Recommended by Aly Kantor

Reader, when I tell you I was laughing so hard I had to stop reading to catch my breath, it is not an exaggeration! Fans and critics of Ibsen's most iconic heroines will love lingering in the liminal karaoke bar where they wait between productions and fruitlessly try to mix things up. I am obsessed with the impossible stage directions (which I would LOVE to make possible!) and the overt meta-theatricality that highlights the problem without feeling didactic. The conclusion - that the "canon" should be an evolving playground rather than sacred and untouchable - had me cheering! Loved it!

Twist after twist after twist! The Little Mermaid has nothing on Jeremy and his unfortunate curse... though it's mostly unfortunate for poor, disaffected Beth, who just wants to get day drunk with her girlfriends and not take on any more emotional labor that benefits the patriarchy. There's probably a statement about misogyny at the heart of this play, but you will likely be too busy cackling like a wicked (but thoroughly justified) sea witch to notice! Check out this easily staged play with a delightfully original premise, and you'll leave feeling like a changed (mer)man!

"The Locke Inn" is a fast-moving, thoughtfully structured metatheatrical marvel that evokes the uncanny world of 'The Truman Show' or 'Groundhog's Day' but with a wholly original twist. The atmosphere is simultaneously nostalgic and disorienting, which makes it easy to identify with the protagonist's point of view. The plasticity of the world allows for plenty of time-bending moments of theatrical magic, ensuring the story moves swiftly toward its heartwarming and wholesome conclusion. It may be a roller coaster ride, but the ending was incredibly satisfying and left me grinning. No laugh track necessary - audiences will love this one!

I love the simple theatricality in this play about one woman's relationship to her breasts - which are embodied by actors and given voices, allowing one woman to reflect on her trauma, sexuality, and ecstasy on the eve of a double mastectomy. It asks important questions about what someone needs to feel like a woman, and whether breasts have anything to do with it. There is another theatrical surprise that I won't spoil for readers, but it's such a clever way to allow the protagonist to come to her high-stakes decision. What a beautiful farewell letter of a play!

There is a lot of real wisdom in this pint-sized sci-fi short - and it's not even hidden in the subtext... which is what makes it so brilliant! The play may be set in space, but it's a contemporary tale about the lengths people will go to to achieve their goals... even if the goal is as deceptively simple and profoundly complex as pursuing happiness. You don't need a tedious, complex quest (or a planner, or a weight loss system, or a spiritual retreat in the desert, or...) to be happy. You just need to put in the work! Fabulous!

This play had me at the hilarious initial stage picture—and kept me on tenterhooks all the way through! Not only is it a clever, modern take on one of the most memorable scenes in the Greek play Lysistrata, but it's written entirely in rhyming verse... without losing a single ounce of wit! I love how Dawn Branch took familiar material AND familiar, contemporary circumstances and paired them together. The result is a brief but effective vignette. This play is certainly in the spirit of the source material, but ready for modern audiences! Fantastic fun for audiences and actors alike!

What is the relationship between love and fear, and what does it take to be brave and plant the seeds of happiness in a garden guarded by ferocious, thumb-gobbling chickens? This is a queer, quirky love story about moving past trauma, facing fears, and finding comfort in labels - even when they don't fundamentally change anything about your lived reality. It's full of fun, theatrical opportunities for barnyard puppetry and stage magic. Ultimately, it's a hilarious and cathartic journey full of heightened but recognizable characters you'll love (plus some hysterical stage directions).

This play offers an intimate glimpse at two lives in parallel - the moments where they intersect and the moments where they diverge. Three actors play the two main characters at different life stages, allowing for a unique, non-linear theatricality as the narrative weaves back and forth through time. Moments gain new meaning and context as the script progresses, so there is an engaging sense of discovery. While it's clear things could have been different for these two characters, would they have been better? Can they still be better? A simple meditation on love.

While the scenario in this play is loaded with clever sci-fi elements, I found it amazing how relatable it felt. After all, didn't we all go through the experience of blinking and waking up in the year 2020, forced to get our bearings in a uniquely "interesting time?" I really liked the use of Marvel releases as a device to anchor the audience in time. Structurally, I really enjoyed how the story comes full circle, revealing information that recontextualizes everything. Vacillating between funny and heartbreaking, this is an original take on the time travel story for the stage.

The key to an exceptional ten-minute play is a brilliant reversal, and this simple and surprising twist transformed a familiar, mundane scene into something out of this world! I love how most of the action of the play happens off-stage, leaving audiences to use their imaginations, and making the stakes feel even higher! The dialogue is relatable and flows naturally, and the twist will provide designers with an opportunity to make some good, old-fashioned theatrical magic. This piece was heartwarming and left me with a hopeful feeling. Charming and easily staged, audiences will love this one!