Recommended by Aly Kantor

Leave it to Nora to reveal a unique sliver of history from a unique point of view! This carefully researched narrative vacillates between real life and the tales of Robin Hood, providing roles for a versatile troop of performers. Rich in history and atmosphere, the framing and structure had me hooked! In a clever twist, the Merry Men aren't men at all, allowing girls to shine in some of the most compelling and comedic roles in the play (making it a solid choice for female-heavy drama programs).

This is the best play about thumb-wrestling the Lady Mother of the Knight's Templar that you'll read this week! Truly, this play starts off swinging and refuses to let up, with fantastic, high-stakes combat (for women!!!) that kept me riveted. The worldbuilding is imaginative and compelling, with plenty of prophecies to keep audiences engaged and tracking plot threads. Magic meets mysticism meets pragmatism meets history in a tightly contained, gorgeously structured fantasy tale.

In a world in which "therapy speak" is a dialect, and AI is replacing skilled labor, it makes sense to imagine a future in which tech companies harness AI to offer low cost therapy... but the brilliance of this play is that it considers transference as a factor. I love that the piece explores training AI as a labor and exploitation issue, which is what so many narratives miss. The characters are specific, and humanity is always at the center of the story. Dark, melancholy, thought-provoking!

In a world where the artist has been replaced by an AI conglomerate powered by human "drones" doing data entry, do the awards we use to measure the worth of our creations hold any value? This play presents a sci-fi "what if" that holds a mirror up to our world. If we take the labor out of art, does it hold value? If we take the art out of labor, is there any reason to create? What a bleak and chilling dystopia. I love the use of poetry - a great contrast with the mundane workplace small talk!

The power of a play is often in its final image, and this one is an absolute, chemistry-shifting retina burn that has been haunting me since I read it! That's not to say that the entire play isn't epically compelling, rife with romance, camaraderie, teenage hijinks, and, somehow, a driving message about toxic ideology as a contagion. The world of the play feels simultaneously infinite and gargantuan and leaves so much room for audience engagement. Creepy, complex, and atmospheric, this is a gem!

A lovely meditation on the short time we have to love, with a wonderful sci-fi twist that made this profoundly human tale even more compelling. Truly, I think the punch of theatricality lives in the simplicity of the narrative, making a specific, unique set of circumstances feel universal. I could imagine the lighting design opportunities while reading, which need not be elaborate to pack a powerful punch and serve as the rapidly ticking clock (which is, ultimately, the engine of this play)!

Who knew a playing space as small as a car could contain specific, larger-than-life characters like June and Craig? This play is hilarious from page one, with a non-stop forward momentum. The world outside of the car is so vivid, probably because this deeply flawed but erudite duo is so passionate and engaged - which makes the audience care about them and their circumstances (especially as they begin to care about one another). The perfect political play is always personal. This script nails it!

Oh, what a laugh out loud delight! This non-stop, character-driven comedy would be a blast to stage, with banter coming fast! While easily produced, there is just enough room for clever designers with a love for the macabre to have a field day with makeup and lighting! The setup is subtle and familiar, which makes the supernatural pay-off feel even more rewarding. Plus, the audience won't have ALL the fun. I'm not sure there is a role in this that wouldn't be a BLAST to play!

This short piece may be set in a distant, post-Earth future. Still, audiences will certainly be able to relate to the human service workers at the center of the narrative—sisters working in health and medicine forced to grapple with jargon-filled policies that make their lives harder and more complicated. The playwright never condescends, launching the reader directly into the high-tech, futuristic world of the play. I love the way foreign meets familiar in this sci-fi short!

This tense and intimate play is compelling from the first moments. The theatricality is sublime and consistently surprising. Genuine humor cuts through the heaviness of the content, showing genuine care for the audience. There isn't a single moment in this script that doesn't burn with urgency. Though the dialogue is gorgeous, this playwright knows when to embrace quiet and let bodies speak. I had to get up and pace a bit because I couldn't believe how smart this play is. Moving, beautiful work.