Recommended by Brian James Polak

This is one of the best new plays I have come across in years. It is powerful and emotional, the writing is poetic, and the story is vital and important. I hope to see this play all over the American theatre in 2018.

I love this highly inventive two-hander. The mystery which ties this story together is brilliant and original, absurd perhaps, but absolutely relatable at its heart. I love a play that can do so much with so little. This is a piece for theaters looking for productions that focus on the story and performances rather than spectacle.

Church and State is a tightly crafted narrative about the danger and power in truth-telling. It will cause you to question whether it is more important if a person is true to their own beliefs or yours.

The living and the dead grapple with how to carry on in this dark and thrilling play by a writer who can weave a dramatic mystery unlike anybody else. "That Long Damn Dark" is deeply engaging as is all of Ashley's plays.

This play's got punk heart and soul, as does it's author. The characters are raw and real, the story is deep, and the songs soar. My great regret is having missed it when it came to Chicago, but I would travel to see this bad-ass play and hope I (and the world) get another chance to see it.

This is a clever and hilarious short play about a grammar vigilante who may have gone too far. The language is snappy and moves quickly. It was a joy to read and would be a joy to see performed.

This is one of the best plays I have encountered in the past few years. It is poetic and theatrical and has a powerful emotional engine.

Colonel's Chicken: A Fairy Tale is a funny and theatrical fantasia with a wonderful heart, and makes this vegetarian crave chicken.

This brilliant, hilarious, and sneakily emotional two-hander is one of my favorite (currently) unproduced plays. I'm hoping this play gets its due and is programmed all over the country.

"Queen" will teach you something about science, research, bees, and yourself. This is my favorite play from Madhuri (probably until I see her next one).