Recommended by D. Lee Miller

Sometimes the shorter plays pack the most meaning or fun or memories. Evan Baughfman's ERSTWHILE does all of these - and leaves you with the aftertaste of a perfect little sweet play.

This is not your father's pre-Christmas play! Welcome to a world of John Patrick Bray's, that brings us cute and friendly vassals to Jesus himself. This is more a birthday play - of rebirthing ourselves into whom we want to be. You can win and learn at the mall! Put this in your Christmas lineup and wake up your audience with another side of the Christmas story.

A humorous play about an accident, a coma and poor shopping choices? This is what Julie Brandon gives us in ERSTWHILE, a trip in Bella's mind that you should make not by accident, but on purpose! Fun!

ERSTWHILE, by Brent Alles, brings us a TCM-type intro to the truthful life of Mary Anderson, an aging actress who loves to work. Juxtaposed with this intro, Tommy Chong (of Cheech and) offers Anderson a role in his first directing job. The humor grows as the meeting nearly goes up in smoke! This play is lots of fun, well-written roles that any actor would jones for.

There are a number of approaches actors can take with ERSTWHILE, by Matthew Weaver. And any of them would leave the audience with strong feelings. I heard this as a woman's kindness leading to the frightening unknown. And it's a quite normal premise. ERSTWHILE will haunt any evening or festival of plays.

This powerful monologue is still rattling in my chest. Paul Braverman's ERSTWHILE, about the reconciliation of two brothers (one dead) is a tale of all the colors between love and hate. When his brother's life is revealed, you don't wonder at the 32 years it took to reconcile. What sustains is the voice of brotherly love, the intimacy of the monologue and the healing that has taken place in the 32 years. The hurt and sorrow are still there. The hell of it. Brilliant monologue.

ERSTWHILE, a beautifully paced monologue by Steve Martin, is a volunteer in a community dinner organized by a local church. This is his last day, and as he trains a new volunteer, he is asked questions that reveal the depths of his humanity and self-awareness. He is healing whatever He has done in the past by helping the community. We learn how it feels to him and how his workmates feel about him at the church. Without a single pat on the back, we know about his current success as a person. Beautiful.

This is my first Mathew Green play and it was so heartfelt. I loved seeing men caring about each other with different levels of ease. Women often learn - certainly about married men - from their partners. I loved hearing about their lives firsthand - and I felt I knew them. Green skillfully lets the audience know what is truly going on while all of them may not know - and he kicks you in the butt at the end. These are people who have lived and are learning to offer their views.

ERSTWHILE, by Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn, is a how-to play - meant in the nicest way. Two daughters are moving their father's belongings to a memory care unit. Their mother, has returned from visiting him. All are on their best behavior at what can be an irrational time. This very real, very empathic family executes one of hardest things a family has to do. There is humor, there are questions, and they are all lucky to have each other. Audiences will certainly recognize themselves.

Two fantastic royals with a past are brought together again for a confrontation like no other. The Queen is Queen to the nth, and the former Elf King, with more than a dash of contemporaneity, exhibits his newfound real self. This literally fantastic play by Vince Gatton births wonderful comedy and new territory for these rich characters. I am not 'prone' to fantastic stories but I had a great time with ERSTWHILE!