Recommended by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend

Well, consider me thoroughly charmed. Festus is playing Icarus in a performance at the Colosseum, but once he's told what the role entails, he's no longer interested. A hilarious premise, moved along by stellar dialogue, this short play is smart and too much fun.

This play about Anna Coleman Ladd, who made masks for disfigured WWI veterans, is beautiful. Her story is told so succinctly, yet so movingly as well. I love how Emily McClain weaves in music and poetry to tell the story, and I especially enjoyed how nobody felt like that 'bad guy' in the play. Anna's husband doesn't understand or appreciate her work, but just when I was starting to dislike him, along came a scene in which he was trying to write letters to the mothers of dead soldiers, which broke my heart for him. What a wonderful play.

Cary Simowitz has fit so much into only 11 pages in this wonderful short play. A powerful story about invisible people who do so much for others who never see them, as well as microaggressions faced by BIPOC folks daily, I loved every moment of this tight, well-constructed play. A perfect example of what a 10 minute play can (and should) be!

I was drawn to this one by the title, and OH MY it did not let me down! What happens to all those Canadian girlfriends created by closeted gay men after those men leave the closet? This short play is smart and funny, and doesn't just rest in the joke of there being a retirement home for these women - it moves on. What can a retired Canadian girlfriend do if she's not interested in spending her life in a retirement home? What if she doesn't like any of the options offered to her? This play is great.

This short play is a sweet tribute to following your dreams and doing work you’re passionate about. I also love that Marie unknowingly influenced Terry’s decision, due to all the years Terry watched her mom as she grew up. We’re always modeling for our kids, even when we don’t realize it. Lovely!

Well, this play is great. An angel and a devil replay the last four acts in Dyson's life before he died, using them as a sample by which to judge his soul and decide whether he's bound for heaven or hell. It's whimsical and fun, while at the same time dealing with weighty issues. Plus it's given me an owl phobia, so this play delivers on a lot of levels. 90 pages rarely goes by so quickly. I loved it.

This short play is SO well done. Beautiful and bittersweet, a daughter helps her mother come to terms with her health prognosis. Denial is powerful, but this play gently and humorously shows a mother working her way through it and coming out the other side. Just wonderful.

This full length romantic comedy is set up so uniquely, I absolutely loved it! Lisa and Sebastian are exes, professionally and personally. They've reunited to write a new play, and the characters they create wander in and out of the scenes, interacting with each other and with Lisa and Sebastian as well. I loved it, and I would love to see it on its feet even more. The dialogue rings very true, with two people who know each other so well that they are able to push each other's buttons with barely any energy. What a sweet, interesting piece.

Death as a guardian angel is an amazing premise, and this short play doesn't let you down. It's very funny to watch this dark comedy unfold, as Death protects Julian while at the same time accidentally killing everybody else. If I saw this in a night of short plays, I would be utterly delighted.

This short is somehow sweet, sad, touching, funny, and heartbreaking all in ten minutes. What a beautiful play. John Mabey always knocks it out of the park.