Recommended by John Bavoso

A beautiful short that touchingly celebrates the bonds of sisterhood while also digging into how difficult spending the holidays in grief can be. Pittenger packs a lot of genuine character development and backstory into a small space without it ever feeling forced or unnatural. A Christmas play that’s not really about Christmas, this should be produced year-round for sure!

I’ve seen a lot of riffs on The Gift of the Magi, but Gonzalez has created one of the most original, unexpected, and touching versions to date. A simple but effective short that will prompt audiences to really think about others in different situations at this time of year, this should be included in every holiday festival. Highly recommended!

Reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale, yet wholly its own story, THE LAST DAUGHTER is an original look at the struggle to find oneself and the pressures society thrusts upon us—and on women, in particular. Shot through with funny one-liners and beautiful quotes—as well as some truly wonderful dick jokes—Strayer has created a world full of flawed and interesting characters. Featuring some great roles for women—Eve, in particular, would be a joy to play, I’d imagine—this play would be one I’d love to see on its feet. Well worth a read!

The Sopranos-meets-Santa Clause mashup that I didn’t realize I wanted until I read it, ORGANIZED CRIME CHRISTMAS is an original spin on a traditional holiday play. Full of sly winks to the audience, this would be a fun and unexpected stocking stuffer for Yuletide audiences!

A delightful short play about breaking the North Pole’s glass ceiling. Easy to cast and stage and full of laughs, this would make a great addition to any holiday festival!

What a fun and hilarious workplace short with lots of twists and turns! Each character feels fully developed within such a brief amount of time, and the dialog is snappy and smart. Can’t wait to see this produced in March!

An incredibly compelling and deceptively complex two-hander, THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY WAY shines a light on a fascinating historical event while simultaneously meditating on the nature of acting, deception, and identity. While reading, I couldn’t help imagining how I’d pull it off as a director or designer. A tremendous challenge for two versatile actors, I hope to see a production of this in person someday. Highly recommended!

SKIN AND BONES is such a wild ride! Neill has found such an original setting and device in which to examine the lies we tell ourselves and other when our lives don’t turn out the way we’ve imagined. Both of these parts would provide such a thrilling challenge to actors, and I hope to see it up on its feet soon. Highly recommended!

This funny and adorable 10-minute play is a master class in how direct address to the audience and exposition, when done well, can really enhance and elevate a short play. With three fun roles for actors, I’m sure this will be produced widely and often!

In Happy?, Emma Carter puts a clever sci-fi spin on the very real anxieties people have around marriage, childbearing, and losing touch with friends as you grow older and go your separate ways. In this world, the all-or-nothing nature of getting married and having kids is taken to an extreme, but it’s the genuine and relatable feelings of and relationships between Carter’s characters that really ground it and make this short play sing.