Recommended by Heather Helinsky

As a dramaturg, I find plays about mental health are tricky to dramatize and I appreciate the theatricality of this one. At the heart of this play, the characters want to run away from a reality of Nebraska. Peter’s act of running away is to leave home to become a professional actor. Queenie is running away from the people in her life forcing her to take medication. For Grace, she’s running away from memories. I like the question of if it's better to stay home and face fears? Also, #ithinkitisapieceofshitbutamanwoulduploadit is hilarious, good luck playwright!

A standout play---period. I've read lots of plays this season set in a school where there are questionable actions between teachers/students, but often the action gets mired in a lot of back-and-forth accusations. This story stays active and present, showing, not just telling. It questions all the small, subtle interactions, but also shows us the cycles of abuse of power. Definitely easy to produce and more theatrical---stop producing OLEANNA and choose this play instead!

Beautifully tragic coming-of-age tale with characters who learn the power of storytelling to transform. This story has great specificity of place and characters; I feel like I was able to see all hidden corners of light and darkness in this small, mid-western town. Enjoyed the natural flow of the bilingual scenes as well.

It's always a tricky balance to establish what's going on politically in North Korea with a more personal, family story, but this play does it with ease! Both playful and heartbreaking, I appreciate the free-wheeling theatricality balanced with a love story and family drama.

This is a play that gives us a handhold to hang onto as we scale the wall of this difficult conversation. I most enjoyed the turn when we discover the journalist they are confiding to via webcam, and how that complicates this married couple's relationship. I will also never look at Victorian nursery rhymes the same way again; those weird little verses fit into this bedroom.

I really love it when the beginning of a play gives us a visceral symbol (dead goat) of what's to come. And yet, I really enjoyed the ride of the relationship between Sarah & Kennedy---all the twists and turns covered the ending that we know will happen from the title. This play asks many things, including can 'white career women and black men truly be friends when the power imbalance is so unequal?' The politics of American money in African countries is really clear b/c he has me invested in these two warm, seemingly friendly characters.

As a dramaturg, I've been on the hunt for plays about Haiti, and I'm thrilled to finally find this one! History plays are always sprawling & I enjoyed connecting with the play through the conflicts between Cecile and Valentine. This play is fearless and bold, and I am excited by theatrical gestures like the opening Act II scene between Louis the 16th and Boukeman. Do this play and really go for it! Evocative and compelling. And yes, bring on Part 2.

As the current national conversations about school shootings have continued with the #NeverAgain/March for Our Lives movement, this poetic play is a must-read. I came to this piece first as a dramaturg for Great Plains Theatre Conference, written in response to the Sandy Hook shooting. It's an intimate play that asks great questions about the tragedy that parents should never have to face.

An important story that needs to be told, as these marginalized characters try to pursue the American Dream. I highly enjoyed when this play bursts through theatrical conventions and we see Vogue battles and dancers that "slay". I can't wait to go see this play and cheer it on.

If you're looking for a contemporary play with the heightened elements of Greek tragedy, give this one a look. The chorus of three church women are hilarious as the family deals with their personal family grief, as well as the lyrical poetry of Q. While the family tries to run from their past to hide behind the white walls of a gated community, I also appreciated themes of appropriation and "who has the right to tell our family's story" with the character of Daniel. Strong storytelling in a play where everyone is judged for the way they are grieving.