Recommended by Claudia Haas

I dare you to not become ravenous while reading this play. Lucy Wang combines some of the best pleasures in life and dishes up a feast for the senses. A delectable rom-com served up with the perfect amount of spice. (Theatres, are you listening? Stage this.) Bon appetit!

Mullen gives us a play that melds time and the universe in the most heartfelt way. It’s one of the most poignant “ park bench” play that I have come across. If wishes were seeds, we’d wish for the world Mullen created and plant those seeds.

We live in an Instagram world where feeds are presented in the perfect light/perfect setting/perfect clothes, etc. In a sense, the Family Christmas Photo was the originator of that. As a mother tries to create the current “perfect” holiday photo, the teens go into action. The teens maybe become the parent trying to teach the mother. They may or may not be successful but Blevins shows us that, “the kids are all right.”

There’s so much humanity here. Connections made and lost. Love made and lost (humans and canines). Set in a lobby of mailboxes, the pull of connections resonates. McClain covers all the possibilities of trying to belong in a busy city: jobs, creativity, friendship, and hope. McClain smartly includes the junk mail in our lives so that when an actual letter arrives - the play pivots and you root for the best. Because you’ve fallen for her characters.

A play where what is left unsaid is as important as the spoken dialogue is rare and hard to do. Gatton crafts a beautiful tale of epiphanies, desire, and self-realization that stops your heart. The play’s power draws you in as you fully invest in the characters - so much so that by the end - you are wishing all good things for Dmitri. And you want to know what’s next. And you think about that for a long time.

This may be the most enchanting play about sports that I’ve ever read or seen. Tim has this gift of knowing himself that I wish could be spread around to all kids - like magic dust. In fact, this play has enough magic dust to give some to everyone. Read it. Produce it and catch the magic.

Kaplan explores grief and relationships in many forms. With many powerful moments laced with humor, the characters take you on a journey that is both challenging and welcoming. Original and insightful, the play will stay with you for many moons.

Lermond has the gift of taking a slice of life we can all relate to and infuse it with humanity, compassion and surprises. This is a nice change from the “merry merry” and “fa la las” of the season. And a reminder that tradition is nice, but continuing to evolve is pretty special, too.

As a Minnesotan, I have been to too many of those parties. Without names, Weaver gives us a specific assortment of characters reacting to both the New Year and the icy cold. It’s a warm ride but with icicles. And somehow, it embodies all that a coming year will bring. Audiences will shiver and smile and welcome in the new.

Martin and Cathro are delighting our young audiences with all creatures great and small. They will have children leaving the theatre saying, “pretty purple pickles please” and giggling through it all. The visuals are vibrant and fun and the tale is within the scope and grasp of pre-schoolers through second grade.