Recommended by Jennifer O'Grady

An extremely powerful short play about racism and survival set in 1955 Mississippi soon after 14-year-old Emmett Till's brutal murder by white racists. Jones's play shines a brief but essential light onto one of the very worst aspects of American history, one that continues to need bright light shined upon it today. We need more plays like this.

A very funny and surprising play about a fanatical music-lover and the very rare (and very expensive) LP he has just purchased of a Beethoven concerto with an unusual chord which, apparently, only a few pianists have ever gotten right. I love thinking of Beethoven putting this odd chord in his score because, as the LP collector claims, "when improvising [Beethoven] would lull his friends into a reverie, then to make fun of them he would strike a short, sharp chord." This would be a fun two-hander for any short-play fest.

As a mom I was immediately drawn to the title of this play and it did not let me down. MOM made me laugh out loud on every page. This is a sharp, satirical commentary on family dynamics that's refreshingly and hilariously sympathetic to the plight of the mom. I would love to see this play performed.

Moving and suspenseful. Hageman writes so beautifully and realistically about young people, and Joan is a terrific character. What I love about this play is that it doesn't just focus on Joan's grief and the harrowing experience of a school shooting. Instead, we follow Joan as she tries to move forward and solve a puzzling and disturbing mystery at her school. Another wonderful new work from Hageman.

I love this funny, insightful, surprising play. Hageman has quickly become one of my favorite writers. It's no wonder her plays get performed so often. If you haven't yet read her work, you should!

As a huge Emily Dickinson fan I was immediately drawn to this monologue play, which shows the mysterious and reclusive Dickinson from the perspective of one of her neighbors, who has troubles of her own. This is a beautiful and haunting piece that would no doubt transfix an audience, and which would be a joy for an actor to perform. I'd love to see it on stage.

Another beautiful and moving play from Hageman that investigates story and memory, tragedy and family and love. I keep saying it, but this is a playwright to watch.

Such a powerful, heartbreaking play. Hageman's ability to make beautiful affecting theater out of tragedy while finding ways to inspire an audience is stunning. This is a playwright to watch.

How I love Emily Hageman's work. Hard to believe anyone can write a play with a sock monkey and make it anything more than a joke, but Hageman has used the prompt to write a beautiful play about a couple's unspoken grief. So much happens in just a few pages thanks to the skill of the playwright. Audiences will be moved and absorbed by this play, as I was.

Another terrific play from Hageman, who has such a gift for writing realistic (and very funny) dialogue for teenagers. In this short play a group of boys cast in a show are reluctant to use stage-makeup (considering it too "girly") but slowly change their minds as they begin to understand the power of transformation. Powerful.