Recommended by Sam Heyman

Sometimes a person's problems don't vanish when they are acquitted -- in fact, as this play demonstrates, it is often quite the opposite. "Reasonable Doubt" by Philip Middleton Williams examines our legal system and its impacts from the perspective of two jurors-to-be. Guilty or innocent, being brought to court or into police custody has a tendency to disenfranchise and isolate individuals, and this play breaks things down without being didactic. An eye-opening drama.

As children take their various gender journeys, they are often swept up or trodden underfoot by the rushing of each other young adventurer making their way through childhood and adolescence. This poignant monologue from Wren Aubrey Latham understands the pain of this experience and speaks about it from a queer lens. I love the simple but lush language of this piece, which is bound to move audiences and transfix them with ease. Lovely work.

Heartbreaking and beautiful, Greg Vovos’ “Every, Every” captures the essential magic of theatre: its connective power to bring people together even during times of hardship, to foster bonds of friendship and love, and to provide solace to those dealing with the unimaginable. There are tragedies that cannot be justified, and this play does not attempt to, but it shows us that grieving alone is a choice. We can bring our light to others, even if we don’t know we have it to share.

A good experiment uses misdirection to reveal, and in some cases exacerbate our biases, and John Busser has devised an excellent one with "All Too HumAIn". Audiences will be on the edge of their seat as the play's central Turing test goes off the rails... or perhaps goes exactly according to plan. Compelling and twisty!

Peter Fenton turns a teacher's cruel Dad joke into a student's worst nightmare in "Angles in the Snow." There's an elegant simplicity to the imagery in this piece, which is formatted like a screenplay to enable a few visual gags, and audiences are sure to acutely enjoy Mr. Beckett's willfully obtuse banter with his student, Carolyn. Chilling good fun.

With hilarious juxtaposition of the mundane reality of domestic life during the holidays and the romanticized, sensuous pleasure of fantasy romance, Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend's DAYDREAM is a short that is sure to have audiences cackling. I appreciate how the lovers in Heather's fantasy demonstrate that the hottest thing about sex is consent (not to mention remembering the miracle gummies.). A hilarious short that truly hits home!

An excellently imaginined short play with charm to spare, Monica Cross' TUBA BOY places us into a novel, whimsical setting with young superheroes that are more Batman than the Avengers. Cross has laid the foundation for a world rife for exploration, with so many potential characters and scenarious that I am positively vibrating with anticipation! Perfect for young audiences and actors.

Well well (welly-well) well! I’m not sure many playwrights could have sustained or conceived of this premise as well as Daniel Prillaman, but we’re all wonderfully well off because he has. A cheekily festive short wrapped up with a bow.

In our post-truth world, there is but only one saving grace: SWAMP THING. Jennifer O'Grady skewers and perhaps predicts where our nation is headed with this hilarious monologue, even fitting in gender specific chauvinism based on the actor portraying its central character. There's a lot to be anxious about as we head into a new presidency, but at least we can still laugh about some things. Excellent work!

There’s something awe inspiring about the meticulous care with which Arianna Rose has constructed The Lesser Leyendecker. A pronged and poignant bio-drama with theatrical flourish, this play demonstrates a visionary talent for taking the facts of historical record and imbuing them with the heart and magic they deserve. An excellent feat of stage craft, I can’t wait to see where this play goes next.