinner ice cream. Rye Bread reminds you that real life is just as complex as the fantastical, a stark reminder in these uncertain times. (read my full review on buzzsawmag.org on May 20th!)

I saw alex getting better in performance over a year ago and I've been thinking about it ever since. As we battle through this new era of recognizing sexual abuse in all forms, it is easy to forget the smaller stories. We read the headlines and the trending hashtags, but we don’t see the young girls sitting in circles at slumber parties wondering if what they felt was wrong. This play reminds us that what feels like the most insignificant battles can be the noblest and that only the long road to getting better, every victory counts.