Recommended by Aly Kantor

This is a "smile until your face hurts" story featuring the whimsy of quirky, specific characters (Santa's Elves!) in an unexpected setting (a record store?!), leading us humorously, sweetly, and quite deftly toward a charming lesson about the true meaning of Christmas in our consumerist hellscape! The specificity of the musical references, the goofy names, and the absurdity of the confrontation and circumstances make it a consistently surprising stocking stuffer! Plus, great world-building!

All life is dynamic, which means things change—they may change slowly, like rocks, but they WILL change eventually, under the right conditions. This quiet Christmas play creates the conditions under which a person might transform before our eyes, if only slightly. The interaction at the center of the play is sometimes tense but always kind, with the backdrop of the desert landscape grounding the story in marvelous metaphor. A transcendent moment of unexpected music ties the narrative together!

I laughed so I wouldn't start weeping.

This timely monologue is pitch-perfect satire that I wouldn't be surprised to overhear on the news. I think my favorite part was the "quote" from the piece's unnamed president (wonder who it is!), which I attempted to read aloud in a press-conference monotone. I couldn't do it without laughing, which is one of the biggest compliments I can offer! The character voice is specific and flawless and the logic is painful and prescient! What a gut-twister!

Do you ever wonder if the three ghosts from A Christmas Carol hung out? Well, wonder no more! This charming comedy serves as a prequel to the beloved holiday tale, and it's loaded with witty wording, goofy turns of phrase, and plenty of character-driven whimsy, perfect for the holiday OR Halloween season! My favorite part might be a recurring bit (TINY TIM!), but there is much to love in this sweet & spooky short.

Who knew a play set in hell could be so refreshingly uplifting? This archetype-driven play holds no punches, showing us humanity at its worst... but, when a new sin arrives to interrupt the old, damning routine, shows us there's room for hope and growth. For me, it evoked the hope at the bottom of Pandora's Box, coming in to make the pain and pestilence of the world bearable. It's goofy, providing actors the opportunity to make uniquely strong choices. This script is an over-the-top good time!

For me, this charming script is all about the intersection of a phenomenal setting and lovable characters whose relationships pop off the page! I am obsessed with the brilliant trick the playwright plays, luring us into the timeless liminality of a dated roadside diner and slowly, slowly revealing the nature of this tricksy, charming setting! The message at the center of the piece is heartwarming, leaving me with warm, fuzzy feelings...and affection for my younger self. A sneaky sci-fi delight!

You don't need much to tell an epic story on stage—just larger-than-life performers and a script like this one, which provides the fierce motivations actors need to butt heads (and stomp Doritos, as the case may be). This near-silent story is a sensory treat that would work wonderfully with or without a dramatic underscore! Plus, audiences will be leaning forward, attempting to decode the secret supermarket messages McClain has left for us! Current, relatable, and a baffling, funny good time!

A sharp, funny cracker jack prize of a play! Both characters are recognizable, and because we know who they are and what they're about, we get to cut to the laughs with minimal exposition and just enjoy the delightful absurdity! The laughs come quickly, concluding with a memorable visual button that will have audiences snorting!

When Willa Wrathburn wanders witlessly into Worth’s wraithy workplace, we witness a witty and weird war betwixt a woman and a wreath with a wonderful, welcome wrap-up.

Yeah, I can't possibly keep that up. But you should know this hilariously, atmospheric, VERY FUNNY play challenges expectations beat by beat. It’s a deliciously self-aware silly short with so many phenomenal, memorable bits throughout! Charming, consistently surprising, and stupid... in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE! Waffletwat!

Meet the utterly absurd, darkly hilarious, literature-themed Christmas special that absolutely none of us knew we needed! When a well-meaning, necromantically-inclined Santa pulls a reanimated literary luminary out of his big red bag, one teenager is left to deal with the consequences... in what is inexplicably an illuminating and heartwarming tale about finding value in older media. Is it bonkers? Yes. Did it make me laugh like a maniac? Also yes! A holiday treat for discerning audiences!