Recommended by Claudia Haas

A heartbreak of a play. There is so much truth here in a scant ten minutes, so many exposed nerves that may never heal. The monologue regarding what triggers “the monster” gives insight into how those with PTSD face the day. Deeply theatrical, Partain’s monster will stay with you. And for reasons you may not expect.

Masks come off, summer strips away baggage, and the coolness of the lake brings what’s truly there. Cooler Near the Lake exposes secrets, brings on heightened dreams, and opens up some realities that are exposed in times of grief and remembrance. Funny, honest, and loving, the play centers on the humanity of the characters, and what happens when their choices are not true to themselves. Williams writes a tale that is filled with love even when the love is misguided. And allows that forgiveness and compassion are integral parts of love.

The Spot is a lovely fable about growing older and staying connected to the natural world. Karp shows us how parks can provide so much comfort and needed release in concrete cities. If you've ever fallen in love with your backyard tree or waited for the different spring blooms year after year, this play will speak to you.

This is one clever little ditty. Gift wrapped in a tale of magical dolphins replacing flying reindeer, Gabridge gives us so much more. This is a romantic comedy of forbidden love complete with a bow. But the romance is secondary. What matters is the tale of acceptance coupled with a fantastical consequence of climate change. A short play with long-reaching themes.

A jewel of a play that focuses on grief but never gets tied up in the maudlin. It has all the building blocks of life in just a few moments: love, life, loss, family, and rays of hope. Yes, it’s centered around the holidays when grief is magnified, but would be a poignant play in any program. There are so many truths.

Research just gives you so much. What if you don’t want information even if it is printed on your DNA? The play is personal, historical, and even frightening in the discoveries. Secrets can be scary. How do you find lost people and reconcile them into your life? There are no easy answers but much to think about.

“Your charms are timeless” and so the charms of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh are in this love note to them. I devoured this as I devoured their films as a teen. In this imagining, Olivier is sick and Leigh is dying. Time does not take away from their wit or their poignant memories of their fractured life together. It’s a love story for the ages and a valentine to theatre.

A play that leaves you wondering... and hoping... and you just don’t know. Who is the older gent? Is he merely commenting? Or is he protecting? Carnes takes us on an every day journey where today is different. Ordinary conversation is heightened. Ordinary activities have new meanings. Maybe there is nothing ordinary in the ordinary. And maybe there is beauty in that.

This is a play that will be embraced by both teen actors and teen audiences. It’s so beautifully irreverent while “trying” to be unoffensive. Everyone in the cast has a chance to shine and Kaplan’s characters look like they are going in one direction and then surprise. The play-within-a-play is inspired by every play that ever was. Part loony-tunes and part silly-sweet, Kaplan’s take on the high school stage will send you to the next high school play in your neighborhood and if you are lucky - this will be the play.

Monroe tackles big themes: life, death, faith, and love. And it succeeds beautifully with finely-drawn characters, dialogue that crackles and hugs, and a story of dreamers - whose dreams are brave. Thompson engages you immediately in the first scene and never lets go. Set in the racially-charged county of Monroe, LA in the 1940’s, the play’s relevance has not diminished with time. The wonder of Thompson’s play is with her characters who look to the future while knowing they will carry their ghosts there. Home and your roots run deep. Thompson shows us how cutting them takes courage.