Recommended by Claudia Haas

‘I was already dead but in that moment...” so immediate, honest and concise. Last moments, last time for honesty, and last time for appreciation. A fresh look at friendship between two males - a scenario not often addressed. Hageman has her pulse on teens and it quickens the heart.

Everything in this play gives you happy surprises. It’s a charming, heartfelt story for young people. It’s also slyly clever, witty and gives young audiences a strong young female protagonist who takes charge. The adventure into the land of the ghouls is filled with theatrical possibilities that brought me into another world and another time. The theme of friendship resonates throughout. Hansen has a knack for bringing us into new lands that show us our worlds are based on a common humanity. (Aside: If I was still acting, I would love to be Horse.)

So many layers of me, too, child abuse, and silence. Silence as protection, silence as a weapon. Quick moving, honest, and searing, there is a lot to be uncovered here. A song can be more honest than a confession. A song heightens a reality. A song can tell a truth. A song heightens reality. And one must choose the words of a song carefully. A poignant look at coping when your world is shattered.

Maybe dyeing your hair blue is the only sane reaction to what happens as you start to understand life. Mavromatis’s characters spar and crackle and delight. What starts out as a maybe bizarre decision by a 39 year-old-man to turn his hair blue evolves into something else. What if you’re halfway through life and know that where you are and what you're doing could be construed as nonsense? What does depression look like at 39? A take on the tolls of corporate America and its price on the spirit.

I am a sucker for two people in a lifeboat. Two men escaping the French revolution? Mon Dieu! How far will you go for your beliefs? Is art a deciding point? When is life a deterrent? Both silly and possibly tragic as life can be, the ending makes you wonder. About life. And art. And life.

An endless winter, a ham, turtles, lilacs, yellow flowers - Partain’s imagery soars in this play that could be tomorrow or later. Or yesterday. Does spring ever come? Does life endure? 10,000 years asks the big questions. You figure out the answers. Or maybe there aren’t any. Lots to think about here.

A totally nuts, screwball comedy that will have you craving cream puffs. Really, what more do you need in life? I love the last image - it just stayed with me. A confection of a play.

Can we see this couple yearly? Maybe they’re together. Maybe not. A little sizzler for the romantic comedy genre that endears you to both characters. Maybe they should be together. Maybe not. But you certainly want to see another meeting. Maybe at a steak joint? Delightful roles where two actors can use their comedic skills to the hilt.

This play has everything (well maybe it’s lacking essential oils) to give you the most perfect, well-rounded, all-you-can-wish-for family life. A bedtime story turns into a “why you were born” story turns into a search-for-enlightenment story turns into a fertility story.... you get the picture. Wonderful satire on the things we grab to get what we want. A little mad cap, a lot funny with some searing truths if you want to think. Rich and wonderfully nutty roles for the actors with endless staging possibilities.

It’s a romantic comedy ... wait - it’s a farce - no wait! It’s a superhero story. Or it may be the best fish tale ever told. I’ll go with all of them. The theatricality buzzes, the misguided poetry soars, and Higbee has concocted a tale of constant surprise. Not since Romeo and Juliet has “love at first sight” caused so much intrigue. Higbee balances laughs galore with an underlying charm that lures you in. Read it and give your spirit a good belly laugh. Produce it and your audiences will thank you.