Recommended by Ricardo Soltero-Brown

Those who lack romance will do just about anything to hang on to it the moment they experience it. The young man in this monologue by Weaver aches to keep a triumphant moment alive and possibly evolve it into something grander - herein is the drama. The comedy is that the whole event seems to have been done backwards. There are strange feelings that come up, perhaps those of the silent partner (which takes a clever hand), as we attend to the young man's desires - which are honorable. There is great potential here for silences and subtle physical comedy.

A cute and sad memory play about the end of a special relationship. Sometimes people move on and the past isn't enough, it really shouldn't be when you get right down to it. The breaking point of any relationship is usually a surprise - except for the fact that it's gone stale - and Carnes gets that absolutely correct here. A grand task for puppeteers.

A rampaging monologue about fighting an asserted shame. Many people should or have fought like this, but not always out loud. The tree of Judgement has so many branches, it's difficult to know which one you're climbing when you're up high enough. Polemical, intense, scary, even funny at times. Hernandez lets his character let it all out like a mac-truck on lock. The headlights are on and the ones on the other end of this speech had best be looking.

What anger to an ethereal entity, very original. Love wrenched is a damn situation. Damned when it has to do with class. Love is a strange thing, we're so sure so of it when it occurs, but when it wilts, there's no forgiveness, is there? Especially when the entity was "never there".

A parent needs validation from a child, hard but true. "These are the stuff we won't confess." I called my parents after reading this lovely monologue, which is full of fear and uncertainty. Children are going to do and say things that they don't understand the full complexities of and it's the job of the parent to take it, to do the best with it. It doesn't always work out, sometimes a parent's help comes off as shallow or easy-talk. Still the job is to do your best.

The amount of logic and reasoning would, I hope, make Brecht proud.

A hilarious hullabaloo about the irritation of information, with clever twists and turns regarding familiar characters in a new milieu. Hayet always brings vibrant action to his plays and actors will love saying the lines.

An incredibly well written scene of recognition and attempt at the past made clear. The past can haunt us, a different reason for each different person. When things come back it can be a surprise and difficult to know how to operate. These three women are all carrying something and the collision is stunning.

One of my favorite experiments from Wyndham, the writing is phenomenal, fluid, abrupt, terse, expansive, wholly spectacular. Wyndham can find just the right moment to focus on, when people are ready to let loose no matter where they are, here in a motel. He paints a fine picture starting with the parking lot, while at the same time it's all left up to us. This is also one of his most successful build-ups. It is, however, to a dark, difficult place, and layered. The money-trouble and limited accessibility is very real and tragic. A massive point on women's reproductive rights.

Hageman's TYA play takes a hard look at the roles adults play in the development of children, the shifts in attitude, the changes in various dynamics, the stifling of genuine expression, and the fragility of every type of connection. It also looks at the relationships children/teenagers have with their peers, and what home brings to the exchanges. The play is filled with infuriating miscommunications occurring simply because of overly-defensive stances, and it works as a lesson in listening; Lucy takes this part and shows us - not just teenagers, but - what we are all capable of with kindness.