Recommended by Aly Kantor

Though this play takes plays within a single scene, the story remains in perpetual motion - the reveals, reversals, and moments of character growth come rapidly as we get to know the two grieving humans at the center of the play. I was really moved by Benning's assessment about the way people perceive soldiers and veterans so differently. I also loved how every moment in the piece seemed to be imbued with a sense of deep history. The characters were incredibly well-drawn. This is a difficult story, but I am glad it was told so beautifully and affectingly here!

This play brought to light an issue I have never thought about or considered, and it did so through compelling dialogue delivered by two clear, motivated characters. It could not have been an easy subject to tackle, so I appreciated the specific, human-centered narrative as an entry point. The stakes grow higher with each passing year as both women find themselves grasping desperately for the right ending to their story (and the story of their embryos). The piece is emotional and really unpacks why debates about life and personhood are complex - no matter how socially liberal you are.

The ticking clock starts on page one in this real-time two-hander full of music, movement, and incredibly high stakes! Even if you go in knowing what to expect, you're likely to be as surprised as I was by the way the story and the myth came together, leading up to a masterful final reversal. The characters were well-drawn and consistent (and I had a good laugh with each "But first -"), but still ripe for projection: we, as the reader, as the audience, know these people. We may even be one of them. A tense and timely piece!

This two-hander was all about the characters for me. I loved how both Amber and David were equally lost and equally flawed, but also seemed to fit perfectly into the cracks of the other. The reveals in this story were all deftly handled, and emerged at just the right time, feeling earned. I appreciated the banter between the two characters, the deep backstory, and the world created through words alone. Even if they don't share circumstances exactly, audiences will be able to relate to the pain, fear, and search for control at the center of this human narrative.

Abstractly, this play seems so simple: two queer women with a complex history confront the elephant in the room... literally and metaphorically. Because it's full of deep characterization and brilliant theatricality, however, it possesses depth and complexity from beginning to end. The playwright keeps the reader on tenterhooks, slowly feeding us the information we need through funny, heartbreaking, incredibly natural dialogue. By the time the elephant is fully formed, we have what we need in order to understand the complexity of the relationship between Sasha and Jill. Any artistic team would have a blast designing this gorgeous, affecting piece.

I am a sucker for direct-address storytelling, and the playwright has struck such an incredible balance between what we learn from the characters and what we learn from their behavior. Most satisfying of all is the way that every last drop of delicious exposition seems to pay off in such an incredibly satisfying way. I am still trying to wrap my brain around how the final nightmare sequence came together so brilliantly. This is a small, distinct epic about specific, human characters that is singularly theatrical, compelling, hilarious, heartbreaking... but is always, always about love first. It's just beautiful.

Language is the star of this play - from the natural-sounding regional dialect, to the humor, to the magical way the dialogue seems to expand the world and the stakes with every line. This play will have you leaning in, desperate to lap up every syllable. Still, it's truly character-driven, with two diametrically opposed leads whose patterns teach us so much about who they are and who they might be. Though it's set in a single location, the "gulf" between these women makes the story feel epic. This playwright trusts the audience; while there are no easy resolutions, it resonates.

This imaginative, astute two-hander has such a high level of pure theatricality that I'd designed half the play in my head before I'd finished reading - and yet the possibilities remain endless! It's absurd, it's smart, and it says so much with such simplicity - there are audiences who will see this performed and come out changed. The characterization is incredibly consistent, and yet when we finally watch these two people become "real" everything snaps together like magic - which is what a play should do and be. This play accomplishes so much my head is spinning! Fantastic!

This tight, quick two-hander is the definition of a character-driven drama. It's full of reveals and reversals that keep you guessing and leaning forward, trying to separate the text from the subtext! It really delves into everything involved in preparing for a role without ever becoming ABOUT Shakespearean text - it's always about the tension between the two people in the room. I love how it spans so many years so seamlessly. All of the exposition we receive moves the story forward. I also appreciated the metatheatrical jokes throughout! Actors and audiences alike will see themselves in this compelling piece.

Two bodies, no set, one prop, poetically spare dialogue - and yet somehow the playwright evokes an entire brilliant world (within a world within a world). This script is packed with mystery and humanity, and the form itself says a lot about the content: we are individuals but - for better or for worse - we are not alone. The two performers shift between characters quickly enough to give you whiplash, but as the play goes on, you begin to understand how the storytelling works and fall in love with the rules of this world. This play is wholly original!