Recommended by Aly Kantor

How does a singular hero, with a unique and irreparable skillset, find the time to grieve in the midst of an ongoing otherworldly battle? In GET IN THE FUCKING ROBOT, the answer is through some fascinating and horrific futuristic tech that forces our protagonist to question both his memories and allegiances. The piece is ripe with opportunities for exciting theatrical choices, though the dialogue does enough of the world-building work that no elaborate tech or set is necessary. A thrilling, referential foray into putting genre stories on stage!

I just streamed the gorgeous world premiere production of this play at Know Theatre, and this play is even more electric on stage than it is on the page. A tight, thought-provoking two-hander, 'Kairos' offers an intimate glimpse into the life of one couple as they live, love, and grieve during the invention of "a cure for death." It's a consistently funny, character driven piece that gets to the heart of so many human fears, presenting a fascinating "what if" that will have audiences talking, dreaming, and debating long after 'end of play.'

I know so many women and girls who have been driven to the brink by the policing of their bodies in the theatre and beyond - and the ways in which a failure to imagine women complexly has led to so much pain. This play captures all of that so brilliantly and succinctly in a quick-moving, emotionally fraught, and genuinely frightening horror play! I love the way it integrates technology as part of the storytelling, adding a crucial dimension that feels bracingly real (and that reversal hit SO HARD)! Read this fantastic, powerful play and HEAR LOLA SPEAK!

This play is deliciously deft and quirky! It will lead you through the gamut of nearly every emotion with carefully portioned, thoughtful exposition, and when the full picture reveals itself, you'll find yourself blinking with surprise and delight. It makes perfect use of one of my favorite theatrical tricks - engagement through imagination. The audience can't help but lean forward in their seats and participate in this quiet, affecting magic. What an oddly shaped little gem of a short play!

This play is a structural marvel, seamlessly moving back in forth through time but never losing the engaging, baffling, brilliant plot! Theatrically, it's like an irresistible dare for adventurous directors and designers, who will be clamoring to solve the compelling theatrical problems presented here! Plot-wise, a gorgeous, esoteric exploration of the ways that both capitalism and belief (or any extreme, polarizing view) can fundamentally alter the nature of even the deepest relationships, and what it takes to maintain a connection in spite of it all. The characters are clear, specific, and uniquely flawed, and the creativity throughout is boundless.

What a rich, deeply political rumination on the nature of personhood, love, and parenthood. Deeply rooted in both hard science and the traditions of classic sci-fi, this piece is rich with speculative imagination. For a genre piece, it would be surprisingly simple to stage, with the magic coming in moments of profound simplicity, like heavy, deliberate silences. The tight, quick-moving, and affecting dialogue is the star of the show, with subtle, seamless worldbuilding hidden in plain sight. Every great AI story has something to say about humanity, and this moving, thought-provoking piece says plenty. Spectacular.

What a singularly theatrical treat! I had to google Shoebill Storks, and never have I seen a creature that looked more like a mythical, wisdom-spewing oracle! Though this play is silly and loaded with laugh-out-loud exchanges, I'm sure many audience members will come away with the wisdom that is deftly seeded into every adage and interaction, from the difference between speech and communication to the difference between wisdom and advice. The piece always feels light and never didactic, moving efficiently toward a VERY satisfying conclusion! It's tight, quick, clever, and would excite any designer lucky enough to work on it!

I LOVE this! Cross has borrowed all of the most charming tools in the Bard's dramatic toolbox to craft a clever revision of a beloved play, in which the previously passive Hero (who is "dead" for the majority of the source material) wrenches some power back and reclaims her own story! The verse feels timeless and offers a sense of heightened theatricality without ever impeding understanding... and it's laugh-out-loud hysterical! Characters who do wrong are held accountable, and I love the way the secret identities lead to such an honest, pitch-perfect, cathartic conclusion to a messy situation! Fantastic!

I think everyone can relate to the dread of accidentally butt-dialing your ex - even if we can't all relate to the specific sci-fi-flavored dread of butt-dialing your ex on your robotic roommate slash phone slash chess partner! This play gorgeously and efficiently illustrates the benefits and downfalls of using AI as a substitute for human connection... at least at the current moment, while this tech is in its awkward adolescence. Is AI isolating us or connecting us? This play suggests the answer is yes to both! A thought-provoking, easily staged piece for our current technological moment.

The amount of bittersweet specificity packed into ten minutes of epic horror theatre is truly impressive! This is the sort of play that yearns to be imagined. It would be phenomenal as an audio drama or live production with nothing on stage but a single door. Sound and atmosphere do so much work, creating a tangible sense of dread and urgency as the story progresses. Best of all, it's more than a scary story - it's a stunning metaphor that will leave you with big feelings. Brilliant, satisfying, and moving work!