Recommended by Rachael Carnes

This play artfully draws us into a simple, accessible activity - cooking - and within the kitchen, a wonderful world unfolds in the sparest words. It's loving and lovely, with delightful ideas and delicious smells and then -- Diamond connects us to loss, and real fear, asks us to slow down, and imagine. This beautiful piece would be a tremendous addition to a performance of gun-sense plays.

Tender in its depiction of life aching past loss, this lovely piece explores an unimaginable sorority between an officer, and the widow of a victim of gun violence. A play like Burdick's cuts through the fog of "compassion fatigue" - elevates the conversation out of the news headlines and the seemingly endless sensationalizing and into the realm of poetry, of light filtering, of moments and mementos, training our hearts and minds on the work of way-finding that might make sense from senselessness. This would be a powerful addition to a performance of gun sense plays.

If it's possible to read a play through my fingers, that was me — Oh my, has Goldman-Sherman captured the barbarous zingers, the dismal torpor and the inexplicable emotional labor of late-stage modernity. Where does it come from? Why do we do it? This domestic comedy reminded me of Ibsen, with the husband and son useless layabouts, and the mother a column of seething rage. Over what? Only the most fundamental needs! Maslow says we need belonging to before just about everything, but does this mother "belong"? Funny and sharp, this piece would be an excellent addition to any festival.

This time of year, we resolve to get healthy, and what better way than to measure our steps? And why not compete for fitness goals with your friends? Lawing has a delightful time with these characters, offering an acidic comedy chock full of physical pratfalls and opportunities to keep ramping up the tension. I feel like I know these people, and we're not too far off from this reality. Happy New Year! Let's get in shape. ;)

Heartbreakingly timeless and timely, this piece hovers between the particular and the utterly universal. It's about war - and you might recognize (or project) - other kinds of violence into it, from gun violence in the schools, to violence in the home, anytime or place that trauma's occurring. Spare and focused, Koivisto's language packs a punch -- gutting the reader, in just a few short pages.

Are we supposed to be seen? Do we take up space? Do we assert ourselves - or do we caretake? Give? Do we make a mark, or spend a lifetime in the quiet, unnoticeable - but essential - service to others? These themes are laid bare in this compelling monologue, in which Goldman-Sherman invites visceral, relatable discomfort into the most innocuous of activities, imbuing folding laundry with a lifetime of questions that tumble out and spill on the floor, questions that threaten the teller's precarious mythology. This piece offers so much on the page, and would be thrilling in performance.

First I'm grinning. Then I'm chortling. Then I'm laughing — My cat is like, "What's with her?" — Then I'm *crying* because this is just SO FUNNY. It's delightful on the page, would be hilarious in the New Yorker, and I think any creative team who is willing to "boldly go where no creative team has gone before" will be rewarded with serious fun. Golden Record! I just got it. Bwahahaha — Now I'm laughing AGAIN. Greg Lam wins the award for all-time best use of footnotes in a 10-Minute play. Highly recommend!

Hahaha - welp. This dark comedy is such a welcome palette cleanser after all the holiday hoopla. Rogers' snappy dialogue between Becky and a persistent - and demonic - elf is just right. Of course the elf is up to no good! It all makes perfect sense! No wonder this play's been snapped up for productions, it would make a charming, hilarious addition to any festival of shorts.

Awwww, sweetness! A perfect holiday read, with warmth and humorous banter aplenty! O'Grady has such a knack for making characters we care about, right from the get-go, and who hasn't had a holiday where you're making due with what's available? This one's a gem, and would be super-fun to see onstage.

So stinkin' cute! I love sassy Sydney and the character would be so fun in the hands of an energetic child actor. Hayet's 'Mother' is the perfect blend of nice and utterly exasperated, which is the space most parents of young children hover during the holidays. In just a few pages, the writer digs down into some worldly themes, and finds genuine — but not treacly — Christmas spirit.