Recommended by James Kelsey Nelson

Compelling, complex, and innately theatrical, this is a play about history as an unreliable narrator and whose stories get told. A young man finds the family he is searching for, but in doing so is caught in the middle of a political revolution where both sides are willing to sacrifice anything "for the greater good". The warmth and compassion with which the central characters are written makes the historical setting come vividly to life. It's a remarkably thoughtful and effective piece.

In this character study written in verse, Wray depicts a man suffering from trauma and sensitively explores the depth of his pain. The verse is propulsive and leaves you hanging on every word, and the beauty of the poetry contrasts the harshness of the story. With theatrical influence from Greek drama but a story that is relevant today, it feels both timeless and contemporary, and works effectively as a tight, powerful piece.

An intricately crafted play that draws inspiration from its namesake playwright while also feeling at times like Albee or Letts. "Chekhov's Gun" plays the field with genre, taking elements of family drama, satire, black comedy, farce, and even thriller at times. The generational tension and spiderweb of interconnected relationships binds together a story that travels widely in its scope while staying in the same location. There's a lot here, and all comes together in a very compelling way!

A funny, warm, and gentle piece about the ambitions and priorities of talented teens, whose pursuit of competitive speech requires their young minds to be wise above their years. We get to see the hilarious contrast between speaking intelligently and acting intelligently, and there's enough moments of both sides of the spectrum to amuse the audience. It's unconventionally structured to use the speeches themselves to reveal crucial character truths and and push the narrative forward.

Creepy, creative, and fun, this would be a great inclusion in a night of spooky plays.

Wildly funny and surprising the whole way through - the play doesn't miss a beat and builds up a strange tension as we learn the extent of Sandy's powers. The buoyancy of the pacing is admirable as well. Lots of fun!

The premise draws you in and the play doesn't disappoint! Fast-paced comic writing that always stays one step ahead of you, and drastically heightens at just the right moment.

A wonderful piece that keeps surprising and delivering so much more than you're expecting from the outset - it captures the idealism of people too young to have lost their idealism, expressing it in earnestly awkward bursts of storytelling. "It's embarrassing to yearn," says one of the main characters, which captures the essence of the whole play.

Deftly written and immediately engaging - Dr. Rossi's passion is so compelling that we become invested on her behalf for the preservation of a human who died two thousand years ago. The characters, premise and ideas could easily expand into a full length play, so to get this story in a ten minute piece feels very generous.

This wild piece starts at a 10 and goes up from there - it establishes a roomful of characters (victims, perhaps?) with efficiency and then keeps pushing all their buttons. It's dark, funny, slightly deranged, and all contained under the seemingly tame scenario of a marketing focus group.