Recommended by Aly Kantor

There is not a spare word on the page in this tense and suspenseful two-hander! It's fascinating how our preconceptions about power play into the many ways that a reader might perceive the facts in this subtle, haunting scenario. Is either character reliable? By the end of this short play, we still don't know the truth - and I'm not sure I'd want to! In fact, I'd love to hear this done as an audio drama, leaving the physicality to the mind of the listener. It's unsettling, thought-provoking, and leaves you wanting more!

If you love Little Women, you will love pouring over this strong, contemporary adaptation. The essence of the characters is so spot on, even as they're brought into the 21st century! Something as simple as articulating the more oblique facets of their identities (queerness! mental illness!) does so much to help these characters feel three-dimensional and relatable. This adaptation features so many of the moments you love and expect, but peppers in cellphones and booze and the climate crisis in all of these small, surprising ways! Plus, it's full of fabulous roles for women and gorgeous moments of theatricality!

While on one level this is a play about long-distance relationships, I was really taken by the way in which the piece explores the role of anxiety in a relationship. I loved the ways in which Logan figured out how to navigate around Jessie's anxiety and work with it, and found it incredibly realistic how Jessie's "rock bottom" moment brought things into perspective for her. The fear of change is very real, and it's something a lot of people have been dealing with these days - I am sure that this piece would resonate with contemporary audiences on many levels!

How do you deliver a eulogy for 14 relatives you've never met... and, frankly, want very little to do with? Easy! With the help of a quirky funeral home employee! I admit I fell madly in love with Millie on page one! From there, you'll meet Sienna (who first appears to be "the girl from the big city" from every Hallmark movie) and join her on a hilarious, romantic, heartbreaking journey "home." I was thoroughly taken by this play's simple theatricality. It's moving, timely, entertaining, and unquestionably producible. Come for the funny eulogies, stay for the wholesome, well-earned ending! Magical!

We've reached the point where it's unclear if an ethical production of The Taming of the Shrew is still possible for myriad reasons - but the bard left us plenty of material to tear apart, remix, and recycle. This play is a laugh-out-loud, irreverent attempt to "free" the titular shrew from her story - involving audience participation, puppet theatre, improvisation, scenes from completely different plays, and Brechtian flare. It is mind-bendingly metatheatrical at times - but never, ever slows down. I'm exhausted! I'm invigorated! Most importantly, I'm THINKING, which is what good theatre should encourage and inspire. Excellent!

This play is an irreverent, hilarious, whiplash-inducing mix of horrific and wholesome that had me grinning from ear to ear throughout! It's full of brilliantly articulated moments of physical comedy that would make for wonderful theatre. I really appreciated how much exposition characters imparted with just a few spare, simple lines - this is a writer who knows when to be subtle vs make a bold, bloody stroke! Truly, this piece has a little bit of something for everyone: crime, romance, suggestions of cannibalism, the works! It would be a technical challenge worthy of every drop of fake blood involved!

I LOVE a story about stories, and this is an awesome one! The two characters in this play have such a natural, playful rapport that I fell in love with them instantly - which only made the reversals to come that much more affecting and heartbreaking. This play's brilliance comes from its multifaceted nature - it's part ghost story, part meditation on grief and letting go, and does both so effectively. While wholly original, it still has the nostalgic feeling of the best episode of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" I will be thinking about this one for days!

This play felt like a grown-up, contemporary riff on Catcher in the Rye - broken humans seeking connection in a broken world.

Both of these fascinating characters have clear and obvious needs - and they SEEM to have found a way to meet them. This play is the slow, thoroughly compelling, completely character-driven reveal of all the ways that is and isn't true.

'Spoons' sits in the sweet spot between foreign and familiar. These characters have wonderfully unique stories that are somehow beautifully, painfully relatable. How much authenticity do we really owe others in a transactional relationship under late capitalism?

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.