Recommended by Matthew Weaver

"It's kinda like Christmas."
"This is nothing like Christmas."
Terrifying and so smart and SO SO important.
Bublitz's voice is irresistible and funny and that makes all of this worse, because like WOW is this ever good and scary, because it's not only possible, it's HAPPENING, has happened, will happen, should not be happening in our world today.
And Bublitz makes those points. So well. And delights us the entire time she's bringing the truth to light.
This is really marvelous.
One of the best offerings on NPX.
This should be performed across the country.
And will be.
I hope.

The best kind of intimate theater feels like we're eavesdropping on something we shouldn't be seeing, and Hyland's delightful piece nails that feeling. N&S has the unique feeling of being both brave, bold and utterly sexy and hilariously awkward and utterly adorable all in the same breath. More plays like this, please, in which we can all raise our heads, take a deep breath and realize we're truly not alone in our own sexual uncertainties and peccadilloes and desires we cannot quite bring ourselves to whisper.

Hansen offers a modern adaptation of a Grimm's Fairy Tale, and reminds us just how gruesome and disturbing the original, unDisneyfied source material can actually be. It's also a reminder of the things we adults remember but try so hard to forget - how cold and outright evil children can be. This is very very good, and will unsettle you down to your bones.

Sickles salutes that little moment after romantic disappointment when lonely hearts seek comfort, solace - but not lust - in one another. I love that this is a sequel/continuation of/sibling to DOWN IN THE DEPTHS, and admit to becoming giddy at the idea of a series of one-minute plays that, when put together, show us a complete picture. That's how much I trust Sickles as a storyteller: He will lead our hearts to some uncomfortable, uncompromising places, but he will never let go of our hand throughout the entire journey.

One of my favorite Mark Harvey Levines from a vast collection of good offerings. There are SO many layers here, as all good kissing plays ought to have. I love how Allison is so understandably flustered by Dennis' request, but I ADORE their respective heartbreaks. THIS PLAY IS SO GOOD AND IT WILL BREAK YOUR HEART. Guaranteed to spark conversation at any festival - AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE A MARK HARVEY LEVINE PLAY IN YOUR FESTIVAL WHAT EVEN ARE YOU DOING? - and certainly later in the car as audience members return home to their everyday lives.

Sickles adds a disquieting, uncomfortable and yet honest layer to a controversial situation. Also, he takes all the magic and wonder that is a Scott Sickles play and funnels it into a complete package in 60 seconds. Sickles is a marvelous storyteller no matter the duration of the forum he selects to play within.

WONDERFUL! Artists of the world will nod knowingly throughout Canfield's play, but then she adds layer after layer and it becomes something even more heartfelt and honest and knowing and special. This one immediately feels like a classic. A shoo-in for any festival that engages in conversations about the human condition and humanity's pursuit in and of itself.

There are playwrights who are trying different things and then there is Asher Wyndham, utterly in a class by himself. Here the Master Maestro of Monologues delivers a monologue completely devoid of the usual language, instead speaking a language we all have come to know - and leaving the delivery up to the performers who feel up to tackling his latest challenge. Even the most technologically inept audience member will find much to love in Wyndham's irresistible SPACE ALIEN WITH SMART PHONE. It's Wyndham's universe; the rest of us are ever so lucky that he shares it with us.

Sickles fills the room with increasing, underlying tension that never quite goes away ...
This is a dark yet lovely tale, full of sadness and hope, often in the same hushed breath.
It feels like a horror tale, and it is, but Sickles always keeps our feet firmly planted in reality, which in turn
makes everything that might happen ...
All the more horrific.
Terrific!
Sickles is all too aware of how elegant darkness can be, particularly the darkness of the human mind and soul.
Choose this play if you want your audience to go home unsettled, unnerved.

Burbano's tale of a family gathering together to send off a monster is full of her signature wit and ferocity, and it is a sight to behold and to treasure. Like any of her plays, she avoids easy answers, resulting in a tale that is more familiar because it is more real and more honest. Better yet, it's heartbreaking. Better still, it's hilarious. Often at the same time. Burbano's is an important voice for the future of theatre, and any company that will commit to doing her words justice would do well to acquaint themselves with her talents.