Recommended by Claudia Haas

Across a Crowded Room covers a relationship so intimately and poignantly, you feel as if you are old friends with this couple. A winning sonnet about taking chances, trusting your instincts and going for the brass ring even if you don’t think brass rings exist. Hartland writes the perpetual circle of hope that if you’re fortunate - you can live in. A reminder of how stardust is a force and if we’re lucky we carry this force with us.

Aside from being sufficiently scared, I am intrigued. What happens to humans as opposed to robots if their information is not what it seems? Yes, I laughed. And then I paused. And then I thought about living this past year in the world and now I stop at conclusions. Summarizing is suspect. Knowledge is off-putting. All these things are streaming through my brain because John Busser wrote a play. Science fiction? Maybe. You decide.

Nora Louise Syran seems to be channeling Emily Dickinson in this haunting, lyrical look at Dickinson’s mind as she teeters between God and earth. Dickinson’s astute musings belie her weakened physical condition. She has strength in her thoughts, belief in her abilities and an acute awareness of life - even as life threatens to leave her. Sometimes it seems as if Nora Louise Syran saw a glimpse of Emily Dickinson’s soul. And she shares it with us in this short play.

As a true lover of ballet, this piece went straight to my heart. But you don’t need to be a ballet enthusiast to understand the importance of preserving art and knowing how a particular art developed and flourished. This is more than a dusty, historical pice - it’s strong theatrically and visually. It honors the past while creating for the present. I want to know more and so will you.

There is so much fun to be had in a couple that has been married so long they can now only talk in cliches. And while these cliches mask a growing tension between the couple, they also show the comfort level of what can be said. A deceptively simple piece that maybe masks irritation. And maybe shows us a couple who can tell truths to each other and still be together. Who knows? Levine leaves it up to us decide if indeed all’s well that ends well.

A creative tale as only children can tell it - as they face their fears and worries. Everyone has had a “Marvin” in their life - and many have indeed made him an alien. I love how bits and pieces of “real life” become fantastical as the children tell their tale. Creative and poignant and a lovely ride for the young - whether they are onstage or off.

I love the idea of families as small universes. Philip Middleton Williams cements that idea with his travellers flying in the sky in our own universe to visit their small universe. And then there’s Star Trek to just tie it together. A lovely little gem of connections forged and missed and how today we travel because our small universes are expanding - yes, just as our universe is. Clever and sweet.

I so wanted to see the house, and even dreamed with Ellie of being in that house. The eye-opener at the end was a succinct description of “be careful what you wish for…” Lermond turns a unique eye on that famous proverb.

Sammy’s Game is a roller coaster ride through varying degrees of darkness leaving you wondering if light will ever come again. Harrowing and sitting at the edge of my seat, I read on truly worried about these two damaged people and what it cost them to wind up in “the game.” A compelling thriller.

Change is good, right? Giving up bacon is good for your health, right? Fairy tales have truths. Even if you knock them upside down and simmer them in butter - you’ll find a truth. Ava Love Hanna found a whole lot of new truths in this delightful twist of a pig’s tail. Join the fun, read it, produce it and you decide if it needs buttering up. A delight from head to tail.