Recommended by Alli Hartley-Kong

What a gripping thriller! Even though the play touches on heavy material, there were some real funny moments and real tension. Reed is a really troubling and interesting character, and I know I will be thinking about him more after I've finished reading the play. There was real poetry in the stage directions (talking/not talking). Well done to the playwright!

I read this play last night and have been thinking about it nonstop since then. What an affecting and well-constructed play. I really appreciated how all the threads were connected ,and the sophisticated artistry of the elevated language. As the world turns to Ukraine now, this play humanizes an earlier aspect of the conflict. I cried and I laughed. I hope one day I can see this play performed.

We all write dialogue, but it takes a special playwright to not write a line of dialogue at all. What a great play- I think it very successfully executes the idea that actions are louder than words. And in this case, check out these actions! What a surprise ending. I enjoyed this play a lot.

This play is funny from the beginning, but the depth of the reveal at the end conveys its emotional power. What a tender and heartwarming look into a couple overcoming a first year of marraige that isn't what they expected, but what they got through together. Bronte may have left a present in her daddy's shoes, but the real gift is the writing in this play!

This play tackles a difficult concept- the many ways to love people and exist in an oversexed world- and brings us into it with a warmth and humor. The playwright deftly crafts in lines and references that lead to a surprising and satisfactory ending. Well done!

I had the privilege of getting to experience the reading of this play at Signature Theatre, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was particularly interested in how trauma response is portrayed within this play, and how that shapes Joan's relationships with her daughter, and with Ada. I could see this being a really great fit for a theatre looking at science fiction, plays about machine learning, and representation of real versus unreal.

I had the pleasure of seeing this play performed in the Apollo Civic Theatre Staged Reading series this week, and recommend it. What a clever way to do participatory theatre. Choose your own adventure was a great and captivating technique to build tension into this one-character play. This would be a great short piece for a monologue festival or a theatre seeking a one-character play, but with a twist.

This play has such a surprising and impactful turn at the end; I will surely be wondering about it long after I read it. Maripat Allen was successful at creating compelling characters and conflict in a short space. I'm particular interested in the similarities between the two mothers who are both doing what they think is best to protect their children- yet have made dramatically different decisions. Such a powerful and chilling ending, and a sad but necessary discussion about mental illness and those who love folks affected by it.

This was a really interesting short play that provoked thoughts about what a disabled man thinks is best for himself, versus what family and society's expectations are. I really appreciated the contrast and small actions that added to the play- the heartbreaking moment of Rich not being able to laugh, the peeling of the cucumber during the facial transplant discussion. The dialogue felt very real and the ending left me wondering and wanting more.

This was a sad, but touching and emotionally resonant. This play carries the weight of history, with three characters coming across generations to represent the experience of refugees. One aspect of the play that particularly struck me was the discussion of family, and the motions associated with the gift and receipt of the amulet. All in all, incredibly timely and drawing threads between different groups to represent the complexities of the American experience.