Recommended by Matthew Weaver

"You're late on the rent but you bought pubic lice." OMG, Carnes has written a hilarious tale of a woman scorned and ITCHING to make her ex suffer, and the poor friend tasked to help her see reason. (Lotsa luck, Marty!) A hostage negotiation like the world has never seen before, and yet didn't know it needed until right this very second. Genuinely hysterical, and hilariously shocking in quite a comfortable way ... quite an accomplishment. Marty may not understand Cheryl's wicked intentions, but the rest of the audience will be fully on board. Plan to pause for laughter.

If you're seeking respite from the cacophony of voices in society today who seem relentlessly intent on sharing their opinion NO MATTER WHAT, Diaz-Marcano is with you, and provides the oasis, however brief. Better still, he lets Mansplainer and White Savior's voices be lowered to a hum - is there a button where we can do that? - to elevate the sounds of Yari and Chichi's confusion, fear and finally, relief. A grand addition to any short play festival, but don't be surprised when your audience asks if you can just play it on repeat until better days are ahead.

Had the pleasure of watching this at Playwrights Playground in Spokane, WA. Hageman here taps into a little-explored relationship, and the results are just as delightfully adorable as all the ingredients would suggest. Mr. W's demands are a scream, and in between the laughs, Hageman never loses sight of the hidden need to be respected, to be wanted, on both sides of the equation, while keeping the audience thoroughly entertained. Certain to be a crowd-pleaser at any festival, and a great opportunity for two talented performers to really shine. The high quality of comedy and heart any Hageman script offers.

This play. This is the sort of play you want to read and then grab someone, anyone really, but particularly someone who has a connection to a theater and say, "You've gotta read this!" And then sit there and watch them as they read it, so the two of you can share in the experience together. And eventually you get it produced, so it can go out into the world. This play. Simple and brilliant, so simple and brilliant it makes me furious that I didn't think of it first. This is me, grabbing you: You've gotta read this!

I LOVE this idea -- the use of cover copy entirely from back covers of Cosmopolitan Magazine. Another instance of a good playwright damning a target with their own words, holding them up to the light and making us think about our priorities and what's really important. Particularly chilling is the countdown of ways Cosmo uses numbers, from the No. 1 Sex Wish to 10 Times It's OK to Be a Bitch. Super creative and super clever. Definitely put Carbajal on your radar; I look forward to reading the rest of this talented writer's works on NPX!

I started reading, and my jaw dropped open with delight, and never closed again. Because the delights come fast and furious in Izumi's play, as the author of the first novel ever written finally makes an appearance and it is everything we could ever hope for. Hilarity reigns throughout but Izumi also asks what it means and why history has lost her name. MEET ... would be a standout on NPX if it only did these things. But it is further elevated by the lengthy debate over the proper phrasing of "question and answer session." This play is a gift.

WOW. Super powerful and super important, and super sad that a play like this feels so necessary. Would be a powerhouse addition to any festival, and a good jumping off point for conversations with any teenager. A particular strength of Carnes' play is the role reversal, however subtle, where Emma must suddenly take care of her mother. Carnes does here for the word "permission" what Jordan Elizabeth Henry does for the term "sistering" in her play of the same name, and it is an example of playwriting at its finest and most relevant. Simply put, produce this play. Please. Please.

That sound you hear is those of us who have thoroughly enjoyed Hageman's shorter works rejoicing at the arrival of her first full-length. All of her signature superpowers- heartfelt characters and deep dives into tough subject matter, plus irresistible, adorable wit - are out in full force. Here she shines the spotlight on Marty, a young therapist who tries to move past her own traumas to help high school students sort through their own experiences. Hageman has a master's touch when it comes to exploring interesting characters/ scenarios, and this is no exception. Hageman at any length is a marvel.

A searing family drama, rife with secrets buried in history. A lesson in subtext. Nobody is happy, everything is complicated - which makes for the best sort of tension possible. Warring brothers Sean and Randy might seem to take center stage, but it's their mother, Ellen, and girlfriends who both steal the show and provide the foundation and strength for a taut, gloriously messy conflict as it spills over into boiling. Thoughtful and deeply compelling, with fully drawn characters Pittenger doesn't ask us to like, but whom - in her capable hands - we understand so easily, warts and all.

WOW. A highly charged, erotic story between a boy and his bully. Sickles doesn't shy away from the steam, or the complications that arise between nerdy cute Boyd and dangerously charming Justin: "I will not rest until I have stuffed you in every locker in that school." Here he expertly, delicately balances the dueling themes of fear and shame with desire - a great challenge for a director and two strong performers to embrace and give into wholeheartedly. Sickles dares to ask many questions of the audience. And then he dares not to give us any easy answers.