Recommended by Franky D. Gonzalez

I felt so much more of the biting resentment between two stubborn artists in the English than the Spanish version. Mendieta and Andre spend their days in passionate embraces, calling each other out, and growing to resent the other for any perceived . Burbano, Shelton, and Shelton do not pull punches with the indictment of their male subject's fragile masculinity, delusions of grandeur, or his thinly veiled jealousy at Ana's success while also not sparing Ana her humanity. She is flawed herself. Deeply flawed. It's a play that leaves you talking and wanting more. Highly recommend in either language.

La magia de obras en traducción son las diferencias sutiles. Esta versión en español de Burbano, Shelton y Shelton me habla con menos aspereza y más amor que la versión en inglés. Hay más desamor y ternura en la furia de dos artistas que el inglés no siempre capta en sus matices. La historia es cautivadora, explorando consecuencias del amor entre artistas que confrontan realidad: que artistas son meramente humanos. Humanos atormentados que no pueden encontrar felicidad en la conexión de ladrillos o en espacios vacíos que dejan las siluetas.

A play that leaves you wondering what is going on and has you reading again and again taking new ideas and interpretations with each fresh look. Walker creates a world that is a triple threat; it is immensely rewarding as a read, and immensely rewarding to act in, as it would be direct. I've read it now three times and will probably read it again. Highly recommend this really great play.

A humorous conversation between the wives of two rock legends whose career spans a century combined. After a misunderstanding and a realization of what happened the night before, Francesca and Jodilyn have a frank discussion of what it means to be married to artists and all of the bumps and oddities that come with the glamor of fame. It's a fun play with fantastic dialogue and one-liners, but it leaves you wondering about the spouses of "out-there" artists and what they go through. In a way it can be taken as a commentary on all artists. A really fun read.

The filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami believed that one must lie to get to the truth. In this wonderful two-hander between a grandfather and grandson Robert Dames plays with that idea in a fun, realistic, and very interesting way. You can just hear the words out loud as you read this play of truthfully fictitious truth that leaves you wondering what was real and what was just a story made up over some pie in a restaurant. It's a fun play and definitely one that an older actor can really sink his teeth into. Check it out!

It reads like Estragon and Vladimir met up long after giving up on Godot showing up and decided to bicker like only two best friends can, with insults and gossip. Bonafede presents an economical play here with two irascible men who have (usually bad) opinions about everything. And yet, underneath all the insults, bitterness, and criticisms of everything around them you feel a true and honest bond of friendship keeping these two curmudgeons together. It's a play with more layers than meets the first read and has genuinely funny, and even vulnerable moments. Take a read. It's a fun play.

THE MESSAGE OF PAIN asks us to consider what the best answer would be when faced with one of the most adverse scenarios imaginable. Partain does not give us easy answers and forces us to interrogate the value of truth and illusion and how it fits in creating a meaningful existence. Her answer, ultimately, is not surprising given the circumstances, but no less heartrending. You'll be left thinking and you'll grow more deeply in love with those whom you care for by the play's end. A beautiful exploration of the human condition by Lindsay Partain. I highly recommend this play.

One of the most human things someone can do is try to reclaim a past where life was a little more simple. Bublitz creates the anxiety and burden of expectation to make the world perfect again after loss. The play itself takes on the subject of A Christmas Carol and brings us into the past, present and future of this feast and gives the protagonist new perspective on how people can pull off the impossible task of making perfection and bring together a family. The answer as to how it's done will make you smile. What a wonderful play.

For any performer taking this script on, it would be a tour-de-force performance and an unforgettable experience. Ben Rosenblatt writes with an honesty and charming wit that is both very honest and holds your attention throughout. The play covers OCD and its manifestations. Being a one-person show it can seem like a mountain to climb for a performer, but taking on this many characters, in its way seems to be Rosenblatt's way of inviting us the reader, and the performer to come inside the mind of someone who lives with OCD. Highly recommend. I want to see this play live.

Going back and forth between grief and lightness at a turn of a phrase. Emily Hageman encapsulates the strengths and strains of a marriage navigating one of life's most heartbreaking obstacles. In between sock monkeys, banana puns, and a heart-to-heart conversation that makes you want to let out every feeling and hold them all in at the same time, Hageman covers the spectrum of emotions that lead to a conclusion that is both human and something much more. You ache for these characters and you want to see it all work out. Hageman has given me faith it will.