Recommended by Rachael Carnes

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.

I'm always here for intergenerational quarrels and this one's a beaut. Vansant sets us up at a Baby Shower, the perfect place to wind up tensions around all sorts of social expectations, with added pregnancy hormones just to up the ante. The playwright covers a lot of territory in these tight pages, asking plenty of relevant questions, through that powerful political tool: Laughter.

This is just delightful. Witty and razor-sharp, Kaplan's two-hander digs below the surface of holiday commercialism to explore the meaning of art and artists in our society. Not so much a Christmas play, as an ode to the beautiful "outsiders" who were photographer Arbus's most famous and favorite subjects. This would be a great addition to a line-up of 365 Women a Year plays.

This remarkable play dips and weaves in and out of time and place, exploring powerful themes — Creativity, Jealousy, Gender and more — as if the text is an aperture that can widen and narrow the lens, from the most human, most fine-grained moment to the grandest, most vivid and visceral spectacle. Timely and provocative, this piece has so much ammunition for two characters, who are both detailed and developed, engaging and tragic. As a reader, I'm taken by the work's unflinching portrayal of dysfunction and, ultimately, the light and lift they give to artist Ana Mendieta. Highly recommend.

This chilling play sent some serious shivers down my spine as I drank my morning coffee. Tacon creates terrific atmosphere, with a simple setting and some clear visual and physical cues. The characters' dialogue is fluid and gripping, and both tug at each other with intentions that shift and morph, which I really like. She is more complex, more mysterious, and he has great emotional range, as they explore a deeper subtext about societal expectations. I can see this as a great addition to horror/ghost/Halloween festivals. A refreshing break from the holidays. Boo!