Recommended by Aly Kantor

At the core of grief, on the most basic level, lives the pain of not being able to see someone again - the agony of absence. In this play, Grant MacDermott imagines a future in which holograms and algorithms make a final goodbye possible. Most poignant for me was the demonstration of "watcher mode," in which a grieving mother got to step back and observe her deceased daughter existing in quiet solitude. This emotional piece ends with a heartwrenching reversal that speaks to the universal pain of grief and the cleansing power of forgiveness. It's a wonderful cathartic read.

This beautiful poem for voices is at once active and static - it takes place inside of two separate minds, and also together, over the course of years. It's one moment and many, many moments - moments that happened, and moments that didn't. The longing is so clear it will make you ache, and you know these two characters will be left wondering about what could have happened for life. Absolutely nothing happens in this play - and it is sublime. A talented creative team would have a field day making the poetry in these words visible.

This funny, tender duologue is not what it first appears. We're led to believe that we're getting a glimpse into the lives of a struggling millennial couple who have made their dog their everything - the truth is that things are a lot more complicated for this particular pair. The pacing and reveals in the piece are smooth and subtle, and the ending is very well earned! This sweet slice-of-life play will leave you with a sense of hope! Bronte is a very good dog, and this is a very good little play!

In this seemingly simple conversation between two siblings, the dark subtext is the star of the show. The reader aches for the younger, inexperienced sister as they come to understand that she's really just a pawn in a game. She seems to have the chutzpah to stand up to her overbearing sibling, but we're left to imagine whether or not she will have the strength to use it when the time comes. This short but effective scene is begging for expansion!

Memory is strange, trauma is stranger, and humans with distinct, clear motivations are perhaps the strangest of all. We meet two such characters in this thought-provoking play about perspective and the reliability of memory. Sarah and Jeremy are specific, earnest, and incredibly human, and both are written with strong and consistent points of view. The dialogue is quick, smart, funny, and keeps the narrative moving - rich descriptions help the reader construct images of the past and the present, making the piece constantly engaging. Any pair of strong actors would be lucky to play these roles...

I decided to read a play to cheer myself up and I am SO GLAD I stumbled upon this one! This play is as laugh-out-loud funny as it is addictively charming! At a certain point I started reading it out loud because I was having too much fun! This is the redemption arc that every Shakespearean heroine deserves - you don't need to be a Bard Buff to enjoy this feminist companion to Much Ado. In a world in which "princess culture" reigns supreme, this clever play is the antidote. Come for the great writing, stay for the... sex ballet!?!?

This hilarious fairytale subversion demands to be read out loud! The natural, back and forth banter comes so hard and fast you get whiplash trying to keep up with all of the jokes and references! From the beginning, you are clued into the fact that something is different in this version of the classic tale, but the goofy reversal at the end of the play is still thoroughly delightful and completely unexpected - and even a little bit bittersweet! I think this would be a treat for actors and audiences alike!

This hilarious, heartfelt, effortlessly theatrical play is full of stunning roles for women that put motherhood at the forefront of the story. I'm amazed by how much I knew and understood about these quirky, lovable, and realistically flawed characters on page one! As always, Lisa's dialogue is smooth, realistic, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, and the specificity of the worlds that she creates continues to blow my mind. The piece comes full circle in such a beautiful and satisfying way. I was laughing and tearing up at the same time by "end of play." Someone produce this already, dangit!

This is a play for anyone who fell in love with Little Women the way that Jo "fell in love" with Professor Bhaer - for every queer kid who got so tired of searching for the queerness in "universal stories" that they said "Found it. I guess this is enough," and let it sustain them. This piece is a quiet, chaotic primal scream of truth and theatricality, and I am so glad it exists because so many girls are going to find themselves somewhere in this play.

Oh, gosh - poor Andy! I think anyone who has ever worked in service has experienced the combination of urgency and agitation to be found in this short comedy! This clever play combines very human needs with a very needy human, creating wonderful tension and urgency in an otherwise mundane scenario! This is a quick and effective short piece that is sure to have the audience laughing, cringing, and relating - and possibly craving a latte with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top!