Recommended by Maximillian Gill

First, screamingly funny. The references to early 2000s pop culture are hilarious, and the teenage antics of characters trying so desperately to negotiate their insular world give this piece a manic, propulsive energy. However, at its core it treats issues of identity and everyday racism in a serious way. None of the characters come across as irredeemable bigots, but all of them unleash microaggressions on the protagonist. Casual racism from one’s peer group is a part of the lived experience of many BIPOC teenagers, and Haddad is true and honest about the complexities involved. A timely work.

A hilarious send-up of all of the tropes of hitman and gangster movies that is driven by a sweet premise: A hitman who’s just looking for love. Hagins knows his source material, and the play has all of the twists and turns of a briskly plotted thriller but with witty dialogue that constantly parodies the genre. The play stays light as the violence is frequently comical and slapstick rather than grim, yet among all of the combat and bloodshed is a humanity that really grounds these characters.

I've always felt that if you're going to take on Beethoven, you need to go big or go home, and Sansone-Braff's epic piece certainly does the former. This play is bold, imaginative, surging with passion, evoking heaven and hell and everything in between, but at the same time it is an intimate portrait of a tormented artist whom I feel I know better than I ever have before. Words, music, and scenery merge in an incredibly unified work that I can only imagine would be stunning if staged well.

A stunning portrait of mental illness that is clear-eyed and honest about the effects on an afflicted person's loved ones yet manages to avoid the cliches of this kind of story. We really feel Robert's struggles and his connection with the titular bones, and his journey is difficult but immensely rewarding to follow. What really surprised me were the touches of humor, both organic and immensely funny. Schindewolf has really pulled off something magical with this piece.

Oh wow, the synopsis for this play tells you what you're in for, a ghost story with noir touches, but it doesn't really let you know what you'll come away with, and I don't dare spoil anything. All of it is held together with expertly tuned dialogue and characters that are consistently engaging and always believable in their motivations, and they easily take us through the twists and turns of this fast-paced, dazzling play. Moreno-Penson's piece is full of thematic implications that leave us with a lot to think about even as the writer thrills us with bravura writing.

An astonishing short piece that expands big enough to encompass vast creation myths but contracts enough to tell an intimate story of a girl and how she relates to her world. Time is malleable, following a logic of dream and cyclical myth. The dialogue is poetic, resonant, and beautiful. A piece to contemplate and sit with. This one would be fascinating in a staged version.

This compact piece documents a character's difficult journey through loss, depression, and self-doubt and offers a hopeful close that is as moving as it is earned. Shifts between scenes and significant memories are accomplished effortlessly and are driven by the protagonist's emotional logic. I found myself completely involved by Ben and Lucas's stories and their individualized struggles with depression. As always in this writer's work, Deray treats the characters with a sensitivity that is truly captivating. I look forward to seeing how this piece develops.

A compelling single actor piece with a great role for an actor of Filipino origin, an ethnicity underserved in theatre despite the repeated calls for diversity. Lo takes us on a journey with this character, confronting us with his fears, his struggles, and his urgent need to achieve dignity and rights for the people he represents. The dialogue is appropriately straight-forward and direct but paints the atmosphere of working in the fields in striking ways. The piece is historically based, but given current issues of labor and immigrant rights, its time is now.

I can't resist a piece that takes on existentialism head on . . . or, um, head off in this case. In this short play, the writer gives us a perfect scenario for contemplating nihilism that's somehow both delightful and grim at the same time. The journey these two doomed chickens take in this short span is funny, meaningful, and, by the end, touching in ways I never expected. A truly marvelous absurdist work.

I just saw this marvelous short play on a Zoom reading. Anyone who has ever struggled to get a small-scale theatrical production up (which is likely everybody reading this recommendation) can relate to this piece! At times you are rolling with laughter, at other times cringing at how real it is, and frequently you're doing both at the same time. Carnes's signature witty dialogue throughout, perfect pacing, always sharply satiric. It's also perfect for presenting in a virtual format, so somebody should definitely snatch it up and get it produced while the timing is right!