Recommended by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend

The short satire of a game show starts out funny and then turns surprisingly poignant by the end. What a clever concept, beautifully executed.

This is beautiful. A short play that deals with death in such an effortless way, without becoming too heavy - amazing! It's sweet and sad and even funny all rolled up into one play. A true feat.

This is an incredible example of how to construct a short play! An overly friendly neighbor asks to borrow some sugar, but that's not really what the play is about, and the subtext runs all the way through it to the reveal at the end. What a fabulous piece!

Oh my gosh. This short. There's been a murder, and as two law enforcement exes try to work out what happened, they discover the greatest gift to a sound designer ever, which reveals what happened and also had me in stitches. Then just a page later, the characters are commenting in a really beautiful, bittersweet way about how difficult it is after breakups, when you're left with all these people you love, but aren't really allowed to love. Within a PAGE of each other. Scott Sickles is a master.

Whaaaaaat this is crazy in the best way! What a unique murder mystery short with a bonkers twist at the end. I would love to see a theater company tackle this one!

This short is hilarious. Even the stage directions: "the weary sigh of a thousand civil servants". I mean, that's good. Eric Pfeffinger takes an ancient Hindu story and makes it feel completely modern. There's so much for actors to go nuts with in this - I would especially love to see this staged to see the choices made by the actor playing Satyavan, who doesn't say a word. What a fun piece!

There is nothing in this world more savage than a teenage girl. I love this dark comedy about the cutthroat world of solo ice dancing. Every character is so distinct, and also such an outsized blast in her own unique way. There is so much to love, but I think my favorite recurring joke is the constant stressing of how slight Galyna is. What a gift this play is for five teenage performers, and what a treat for an audience!

This short play didn't go where I thought it was going to, and it was a delightful surprise! A woman who has missed her stop on an overnight train and a geologist (my dad, also a geologist, would be thrilled with the representation!) have a long conversation about science and religion that is an actual dialogue instead of two people yelling at each other. Wouldn't it be great if real life could be like this? Lovely!

Delightful! This short about an elf in an existential crisis is hilarious, because OF COURSE it's going to be funny to see one of Santa's elves in an existential crisis. I also love how the clerk of the store inserts themself into the conversation at points, offering sage advice like a bartender. As fun as this one is on the page, I know it will be even funnier on its feet with elf costumes. What a unique, hilarious twist to the holiday play genre!

The time-related jokes in this short are delightful, as is the reverence the three ghosts show for Tiny Tim. This Christmas Carol prequel gives us a glimpse into how it came to be that Jacob Marley visited Scrooge on Christmas Eve and is, amazingly, equal parts Christmasy and Halloweeny. Too much fun!