Recommended by TJ Young

"We are running out of time" is in the description of the way this should be performed. That singular drive pushes through this with unbridled energy and concern that the effectiveness is only amplified by the economy of words it uses to get the message across. Strong poetic sensibilities infused with current and pertinent topics, this piece is important and if you are looking for a piece to produce easily that is effective, this is it.

This play is an often funny and swift-moving examination on a topic that many wouldn't dare to even approach. The conversation flows easily and the tactics of the characters feel authentic to their age and situation. And boy, what a situation it is. The tension that is created in this piece near the end is amazing and it accomplishes so much in such a short time frame. This is smart and effective writing, filled with natural twists and revelations. Great piece of writing.

One-person shows can be difficult to nail down. This one does it so well. Allowing us to have a deep and personal dive into the mind and life of someone with OCD and how they deal with exploring their sexuality. It is unflinching in the conversation, stretching out the thoughts and process of Ben and placing us in a seat where we can listen, experience, and understand. The audience interactions are great, living up to the ambition of the piece itself. It is personal, powerful, playful, and provocative. This play has heart by the buckets.

This play makes you feel secure before ripping the rug out from under you swiftly and harshly. And that is where the fun of this is. Steeped in eldritch horror, Prillaman takes us on a journey of the weird and fantastical that is filled with surprises. Working in a genre that often can feel void of human connection, the characters feel lived in and full. This is exciting and well thought out, using what we think we know and subverting it at just the right moments.

From the very beginning of this play, questions of intersectionality and identity are asked in a way that makes it approachable yet hard-hitting. Seeing characters who are unsure about how they identify and being concerned about the ramifications of what they claim for themselves is a refreshing concept. Even the simple notion that bisexuality isn't real as a driving force is strong. This play is layered with concepts about gender roles, gender identity, perceived sexuality, and all the tricky things that come in between. Great read.

I first saw this play in 2015. Since then, it has remained one of the singular one-acts that come to mind when I think of well-paced and executed storytelling in the form. Morille has a way of mixing the macabre with the lively, the thoughtful with the humorous, and grief with new beginnings. The pace of the script is masterful, leaving time for heart and sincerity when it is needed, pulling us into a world where needs and opportunity stand in conflict with each other. Beautiful piece of writing and a treat for actors and audiences. Produce this play.

Captivating in ease in which these characters speak, brutal in the pain it portrays, and masterful in the use of deep and flawed relationships to tell a story, this play was moving in ways I did not expect. The best part is it all feels natural and lived in. Shared pain and the silence around it becomes such a powerful undercurrent that it makes you reassess every notion you had of these characters. The text is rich and painful and necessary. This play is necessary. Read it. Sit in it. Produce it. Experience it.

"You just gotta find people to survive with" is stated early on in the play, and it is a concept Malakhow sticks to, examines, blows up, and puts back together. With theatrical projections of messages and texts, one-sided conversations, and the removal of other characters, this two-hander is a powerful examination friendship and connection. I kept thinking about the speed of trust, including how and when to let people into the private places in your mind. Sasha and Raymond have to navigate that balance, revealing the pain they have been dealt, in an authentic and very moving way.

Not since Water By The Spoonful have I felt so engaged in a play that mixes the digital space and the real world. Malakhow does so beautifully. The emphasis on human connection is evident in all of Nick's work, but the concept of digital connection reads just as strong as the physical ones. His manipulation of form in The Beehive is stupendous. The struggle of recovery is handled with such tact, but the characters are still flawed and human. The message is clear, but not heavy-handed. Fantastic piece of writing.

This play is going places. Taking a very topical situation and lacing it with nuance, a strong sense of voice, and even stronger characters, Wilkins creates a play that stands as not only a monument to the time in which it was created but a call to investigate the concept of protest from a position of power.