Recommended by Claudia Haas

A teacher’s answer to new school implementations leave you shaking - how did our schools devolve into this? Sparse and true, One in the Chamber succinctly gives us a glimpse into the new world order coming to those who work in education. The last words from the teacher says it all. Burdick’s play should be on all stages and in school board meetings.

A poignant and poetical coming of age story that gives way to light and darkness. As Then-Self searches for care and love, life in all forms happens. These happenings titillate, startle, sing and bring sorrow and hope. It’s an imaginative journey of the circle of life told with wings and lights. Omorotionmwan offers a feast of theatricality for all artists.

What a beautiful multi-layered play. Peel one layer back for poetry. Another layer offers a vibrant life. Still another gives you an ending. Carnes incorporates so many facets of life today into its own concoction. Then she sweetens it with memory and hope. Egg creams should always be delivered with poetry and Carnes characters give you that.

This is a well-thought out debate on parental responsibility. No matter where you may land, there is never any doubt that these two love their children. The play is an excellent jumping point for civil discourse. Donnelly doesn’t supply answers. But he manages a taut tightrope without dissolving into hyperbole.

A truly frightening piece of horror - you almost read this with your eyes closed. The dialogue is taut and once it gets in your head - you cannot find your way out. It’s simplicity heightens the “thrills.”

After five years commuting on the Staten Island Ferry, I am woefully sad that I missed Bigfoot. What a delight this play is. Weaver sets you on a winding path and you follow happily. The play is a Russian doll of surprises (cue Law and Order theme song here) and you don’t want to miss one of them.

Canfield takes a fable, stands it upside down but the tortoise and the hare wind up in their respective places over and over again. Maybe, the hare thinks, they should try something new? Just because something worked for over two thousand years doesn’t mean it will work for the next two thousand years. And slow and steady, the tortoise and the hare try to devise a new race. The play’s a combination of silly and substance. And it works beautifully.

This is such an honest look at teens today - isolated or not. They’re funny, irreverent and terrified on the inside. I love how the virtual meeting between Janelle and Paul bring out some hard truths about being in high school. The play gives new meaning to, “who would you be if no one was watching?” Martin shows us that theatre can flourish virtually. As with Janelle and Paul, it’s a new way of looking at things.

I delved into the play expecting absurdist comedy and yes, it delivered. But the poignancy, the depth of what is family surprised me and wrung me out. While the play may center on a writer’s tool, it gives life to one’s history, expectations, and the literal blood, sweat and tears that accompany a new work. Creating has its terrors. And its detours. Vovos finds the beauty in all.

A gentle tea ceremony with all of its symbols and grace and a library - a place of knowledge- set the stage for a heartfelt coming of age, coming to terms, and coming together of two teens. A friendship gone astray, a dance not finished and a recognition of change, growth, and acceptance is everything a teen needs to hear today. A beautiful treatise on the possibilities where there is acceptance and care.