Recommended by Brian James Polak

The world has ended, but it isn't over. A few survivors of an apocalypse try and figure out what life is now that everything they understood to be "life" is gone. There is so much to admire in this play. I love the humor Cory uses to signal these people have no quite given up. I love how the heart of the story is never lost in humor or in darkness. Most of all I love the end when a new hope emerges and shows us if we hold on long enough, what we love of life will return.

A town awaits a soldier's return from war, fearful of the damage done. This play is operatic for its use of music and for extraordinary stakes - it is about surviving a tumultuous time in a place desperate for hope. This town has nothing but the people… and they have each other, which in the end is all they need to cope with the endless cycles of war. The play’s power washed over me. It’s a work as much for tomorrow as it is today - we’ll never not need reminding of the terrible consequences of war.

I'm a sucker for plays that explore the impact of charlatans on people. Dolores' play "Man of the People" tells a story you wouldn't believe was true; and it's as funny as it is unbelievable. And the crazy thing is, this play demonstrates its own relevance as Americans navigate life with a charlatan in charge. This would be a great play for an ensemble theater company.

This is such a great play and fantastic adaptation of a short story. The play is deep, funny, wonderfully theatrical, and so relevant. It is science fiction, but don't let the arrival of space aliens fool you. This play is as much about our time and place as anything you'll see.

This is a fantastic play. It is funny, layered, and full of great characters. The play centers on Jewish experiences, yet the story is universal.

This play exists inside the complexities of relationships on the verge, but this is certainly not simply a play about relationships. "Infatuation" is about sexual harassment, male dominance in academia, art, love, and.... infatuation. There are no heroes or villains, there are simply humans with plenty of warts, and just as much love. Of the many quotable moments, I loved this the most: "What do we do with all these feelings?" "We feel them."

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.