Recommended by Alix Sobler

A sad, sweet ghost story about the power of the bond between twins. Full of lyrical language, this play is almost as much about what is not said. Tracking a family's struggle to cope with the mysterious disappearance of their daughter/sister/wife, we see all the ways in which it is hardest to comfort each other in the moments we need each other the most. A play full of ambiance and moodiness, than manages to be funny and heartbreaking at the same time.

Ranging from slapstick comedy, to mystery, to rom com, ...and a dog named Jesus manages to strike a truly original tone. It's embodied by truly unique characters, whose motives and desires are often not obvious, but are somehow always believable. It paints a pictures of a Seattle that is not quite in our world, but in an adjacent reality that is somehow even more real. Its effortless inclusion of non-traditional clergy and non-binary characters is just one of the ways this play both defies expectations, and shows us the world as it really is.

This is a smart, economically written play about a fascinating subject. It delves into the toxic environment that is cultivated when children are born and indoctrinated into a fringe religion. The family has always kept to their own church, protesting outside funerals and synagogues, indulging in their obscure and offensive beliefs. But when the protagonist Laurel tries to engage with a wider audience through social media, she suddenly realizes you can’t put your ideas out into the world, without also letting a bit of the outside world in.

This is a lovely piece exploring female friendship in a way that avoids any cliches or worn out tropes. It's a play that takes its time, and is not worried about keeping the audience fully informed in every moment. It is enough to go along for the ride, allowing us to get to know the characters so well that we feel a deep loss when their friendship begins to unravel. A beautiful, poetic rumination on the bittersweet moments of growing out of childhood friendships.

This is a beautiful play that explores the way we are haunted by those we have lost, and the struggle to go on in the aftermath of trauma. Spanning 8 decades, Eight Nights represents generational trauma in form I have never seen before. When I saw a public reading of it, I was not surprised to see the audience leap to their feet at the end.

This is a deeply complex and challenging play. It examines the ways in whch our society tries to draw boxes around and contain the messy business of human interaction. Sometimes it's essential to do so, and sometimes there's no way to do so - and sometimes both of these things are true. TEACH is the kind of play that sparks deep and long discussions in its aftermath. It will get you thinking, and remembering your own experiences and reactions. It also has a novel and theatrical construction that adds to the questions of the play.

This is Fiction is a funny, smart and moving play, that anyone with a family can relate to. It manages to be very theatrical and grounded in real, relatable characters at the same time.