Recommended by Aly Kantor

Having grown up reading sci-fi stories about spacefaring and first contact, this play evoked a strong feeling of nostalgia, but also felt fresh and singularly theatrical, with opportunities for designers to create an immersive kind of magic. The silence of our protagonist posed a mystery that kept me curious and engaged, even as larger problems arose in the broader world of the play. Weeks does a phenomenal job communicating exposition through natural dialogue, painting a picture of a harrowing but realistic future. The moment the plot comes full circle is phenomenal and exciting. Genre fans will love this unique script!

This play is hilarious and absurd... but if you've ever been in the hot seat at a talkback, the level of absurdity is in question! Playwrights reading this play will squirm in their seats and nod their heads emphatically as they begin to recognize the less-than-helpful feedback they have likely heard themselves. And readers who are NOT playwrights will still enjoy the brilliant, dawning reversal as the playwright's identity comes to light. The thesis? When you open up the floor for critical feedback, you'll receive critical feedback - but the playwright ALWAYS has the final say. A great, honest piece!

The first John Mabey play I ever read was "True Skies," and it blew me away. It was so incredible to discover the rest of that touching and memorable story - and who could have guessed that it would be a science fiction epic about what it means to be human? Truly, reflecting the best of humanity on the stage seems to be Mabey's gift. This play is, at turns, harrowing and hopeful, but always about people, warts and all. The mastery of dialogic rhythm brings it to the next level. Genre theatre at its best!

I am a lover of plays about robots (and AI entities, generally) and the best pieces have something simple yet profound to say about the experience of being human. This is a gorgeously structured play that, at its heart, tells the story of two sisters, both with their own unique limitations, who act the way sisters do. They are cruel, and kind, and secretive, and cognitive of their shared origins, but still distinct entities with their own desires in the world. Their journey is so foreign but still incredibly familiar and left me feeling deliciously raw. Catharsis at its best!

What an inventive subversion of our favorite horror and slasher movie tropes! The notorious serial killer is immediately rendered pathetic and lackluster by a fierce (and very broken) final girl who is worthy of her title and status! Theatrically, it's packed with great ideas for creating visceral moments of wince-worthy violence on stage with minimal tech, which I'm sure would get a huge reaction from audiences! It's funny, bloody, and unexpectedly emotional!

A quartet of colorful, larger-than-life, and deliciously specific teenage girls are at the center of this silly-yet-educational play, which takes the Breakfast Club trope to fascinating new heights! I love the way history comes to life all around them, complete with some cunning stage combat! These roles would be a dream for an ensemble of versatile performers. Plus, I love it when girls are allowed to be angry and passionate and a little messy, and this play is full of complex, brilliant, and flawed women - often speaking in their own voices. A fantastic update to a great script!

As a former children's docent at the MFA in Boston, I thought I knew a lot about John Singer Sargent, but I have never seen him come to life like this! I am sure two actors would have a BLAST upstaging one another as they attempt to make themselves the main character of this story. As silly as it can be, this play is also a subtle love story with lots of inventive opportunities for staging and theatricality. An educational and engaging short!

You see it again and again in the real world — some women just seem to fall for men who aren't good for them. In this trio of shorts, that concept is taken to the next level, as we're treated to a glimpse of a few hilarious dates with beloved classic monsters! The trio is cleverly structured in the form of "variations," in which we see the same patterns play out over and over. It gets better with every repetition, and the final button is a hoot! By the end, you'll fall for these lovable beasts yourself!

What a compelling, intimate glimpse at a lost moment in history that I knew NOTHING about, despite studying developmental psych for years! This play is packed with phenomenal roles for college-aged women and not a single traditional ingenue track! Every character is quirky and specific, with a wholly unique voice, and it was so easy to get caught up in their individual dramas, struggles, and stories. The ending was utterly heartbreaking but felt entirely earned. I'm amazed by all of the interconnected themes, all of which were seamlessly integrated into the story. A fantastic, memorable piece of theatre!

This is a hilarious comedy full of colorful personalities! The characters are truly the stars of the show as they gather together to throw a party at the end of the world. The ticking clock kept the stakes high and the action moving, and the laughs didn't stop coming the entire time! While absurd, real human relationships and anxieties are at the center of every interaction, adding a relatable authenticity to a heightened situation. There is so much truth hidden among the shenanigans. The button at the very end had me cackling! A truly delightful play about trusting your reality!