Recommended by Maximillian Gill

A deliciously wicked and funny little chiller in the spirit of an Edgar Allan Poe yarn. The characters work out some novel justifications for committing heinous deeds, and we can't help but be both aghast and somewhat impressed. I would love to see this one staged with appropriately broad cockney accents to enhance the already hilarious dialogue.

Beginning with the evocative title, every word, every scene description, every line of dialogue in this piece combine to create a rich, seductively insular time and place inhabited by fascinating characters. As in all of the writer's work, McBurnette-Andronicos's gift with language is on full display here. Words are weighted with mythic significance, oracular in rhythm and intent. Binding it all, a journey towards acceptance of death for a character so lively one can't imagine death ever catching up to her. I don't know how the writer does it, but I know I can't stop reading.

This play begins as a delightful comic romp, takes a hard right into "Rosemary's Baby"/Lovecraft territory, but then goes to other places that are completely unexpected, and I was along for the ride the whole time thanks to Prillaman's assured dialogue and careful attention to tension and release. The characters are all both irresistibly fun and hideous at the same time. An exhilarating piece!

Polner has a gift for wrapping absurd situations in absurd dialogue in a way that constantly surprises and delights. The writer's talents are well suited to the extra layer of absurdity provided by a vision of a dystopian future where everything is off-kilter in the oddest ways. You can't get through this play without at least one laugh or chuckle per every page of hilarious dialogue, but you also end up thinking about labor exploitation and resistance against an oppressive system. A true tour-de-force!

A truly witty, marvelous satire on gender stereotypes. Plummer cleverly puts two men in a situation that conventional expectations usually consign women to, and then hilarity ensues! The play is funny throughout, but it also forces us to think about societal views on gender roles and relations in a novel way.

A strikingly original and endlessly fascinating examination of racial politics and how if affects every aspect of our society. Using two characters who are friends as the center of the conflict makes the ensuing strife even more devastating. The sharp dialogue and well-constructed story are augmented by a bold casting choice that forces us to think about racial and cultural stereotypes in new ways. An accomplished and powerful work.

This play immediately hooked me with the dialogue, which rings as true but is pushed into the realm of artifice just enough to come off as fresh and engaging. What I really loved was how a story that lends itself to a rather conventional narrative arc immediately varied from it. The protagonist goes on a journey through a world that resembles ours but that constantly surprises us with characters with unexpected quirks and agendas. The wit and artistry displayed by Karlin here are high level.

In this piece, Wagner uses her trademark wit to illuminate political/social division in an unexpected way. The writer has an instinctive feel for characters in awkward situations, which is here used to marvelous effect to depict the odd things many of us do when trying to negotiate social situations with people whom we disagree with politically. Yet Wagner also suggests a path beyond division through simple human empathy and understanding, and somehow the play manages to accomplish all of this within the span of a mere twenty minutes. A stunning work that speaks to our time and every time.

Malakhow's clear ease with expressing the basic yet tangled and obvious yet subtle emotions of young people continues to astonish me. In this piece the writer takes on the fraught divisions of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation in ways that are never superficial or preachy but are rather informed by a considered engagement with the struggles of young people trying to navigate their identities and manage their relationships in a complicated world. The dialogue is always natural yet cuts to the heart of who these people are. Another impressive work by this writer.

This play is a brutal litany, a tour de force of the power of the monologue form to create layers of emotional resonance. Dudley uses monologues to tell a tragic tale of a human being destroyed by a pitiless institutional structure. We never hear the main character speak, yet he is always there, filled out in incredible depth by the voices that encounter and surround him. This piece is an extraordinary achievement.