Recommended by Katherine Vondy

Both ethereal and grounded, MAMA, I WISH I WERE SILVER explores the complex and poignant relationship between sisters, mothers, and daughters. What starts out as a simple premise--two sisters joining together to deal with their mother's artifacts--grows and expands to reveal so much more about history and family churning beautifully beneath the surface. A lovely play with deep and thought-provoking roles for its two actresses.

First, you get swept away in a witty modern romance--but then, the magic spell of watching two people fall for each other is broken by a tragic event beyond the couple's control. This play will surprise and move audiences as it evolves into a thoughtful exploration of different kinds of love and how we grapple with loss.

A delightful exploration of the relationship between a struggling young man and his brassy grandmother, this comedy has a lovely poignant core that will move you emotionally even as you're chuckling at the hilarious intergenerational antics on stage! A definite crowd-pleaser, @MyItalianGrandma also offers two great roles for actors in Steven and Josephine.

Helpful hints are often circulated to anyone who's going to be near a body of water, reminding us that drowning doesn't look like drowning. SHARK WEEK shows us that this is true metaphorically, too; so often we don't recognize that the people closest to us are being pulled under by their plights. This short play expertly balances grounded human experiences with delightful flights of fancy to evoke a moment that is short in duration but long in meaning.

If you have ever had an office job, the never-ending mundane tasks and grating bureaucracy of the BEREAVEMENT LEAVE workplace will feel all too familiar; the play brilliantly brings into sharp relief how very little separates life in the corporate world from an absurdist nightmare. It will make you reluctant to ever open your communal office fridge again--but in the most darkly hilarious (and extremely produceable!) way!

Simultaneously firmly grounded in the details of everyday life and strikingly poetic, JALDEE beautifully weaves together Greek mythology, Wall Street culture, and the immigrant experience to tell a story that will entertain you before ultimately breaking your heart (but in the best and most thought-provoking way). Putting the Immigration and Embassy Officers in the roles of gods is an especially clever and compelling premise. Can't wait to see this play produced!

It seems anything can be bought these days--including self-actualization and enlightenment. Abbey Fenbert's THE INTENSIVE is a whip-smart examination of a facet of the self-help industry that asks: Can we REALLY become better? Or are we just fooling ourselves into believing improvement is possible for someone else's financial benefit? Fast-paced and fun, this play will delight anyone who occasionally wants to throw their hands up in despair at the absurdity of the modern world.

This play is an utterly mesmerizing slow burn (forgive the pun!). The desperate, disparate needs felt by each of the titular three women are palpable and expertly crafted, and each woman's journey will break your heart in a different way. THREE WOMEN IN A WILDFIRE manages to be both firmly grounded in human behavior and beautifully theatrical at the same time, and it's a play that audiences will keep thinking about long after the curtains close.

RESET is a quick-paced mind-bender that will leave you in a state of existential contemplation--about the possibly terrifying future of the world as well as your own possibly terrifying individual future. Despite asking a lot of big questions, the play never gets so hung up in its own thoughtfulness that it stops being completely engrossing...it's a nail-biter to the end!

So fun. So compelling. So heartbreaking. Rosie Narasaki has taken an absolutely fascinating piece of history and has transformed it into an absolutely fascinating piece of theater! UNRIVALED is a delightful theatrical romp that sneaks under your skin, disarming you in the best way. World: produce this, please!