Ex Machina

The word "theatre" is conspicously (and intentionally) missing from Ex Machina's moniker — undoubtedly because the Quebec company relies on a wide range of artists, from actors and musicians to puppeteers and contortionists. Their multidisciplinary approach allows them redefine traditional notions of theatre by staging experimental riffs on classics like The Andersen Project. -Stephan Paschalides

North American Cultural Laboratory

The concept of a must-see upstate New York theatre company might puzzle the average city theatergoer; that is, until witnessing one of NACL's disquietingly original productions. Their Confessions of Punch and Judy sprinted through mime, martial arts, and ballroom dancing with an emotional intensity missing from many a Manhattan stage. -Stephan Paschalides

Theater Schmeater

Operating out of a tiny basement theater, Seattle's Theater Schmeater has mastered the art of accommodation and simplification for any type of play. They mix innovative takes on neglected classics with offbeat contemporary picks like the surreal comedy Shoppers Carried by Escalators into the Flames as they continue to run their cult fave midnight show, The Twilight Zone: Live! -Stephan Paschalides

Sgript Cymru

Choosing a Welsh theatre group over an English one not only proves our soft spot for the underdog, but also points to the creative abundance beyond London's theatre scene. This bilingual troupe is determined to promote Welsh playwrights, and with breakthrough productions like Gary Owen's Ghost City, they'll get audiences to pronounce their name correctly in no time. -Stephan Paschalides

Les Freres Corbusier

Cultivating a bizarre edu-theatre genre, New York troupe Les Freres Corbusier has explored issues from Scientology to the rise and fall of urban planner Robert Moses, packaging them with musical numbers, multimedia projections, the occasional live bunnies, and a massive helping of irony. Their upcoming Heddatron transforms Ibsen's Hedda Gabler into a world of robots. -Stephan Paschalides