Recommended by Brian James Polak

There's no surprise why Nerve has been produced all over the country. It's beautifully complex with a veneer of simplicity that will surprise you when it cracks open. Dear world: keep producing this play.

Stephanie's play American Home is a beautifully theatrical exploration of the complicated notion of "the American Dream." I love how she takes seemingly disparate people to explore the challenges of living in a consumerist society with the debt piling up, up up. This is certainly a play for our time.

In Sovereign Body Emilie Beck dramatizes a debilitating disease with great authenticity. This play takes you on a tumultuous ride as you watch the impact of this physically devastating situation on both the protagonist and her family. It's a powerful piece of writing.

Madhuri is fantastically skilled at juxtaposing the familiar with unfamiliar, ultimately presenting stories that creep up on you unexpectedly... A Nice Indian Boy is such a story. Hilarious and punchy and heartfelt.