Recommended by Franky D. Gonzalez

There are plays that evoke such strong feelings in you that you are left wondering how it is you feel the emotions that you do. In these few pages we see the arc of life experiences, repetitions, and love. Greg Romero lays it all out here in a way that we can all draw different and equally valid interpretations. It is comparable to the finest of images from Ionesco, with the heft and gravity of Pinter and Beckett. Approach with an open mind and read again and again.

A drama that will make you hang your head and get your eyes welling up with tears. Arthur M. Jolly evokes so much from such a small package and balances evenly the form ls grief takes in the space between couples and the nights spent with monsters and nightmares. It's a tough play to get through but so moving and ultimately disquieting.a fantastic read.

A deeply layered play that takes on so many issues at once. There is tenderness, comedy, social commentary and so many more elements that give this play infinite potential in interpretation and direction. This play is a director's dream with its numerous options and possibilities. This play needs to be seen by as many people as possible. Take a read.

A laugh-out-loud comedy that will leave your jaw hanging open with its zaniness. You get so caught up in what's happening that you don't even know it's ended when it does. Philip Middleton Williams is masterful in the pacing and imagery in this fun play.The dialogue is fast-paced and witty. It makes you squirm with the protagonist, and laugh at the absurdity. It's a perfect fit and addition to any festival.

A deeply piercing play exploring the human spirit in all its facets. The mundane is given weight and the highest stakes. Amanda Andrei is able to imbue so much heft to so many things we would take for granted, and lets us feel so many things at once. This play is one to leave you thinking and even wondering at what kind of beauty one can find in even some of our worst moments in our most desperate hours. It is such a beautiful play and wonderfully put together.

Revenge was never more hilarious. Lindsay Partain takes us through the world of online dating and the perfect revenge to ghosting. With a wonderful flow of dialogue that feels like it could be an actual conversation transcript, this play will have you rolling around laughing and wondering about your own online dating habits and what kind of karma you can expect for yourself. The one-liners are wonderful, and the imagery used will have you engaged through and through. Read this play for a laugh attack.

What a darkly funny, dramatic, and intensely moving play. This play moves with a grace and profanity in a terrible yet beautiful trip through time and eternal hurt. This is a strong play that feels so much longer than its ten-minute length. You won't soon forget this play. Read it, but be ready for that ending. I highly recommend this play.

A tribute to Mary Tyler Moore and her groundbreaking work in the entertainment industry. Jessica Huang employs comedy and social commentary to such amazing results. A hefty tribute in such few pages. Definitely one for the laughs and one for the discerning among the audiences. Would be great in a festival or a showcase.

The best monologues explore an emotional range that makes the comic tragic and vice-versa. In this monologue about smoking, Frankie (really great name, by the way!) confronts parents and makes a passionate plea to quit smoking. If not for their sake, then for the children. It's a great monologue for young performers and wholly something that anyone can relate to if you knew adults that smoked. Great for auditions or competitions like UIL in Texas.

It is almost customary in Latin American literature for the fantastical and magical to be no different than a cloud during a sunny day. Nelson Diaz-Marcano carries this long tradition of Latin American literary indifference to the extraordinary by placing it in the context of a parent's love in the backdrop of natural disaster. There is no option that a parent won't exhaust when it comes to hearing their child's voice again. Diaz-Marcano demonstrates this with hilarity and elegance. The sci-fi elements grab you, but it's a father's brave efforts for Puerto Rico and his daughter that keep you reading.