Recommended by Claudia Haas

“The dance oozes subtext.” As does Bray’s charming rom-com of two teens who know little about love and less about expressing it. Bray catches all the awkwardness of that age (with a bunch of subtext). He also catches the yearning and hopes of a first crush because who knows what comes later. And who cares what comes later? His characters are in the here and now even if Brian is looking for My, Darcy’s Regency look.

Every time I read a story about someone (usually a man, usually African American) being exonerated after years of false imprisonment, my heart beats a little faster as if trying to give the person a few extra beats of my own heart. Cole’s monologue succinctly gives us a human who yearns for his own humanity and maybe a starry sky. Your heart will ache.

The irony of humans going to a tourist attraction that no longer exists because of human activity shines brightly in Lawing’s play. There is a deliciousness in tying the tacky souvenir trade to an end of times scenario. Lawing never lets go of the light banter even when the tides turn. And they turn fiercely. A theatrical harbinger of what could happen.

It’s never too late - or is it? Hall does a beautiful job of figuring out if you can go back or if time abolishes relationships. There are no easy answers. With 3 nuanced roles for actors (yes, 3! You need the waitress), this is a poignant piece asking if you can go home again.

A death metal band and umlauts. That’s an irresistible combination that can’t be beat. Add in a snowstorm, some punk, a smart-alecky kid, and a smarter-than smart goth teen and you have a musical confection that defies definition. A quirky comedy for teens that just needs a stage.

Gonzalez offers us “magic time.” It’s a time you cannot get back but stays with you your entire life. If every child had this magic time, what a wonderful world it would be.

We finally got an alien rom-com! As well as some pseudo- science explanations of crop circles. And the knowledge that an alien could possibly smell of star-anise. What more do you need from a play? What a sweet addition this would be to any line-up about love … or aliens … or cornbread. Do not discount alien-poetry. It’s time has come.

Sickles grabs you with his intro and never lets go, You fall in love with the four characters. You want to nurture them. This is quite simply the most gorgeous play of kids knowing who they are and acceptance. Acceptance - so important as a child. Imagine if we all just accepted. Imagine if we taught acceptance. Sickles shows us what a wonderful world it would be. Theatre educators: read, include, perform.

Two teens fall in love and after a messy courtship that cost many lives manage to marry. And then what? When do you rethink youthful love? When do you say, “I wish….” And when do you wonder, “Is that all there is?” Marriages have stages and not every marriage is equipped for the challenge. Lawing gives these two a challenge and in the end … you are left to wonder.

Can Martineau make writing ‘I love you,” on post-it-notes a thing? Because I honestly think he could start a revolution. Hallmark, are you listening? We want post-it-notes for 89 cents.