Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

Breaking into a new job can be trying, especially if it's something that you will be working at forever... literally. Dana Hall's smart and touching story about Tammy learning the ropes of her afterlife under the watchful and helpful guidance of Edith is a lesson for us all in not taking what we had for granted, and the humor is not lost at all (so tempted to include my favorite line). Meanwhile, the family that is her training ground has their own lives to account for, and that makes this truly a play worth staging and seeing.

This short confection of two people with completely different views on many things seems like a dating disaster from the start. But in the hands of Darrin J. Friedman, with his well-tuned sense of timing and a great ear for dialogue, you're rooting for both Billy and Susan to find that one thing that might -- just might -- lead to something more than just a cup of coffee. Fun, sweet, honest, and truthful.

Words matter. So do pauses and the space between the words. Ricardo Soltero-Brown proves yet again that his plays use those truths so that we take the dialogues, monologues and the moments far beyond face value. Listening to two unnamed people share their lives and the reaction of a dog, you find yourself filling in the spaces and the moments in anticipation, waiting for the next word, beat, silence, and moment. I could not stop reading it, and on stage it would be riveting.

Picture it: a writers room where Charles Addams, Mel Brooks, and Ira Levin ("Rosemary's Baby") are tasked with coming up with a very special episode of a 1960 sitcom. Stumped for ideas, they retire to a dive bar out by the interstate and do tequila shooters until Steven G. Martin stops by to eavesdrop and take it all down. Except I think Mr. Martin stole -- excuse me -- invoked all of their ideas and crafted it into one of the funniest short plays to crawl out on stage.

There are times in reading "The Detective" that I had that illicit thrill of eavesdropping, knowing I shouldn't be, but drawn inexorably toward the conversation(s) between Otto and Casey. It's the same kind of sensation I get with the plays of Harold Pinter and Sam Shepard: implications and innuendo abound along with the suspense that kept my attention riveted even as I try to decipher their coded language that only those with deep connections and stark differences understand. Soltero-Brown's deft use of language and construction will make this a great play for actors.

We've all heard the term "it's in the cards," but in this case, the reading of tarot by Serena uncovers a truth for Brooklyn that wasn't there to see... at first. It's an insightful and touching story with a touch of magic that even a skeptic might embrace.

A stream of recognition and self-awareness runs through this short and endearing play about two very different men taking their first steps into what we hope is their new lives as friends and -- hopefully -- lovers and partners. Eli and Jeremy both show their brave fronts and tender nervousness as they learn about each other and themselves, and it is done in such a way that its nearly impossible not to feel what both of them feel, and hope that this is the start of -- dare I say it -- a beautiful friendship, quirks and all.

I'm sorry to say -- or am I? -- that until I read this play, I was unfamiliar with the "Elf on the Shelf" plague. But thanks to Matthew Weaver, I'll be sure to tell all my friends and colleagues in Rivendell that those dedicated and passionate defenders of the tribe who work for The Man in the Polar Suit are doing their best to make sure that any Christmas festival that is invaded by EOS's and their madness will not go unanswered. And again, Matthew Weaver, after all these years, still excels at amazing me.

I think what struck me the most about this short Christmas play -- "Christmas" in the sense that it takes place that time of year and the two characters are searching for a place to stay -- was the humanity and vulnerability that shines through. DC Cathro has given us plays that demonstrate these qualities before, but for one very personal reason, this one struck a chord. I believe that it will do the same for anyone who sees it. That makes it a real gift to us, and the title... Well, you'll see.

It can be hard to explain in words how friendships are formed, especially when it involves three middle-aged men of very different backgrounds and life experiences. But the men in Darrin Friedman's story find their way to this unspoken bond by sharing their strengths, weaknesses, hopes, fears, triumphs, and tragedies, in a way that makes us understand them even more. Seth, Javie, and William are people you know -- maybe you're even them -- and this taut and brutally honest story will leave you with a new perspective on friendship and how important it is to life.