Recommended by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend

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.

Well, I adore this. Eddie the angel is in charge of Garden-of-Eden-era Earth, but he's not being kept in the loop of what God wants from him, and we all know how the story ends. This one act is so smart and so funny, with dialogue that zips along and had me laughing all the way through. What a delight!!

This play dealing with the pros and cons of intentionally creating genetically exceptional children is wonderful. The characters are complex and I was completely sucked in as I watched them grapple with the fallout of the decision they made five years earlier to have brilliant 'flutes' for children. (Also, I really enjoyed the joke about Mississippi.)

Mother Teresa as you’ve never seen her! I love this (mostly) monologue from a sweaty lady who has reached her limit. It’s clever and funny and has some delightful dialogue.

A group of people with nothing in common other than the fact that they all died, and then they all came back to life, start meeting as a (not support! don't say support!) group. I loved the unique voices of each of them and watching their relationships develop as they slowly, almost seemingly against their will sometimes, became friends. I especially loved their discussions of what makes a life worth living. What a lovely play!

I was on board with this play about art competition judges from the line, "I have stigmata on my eyes, I just know it." This short comedy about the subjectivity of art and the standards to which we ourselves feel we are constantly being held and judged for is delightful! The dialogue is hilarious and I loved the reveal of what kind of art competition this was. This is a smart, funny way to spend ten minutes.

This short is a JOY. A JOY. Simultaneously a stark look at our climate-changed future and a comedy satirizing theater artists of Chicago, LA, and NYC, this play is Too Much Fun from start to finish. As a fellow Chicagoan, I am looking forward to the post-climate apocalypse theater scene here. As much teasing as this play includes, it also feels like a love letter to Chicago theater. Now I want to read everything Paul Michael Thomson has written. And so should you! Start with this.