1. The Penguin Tango
Stephen Svoboda’s comedy inspired by actual Central Park Zoo events, about a community of penguins whose lives are disrupted by sex and soggy sardines.
2. Girl Scouts of America
A coming-of-age comedy by Mona Mansour and Andrea Berloff (World Trade Center) about a group of feisty Girl Scouts.
3. Danny Boy
A dark romantic comedy by Marc Goldsmith, about a thirtysomething dwarf looking for love.
4. Open House
Ross Maxwell’s comedy of manners about a liberal couple offended by their neighbor’s patriotic yard display.
5. It’s a Hit
A new musical murder mystery about the dark side of show business, written by Beth Saulnier and Melissa Levis, with music by David Weinstein.
6. The Unlucky Man in the Yellow Cap
A drama with music, set in a World War II–era Czechoslovakian ghetto, about a cabaret singer who falls in love with a young policeman.
7. Walmartopia
A musical comedy set in 2036, about a single mom who faces, and fights, a world entirely taken over by Wal-Mart, written by Catherine Capellaro and Andrew Rohn.