Recommended by Aly Kantor

The strength in this play is its honesty: honest portrayals of characters living with neurodivergence, honesty about the nature of the world they came from, and a moving level of vulnerability that left me sobbing. The world of this play is filled with a charming, almost magical theatricality. It's a blank (accessible!) slate for imaginative designers. ND actors will delight in delivering moving performances that reflect their lived experiences. It is a powerful call to action for all! Bravo!

This is such a blast! An anachronistic romp in the style of Brigerton, Dickinson, or your favorite Kate Hamill play, this semi-historical scene between two very different sisters is as playful as it is poignant. My favorite parts might be the flashbacks (and one significant, raucous flash-forward!) that would be a blast for designers to realize! There is something so fun about the visceral recognition that the person they were trying to impress was right beside them all along! Mourn me, Jane!

High, utterly ridiculous stakes kept me on the edge of my seat during this sibling-centered short about the ways we address grief. The dialogue is spare, full of subtext, fast moving, and effective, leaving comedic actors ample room to play. I love how it takes a literal possession to get Michaela to open up, turning an absurd event into a tender moment of genuine connection. I'm still unsure of the ending is sweet or creepy...maybe a little bit of both? Regardless, put this on the "keep" pile!

What a whimsical, evocative piece of theatre! While fast-moving and conceptually unique, I think this play's greatest strength is its potential to connect with the "Dads" in the audience, providing a holding environment as caregivers observe ways to approach conversations about gender and sexuality with their teenage children. It clearly illustrates (pun intended) that effort is more powerful than perfection when it comes to meeting the people you love half-way. Packed with creative potential!

The many layers in this play are horrifying, revealing corruption on top of corruption, and exposing the predatory landscape under late capitalism. The conflict is truly very complex, making it difficult to choose someone to root for in this convoluted nightmare scenario! I appreciate the moral that predatory systems beget predators, and breaking cycles is far more complex than simply defeating one corrupt individual. I also appreciated the cyclical structure, which hammered the moral home.

Now THIS is how you engage an audience! By deftly and hilariously front-loading all the exposition through a specific, sympathetic, but utterly ridiculous character, Minigan gives audiences all of the tools necessary to lean forward, elbows on knees, and fill in the sordid details in the second half. It's consistently funny yet grounded and believable, and leaves enough negative space for actors and directors to have a genuine blast. Plus, it would be effective on-stage or for audio! Wonderful!

This is a highly theatrical character study that somehow manages to depict a character's complex interiority on stage, giving shape and substance to mental illness and neurodivergence in a way that makes it visible, but never stigmatizes it. Designers will adore creating the simultaneously limitless and claustrophobic world of this play. I particularly love the relationship between father and son, who traverse light years to finally connect on a deeply human level. Moving work.

Though set in a hazy karaoke bar, this quick-witted, delightfully deceptive short play delivers a surprising dose of philosophy and a refreshingly neohumanistic perspective on the afterlife! Since a karaoke bar is also my personal idea of hell, I found the setting well-chosen and relatable, though the twist still got me! The music references are charming, but I really appreciated the message about ephemerality, and how the greatest minds on capital-E-Earth used their brilliance for comfort!

This fabulous farce is a battle cry for equity, making a case for ending the infantilization of autistic adults...and it's freaking hilarious! I was a particular fan of Sean, whose experiences resonated with mine, and who boldly "said the quiet part aloud." And staging the "bum bum" is going to be the highlight of some director's career! It features great roles for both autistic and allistic performers, including one particularly hilarious role for a non-verbal performer! SO funny & memorable!

Nothing's scarier than being unable to trust your own perception of reality. Soucy uses folklore and the unseen to heighten the tension and atmosphere in this terrifically spooky horror play! The brilliance of the exposition means that a single sound cue has the power to instantly inspire dread. I love the way the narrative plays with time, maintaining an internal logic while disorienting the audience at every turn! The final opportunity for hope offers a tremendous and heartbreaking conclusion!