Recommended by Franky D. Gonzalez

I remember watching this in Dallas and rereading the play brought back the same laughs and the same smiles. Haley Nelson encapsulates the fears many of us have of being alone forever and the wild, unrealistic--though hilarious when you play it out live--and dramatic romantic scenarios we imagine for ourselves in that "Love at First Sight" moment. But in Meet Cute, there's more than just the hilarious romantic scenarios we invent for ourselves, there's the less than ideal reality of how couples come together. There's a lot of hope and reality among the fantasies. Plus, that ending is freaking HILARIOUS.

With machine-gun quickness, this is the kind of play that leaves you wondering just what happened and how it ended so quickly. Rachael Carnes makes absurd dialogue blend so easily with a bleak future that you laugh and want to cry all at once. Read it. Read it again. Read it out loud and think it over. A taut, and speedy drama that is deceptive in its depth.

Confession: I've never read Little Women. However, after reading Donna's adaptation, I intend to. What you get here is a story that lays claim to being the play chart the decay of the nuclear family model in the 21st century. It has comedic and dramatic moments aplenty, it charts the paths that sisters take in the pursuit of happiness and, best yet, not a single character is without depth. You feel for every character and find yourself rooting for all of them, even when they are opposed. 100-words aren't enough to express how I feel about this play. Read now!

You will feel so many different emotions going through this play. Greg Burdick creates for the reader a gripping drama that holds you and does not let go in its explosion of raw emotion and critique of the American educational system. You feel the passion of a teacher on every page. You feel the struggle against bureaucracy a teacher has to contend with. You feel and you feel and you feel until you realize that the play has ended. This play is a call to action. It's needed and should be read by as many people as possible.

TOMORROW OR NEXT YEAR explores empathy and the heartbreaking effects of survival after one of the great modern tragedies of our time. O'Grady presents equally compelling arguments for hope and its absence in the face of senseless violence and resolves the question, not necessarily in a neat bow but with the vow to go on, if only because we're in this together. It's a touching play, one that tears at your heartstrings and leaves you asking why haven't solutions been produced?

There's a lot to unpack in The Plague by Rachael Carnes. There are much larger commentaries here than the narrative lets on. It gives you a sense of everything wrong with our current society and critiques the flaws in the structures we live in. It's a deeply affecting show about camaraderie, resistance, human endurance, and ultimately the decisions we make as we try to navigate the worst of situations. There's a lot here and there's more to think about after reading this play.

There are conversations that parents have with children where the child realizes that their parent may not be just the dictator of the house but also a person whose experiences and fears guide so much of their seemingly illogical decisions regarding their children. Rachael Carnes creates that moment when a daughter sees her mother in a way that one is never quite prepared for but will nevertheless have at some point. It's a coming of age story that rings so true and, tragically, is relevant today and will probably be relevant tomorrow. A fine play with heart and purpose.

There is so much we don't know, and so much we are given insight into with this play. The magic of LAST EXIT by Philip Middleton Williams is that in the places where we don't have information Philip encourages us to share our empathy, sympathies, and compassion. Love is complicated. Love that has been broken to a point of no return but with the broken ends still wanting to reunite again makes for heartbreak. There is much to be said about this play, but those final moments speak to the heart. We've been there, even when we haven't, we have.

A humorous play that blinds sci-fi, romantic comedy, and the use of ASL on the stage. Playwright Katherine Gwynn creates a world for the reader that helps us adjust to the futuristic setting in the most inventive of ways and also provides a template for what theatre can truly achieve when committed to diversity of backgrounds and experiences. A perfect play for an ASL friendly production or festival (which the American stage is desperately in need of). Read the play and marvel at how masterfully Gwynn has created both a fun, pioneering work with lots of potential for theatre companies.

A commentary and an indictment of this world's cruelty, toxic ambition, and greed. There are no winners in Koivisto's world, only chaos, excuses, and ultimately suffering. A very poignant short play that is biting in satire and will leave you thinking and strike you in a way you never thought you could be stricken.