Step into the vibrant world of Jaja's African Hair Braiding. Set in the pulsating heart of Harlem, this comedic gem unravels the complexities of cultural identity, assimilation, and the pursuit of the American Dream within the African immigrant community.

Summer, 1862. The bloody conflict that was supposed to last only 90 days has now been raging for more than a year. President Abraham Lincoln must find a way to end the Civil War. Enter powerful abolitionist Frederick Douglass. If he can meet Lincoln face to face, he can help the president cement a vision of the future that ends slavery along with the war — all while preserving the Union. Just three meetings took place between the two men — pivotal conversations between two fierce and equally brilliant leaders that shaped the course of history.

The comic drama from Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins that The New York Times called “subversively original… remarkable and devious.” The estranged siblings of the Lafayette family gather to settle their late father’s Arkansas estate. Amid the clutter they uncover a shocking relic, forcing them to confront long-buried secrets and decades of resentment. As tensions boil over and the cicadas roar, the family faces unsettling truths about their past and how it has shaped them. Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III (Broadway’s Thoughts of a Colored Man), this Tony Award–winning play is a searing and bitingly funny portrait of family, history, and legacy.

A major new American play that first launched in the 2024 Powers New Voices Festival. Kisa, a painter in Paris, returns to her small Japanese hometown after the 2011 tsunami to help her ailing father by driving his taxi cab. But as she navigates the winding streets and transports her eccentric passengers, she is haunted by the supernatural remnants of what the floodwaters left behind. This Globe-commissioned world premiere from Keiko Green (Exotic Deadly, Or the MSG Play) is a funny and poignant story that explores the uncanny ways that love can transcend loss.

Elinor Benton is in a predicament: she’s pregnant, unmarried, and living in 19th-century England. What’s a young woman to do? Facing certain ruin, she gathers up her best friends and sets off on the ultimate road trip to find the one woman who might offer a chance to change her fate. This epic journey, equal parts hilarious and profound, transforms each of them as they try to shape their own futures. This raucous and daring new musical, directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes (Broadway’s Spamalot, the Globe’s Cabaret), is a riotous adventure of love, rebellion, autonomy, and self-discovery.

Ananya runs House of India, a once-successful restaurant in a strip mall outside of Cleveland. Her cook Jacob has an idea to bring in more customers: ditch the traditional dishes and embrace a trendy, fusion-forward menu (think “Indian Chipotle”). Her two grown children have their own views too. As the bills and worries pile up, Ananya must choose: hold on to her late husband’s vision, or compromise in the name of progress. Directed by Zi Alikhan, this heartwarming world premiere comedy from San Diego playwright Deepak Kumar features a vibrant cast of characters who work to build a restaurant, a legacy, and a new kind of American Dream.

When Yoli brings her new boyfriend home to meet her Latino American parents, he’s not exactly what they were expecting. Everyone tries to be on their best behavior, but generational differences and cultural assumptions collide. Through equal measures of comedy and compassion, they all discover what it truly means to be a family. Directed by Kimberly Senior, the laugh-out-loud One of the Good Ones was acclaimed by the Los Angeles Times as “a theatrical comedy in the sitcom tradition of Norman Lear.”

This dazzling production welcomes you into Jaja’s bustling shop in Harlem, where a lively and eclectic group of West African hair braiders create masterpieces on the heads of neighborhood women. During one sweltering summer day, love will blossom, dreams will flourish and friendships will be tested. When their uncertain circumstances boil over, this tight-knit group must confront what it means to be outsiders in the place they call home.

In the summer of 2008, five young girls of color and their white fathers show up at a community center. With emotions ranging from excited to downright suspicious, some are more ready than others to embark on this adventurous father-daughter bonding program. Over their time as the “Winnebago Tribe”, the fathers and daughters navigate the joy and confusion of childhood amidst myriad challenges: burgeoning friendships, unfulfilled crushes, intergenerational struggles, grief, financial insecurity and the frustration of not being seen for who you truly are.

While young couple Ty and Nora are moving into Ty’s childhood home, three mysterious men from Ty’s past inexplicably begin appearing. Noah Diaz’s rich, magical drama is full of shrewd insights and humor. Expect the unexpected in this wildly surprising family story with a huge heart.