Recommended by Daniel Prillaman

Look, we’ve all done things we’re not proud of. We’ve all camped outside a celebrity’s house in ridiculously cold weather in denial of our marital issues, or conjured up a fever dream of an Italian football player with a friend. Wait… Feriend is a master of comedic set-ups (be they a premise or just her dialogue) and shows no sign of faltering here. This play about being in your 40s and wondering how the hell life brought you to where you are is both hilarious and touching. A delight, this.

Our kinks are like our loved ones. They find us much more often than we find them. There’s an element of awakening for everyone. Alaniz’ devilishly fun and thought-provoking monologue eloquently captures this fact, as well as the nuances and galvanizing empowerment that comes from embracing them. Turns out there’s a surprising amount of freedom that comes from being tied up.

If you were wondering whether it’s possible to read this without having first read the other installments of PI John Pie, let me be the one to say it. You don’t need to. You will suffer and devour this Christmas madness and pledge yourself to the altar of Plumridge and Norkin just the same. Of course, you will then find it hard after the fact to not read the other installments. Godspeed.

WOW. Hoida's incredible premise and metaphor for bodily autonomy sticks the landing (or is it a fall?), diving deep into what makes us human and what it means. What a gift of a script for two actors! (And some costume designers, too, will most certainly have a field day). This is a tremendously tender, funny, and moving play, at the heart of which is a strong, anchoring interplay between two amazing characters.

What begins as a Willy Wonka parody that sets your alarm bells a-ringing morphs into a wholesome and hilarious treatise on the joys and positive side of make-up and cosmetics. Floyd-Priskorn’s twists are guaranteed to surprise but will surely, too, leave a grand impression upon readers and audiences. This is some delightful fun. I also like purple.

When I die, I will meet the ferryman. I will pay my toll to gain passage across the river Styx and be taken to the darkest corners of Tartarus, where egregious puns are etched upon the walls and buffoonery reigns. There, I will descend into eternal, giggling madness at the hands of my tormentor, John Busser. You will join me in this forsaken place, and we will both love every single second. Don't a-pollo-gize, Busser. You've outdone yourself. So funny it hurts.

The desire to throw the perfect party is one that extends, it seems, even to reindeer. Weibezahl’s anthropomorphic and comedic one-act is infectious, pulling us into the business and hierarchy of the big man’s loyal team of sled-pullers. This is a very sweet script for the holiday season, and would be a particular highlight for the actors getting to play these hooved delights.

One of the most outlandish and hilarious openings to a play I’ve ever read gives way to a reflective and touching story of what it means to be an American (no matter our skin color). Norkin deftly infuses levity into the gravity of serious topics, undermining neither. This was a particularly great and fascinating read given our current politically charged and fraught time, an opportunity to consider how far we have come, and how far we still have to go.

Whether you’re familiar with the world of wrestling or no, you’ll find yourself sucked into the highs and lows of its epic sagas during the course of Alles’ one-act. Richly drawn characters provide a thoughtful exploration of aging (particularly in the spotlights of a public facing entertainment system), but also the agonizing difficulty of what it means to walk away from our life’s trade, especially if staying means we will sideline our loved ones. A powerful ending note.

Whether you’re starting a cult or celebrating the formation of a new family, we humans will go to amazing lengths in the name of creating new traditions. Vansant’s short is humorous, as well as tender, making for a most insightful read.