Recommended by Claudia Haas

You want to know the ending and you don’t. Gripping and terrifying. An epic story in one minute.

What a gorgeous story of will, feminism, motherly love, and resilience. Even when women had no power, they found ways. Rose’s story evokes a time that is not as far removed as we think and infuses it with care and bravery. A play suitable for any time of year that celebrates love.

A Christmas story. A sibling story. A train story. A memory. Sickles combines all of my loves and delivers with a play cemented in brotherly love. My heart skipped a beat at the end. So will the audience.

A beauty of a play for students who missed the memo that women have always been involved in science and mathematics. Syran cleverly brings us some of the most influential women of their times and ties it to today’s world. This play is ripe for a teen cast in a high school or university setting. You’ll smile. You’ll laugh. And you’ll google these women. Because you should have known about them in your lessons. Syran rectifies their omission. Read. Produce.

There’s so much love and care in this tale of friendship, new paths, and good-byes. Martin fills the characters with emotion that may be too hard to be said and must be covered with banter and shorthand that bring the feelings to light. The ending is a stunning theatrical moment that will stay with you a long time.

In case you had any doubts, yes - cookies and ice cream (and chips!) can talk to you - quite persuasively. The massage interlude is quite telling as to which foods are needy and which foods exist to please you. Rose has concocted a sweet spread of resolution and indecision. The physical comedy and sly inserts of clever lines (“I’m melting!”) are the added cherries (or sprinkles) on top.

McClain dishes out some truths in this wild and wooly competition. Yes, there are guaranteed laughs with great roles for women and an absolutely delectable ending. But the play will not only entertain but give you some food for thought to mull over in the coming days.

This is a delightful little ditty in the realm of, “What’s the worst that can happen?” Cole sets us all up with a lively cocktail that holds promise. And delivers.

Let Rachel Feeny-Williams lead you up the garden path of the twisty turns and bumpy roads of adolescence. Clever banter disguises the shadows lurking and even when you think you have all figured out, think again. Pointed and poignant.

There’s a lot of fun-absurdity here. As Cern’s Artistic Director exclaims that audiences don’t want to be schooled in anything, Cern is cleverly schooling the audience in a day in the life of a playwright. How does a new play get attention? There are some fun asides - the gender neutral character comment- which Cern accommodates. The season planning. My favorite moment is a quick mention of coughing up the production fee … which is on top of the submission fee. Audiences may think this is satire. Playwrights know better. Come on theatres, be brave and produce this.