Recommended by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend

I adore this play! Pontius Pilate has to scare a woman having a near death experience into reforming her life, Judas Iscariot is given a task that just might finally get him into Heaven, and St. Peter writes sci-fi novels while sitting at his post outside Heaven's gate. This play is packed with humor and so, so smart. I was enjoying myself so much that I couldn't believe I'd already reached the end. Each of these 5 characters is an actor's dream, and the play raises some very profound questions among all the laughs. Terrific!

Oh my gosh, YES. Two recently-decapitated chickens reconcile themselves to the fact that they are about to die, and it's funny. But also, the chickens are, at moments, pretty profound. Also, one is definitely a murderer. What a mix. I love this short, and I didn't want the play or their little chicken lives to end. May we all face death like these chickens.

A nativity play. In hell. With poorly made puppets. Obviously, this short play is perfect. Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson (whom I was unfamiliar with, but am now mid-google deep dive on) is in charge of putting together this nativity play, but her leads, Lucrezia Borgia and the devil, aren't making things easy for her. This play is hilarious, even as it flips the script on what we think we know about these people, and it ends up being a wonderful morality play. Again - and this can't be stressed enough - with poorly made puppets. I love it.

I love how this short begins by acknowledging how few women hold positions of power in the film industry, escalates into calculated insanity, and brings it back to the lack of women by the end. There are some great opportunities for physical comedy in here, and some truly delightful dialogue.

Charles Scott Jones has such an ear for dialogue! Spatsy's voice in this monologue is so distinct - Jones nails a teenager from southern Illinois perfectly. I enjoyed Spatsy's story about one night she snuck into her classmate, Lydia's house, especially the slow shift that took place inside me as I read, from 'Ah, teenagers' to 'This feels like too much' to 'Is this girl a psychopath?' What a wild ride this monologue is. The moral of the story: Don't cross Spatsy Klotz.

I love this short! Jess is on a ladder, putting Christmas lights on her house by herself for the first time, and her neighbor, Dan, an expert Christmas-light-hanger, wants to help but doesn't want to offend her. I love the realistic tone of the dialogue, and how the story doesn't end neat and tidy, but more open-ended. It also deals with loneliness at the holidays in a really lovely way. Plus, I just really like the stage image of two actors on step ladders, calling across the stage to each other.

There is so much I love about this retelling of the Christmas story. It places the story of Jesus's birth in the historical, religious, and political context of its times, and does a great job emphasizing what little agency women of the time had as well. I especially loved Miriam's encounter with the divine, and how it wasn't quite 100% clear that this was a true other-worldly experience. I also enjoyed Joseph's humanity and his change of heart as he comes to realize what all adoptive parents know. Lovely work!

This short continues the story of Puff the Magic Dragon's friend, now grown and back on the beach, searching for his old friend. Jackie's story of how he treated Puff reminds me a little of how the boy treated the Giving Tree as he grew, and it's heartbreaking to see Jackie, now a sad and broken adult, searching for forgiveness from the best friend he ever had, trying to recapture the happiest time of his life. This is a beautiful continuation of the story, as sad as the song it's based on.

I love comedic plays based on Bible stories, and "The Ark of Negotiation" is a great one! Noah's wife isn't interested in having more children with him, and their discussion which starts humorously effortlessly veers into a deeper discussion on the role of parents, both human and divine. This is a great short with a lot of layers!

This short about a man visiting Chicago and meeting some odd locals is great. It’s punctuated throughout with quotes about the city, and I enjoyed how much Chicago history, lore, and superstition managed to fit into a ten minute play.