Recommended by Daniel Prillaman

I forget where on the internet I first saw the phrase, “bold of us to assume a character knows what genre they’re in.” Heather’s first instinct to be a helper when faced with the unexpected encounter tells us everything about her as a person. Unfortunately for her, it uh…well, the title is pretty on point. Deliciously atmospheric on the page alone, designers, particularly, will have a field day creating this chilling scene.

Somebody call Dick Wolf, because Braverman’s short is a sure-fire hoof (sorry, hoot). Two reindeer, an interrogation cell, a dead grandma, and the Public Domain is quite the blender, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t just have a delicious smoothie. Hilarious on ever-increasing levels, this will…well, kill…at any holiday themed festival.

Who knew that toys could do that much damage? Plumridge's cast of toddlers could take the Rugrats any day, in more ways than one. Absolutely silly, hilarious, and with just the right amount of sweetness.

Whether it was my own privilege or neurodivergence, I don't remember middle school being this hard. I also have maybe 4 memories total of middle school. One of them was a girl in eighth grade who convinced me she was a werewolf. You know what? Never mind. This play is a queer femme monument to the insanity of middle school and tweenhood, and how much harder it is to be perceived (particularly by boys). Such a fantastic ensemble piece.

I'm agog. I barely know how to begin, suffice to say this is one of the most incredible one-acts I've ever read. Taylor's two-hander of a budding sapphic romance is funny, sexy, vulnerable, dangerous, and painfully human, plumbing the depths of the complex ways traumas bury themselves into our marrows. I so loved the dialogue in this, doing heavy expositional work, but always based in character knowledge and never sounding contrived. This just became an instant favorite. Somebody do this now.

Never thought I’d use the phrase “Thanksgiving classic” unironically, but we also probably never thought Trump would be elected either, right? Fenton’s play is honestly a marvel, not just comedically musing on the joys and absurdities of family traditions, but also the “no politics” escapism and why sometimes…it doesn’t help. If something’s causing families to splinter and break apart, you can’t ignore that cause. Not indefinitely. Take the holiday though. Rest up. Then back to the work.

I don't re-read loglines before beginning a play on my list, so imagine my surprise and growing dread as I realized what I thought would be a drama about ableism and neurodivergence in relationships into a familial horror of "Hereditary" proportions...about those things. Utterly terrifying and unique, and an absolute fever dream of battling (in multiple ways) for your own bodily autonomy. God, reading this floored me. I can only imagine how scary this would be live.

Any Christmas play worth its salt at some point addresses the importance of coming together, giving, and our shared humanity. I’ve never quite seen a Christmas play that approaches all that in this way. Jesus Christ. I mean, holy s***, oh my god. I would type more but I’m dead on the floor from laughing. So funny and horrific and I love both of those things together. If you do too, you’ll appreciate this.

A perfect script for the holiday season, to the point where if you can read this without a warm smile finding its way to your face, your heart is defective. Get it fixed. The three characters are wonderful foils for each other, and the play’s musing on lost connection hits hard and meaningfully in this era of companies’ predatory hijacking of digital technology. The algorithms are not the way. People are.

This is a delight. There’s a squee-inducing moment that will hit everyone at some point during this piece, and oh what I would give to hear an audience listen to this hilarious monologue. We all need a Hannah. We all deserve a Hannah. Great audition material for those looking for a kick-ass LGBTQ+ monologue.