Recommended by Iyna Caruso

This one-woman play shines a well-deserved light on Mildred Hemmons Carter, a pioneering Black aviator barred from combat during World War II due to her race and gender. Alaina Tennant captures Carter with a distinct voice, great flow, details that make the story sing and the painful turn of events that remind us of history’s injustices.

A mildly awkward and totally relatable first date takes an unexpected turn (or two) in Lisa Attanasio’s quick-paced comedy. Witty, fresh and topical.

Help Me/Shoot Me is inspired by a true event nearly 90 years but is chillingly relevant today. A refugee is threatened with deportation to Nazi Germany for the “crime” of giving bread to striking workers. The protests of the refugee & his wife draw the notice of one man with the power to rally global support, Ernest Hemingway. Will he? Wirsansky masterfully confronts antisemitism, the marginalization of women’s voices and the government's abuse of power without ever being heavy-handed.

There are early hints in MAKE MULCH FROM IT that this is no ordinary visit from an ex-lover. The reveals set off waves of emotions. How do feelings change about relationships when it’s too late for a re-do? How to deal with trauma? Can we bury the pain and move on? This is funny in the right spots and powerful throughout.

The title alone is irresistible. The two main characters may both be artists, but Ian Thal does a fine job distinguishing them as fully realized individuals and not reducing them to a single stereotype. Good-guy Jonah is an especially memorable and complex character, guided by a moral compass, who finds himself in situations that test his patience and his limits. Smart and tightly written.

“Cake” opens with two guys in handcuffs and covered in frosting. With a scene like that, I’m all in. But then comes the twists, revelations and realizations. In ten short minutes, Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn captures a spectrum of emotions and the complexity of friendship.

The weight of the moment is palpable in Francis Boyle’s monologue about a trauma unit as it awaits two victims –- a situation with the power to change history. It will certainly change the lives of those about to be part of it. A chilling piece that will leave you with a pit in your stomach.

The challenge with reading Donna Hoke’s Life Lines is that you want to jump ahead because you can’t wait to see how the story unfolds. Should a mother read her dead son’s journal? “All I have to do is open the book and you are right here.” What an impossible choice. Who couldn’t relate to wanting to discover every last knowable moment of a late loved one’s life? I missed seeing this play performed but grateful to have had the chance to read it.

Breaking the Cycle takes no time and wastes no words putting the audience in the middle of a devastating family dynamic. Bad choices beget bad choices, exacerbated by guilt. And though abuse can be passed down, it’s not genetic as we learn in this powerful monologue. Sometimes it takes the unconditional love of just one person—and bravery--to break patterns and break free. Well done.

The DMV has long had a reputation for being a circle of hell and Nora Louise Syran nails it. A clever send-up capturing the lunacy of bureaucracy that has us rooting for the Devil.