Recommended by Aly Kantor

A hilarious, high-octane alternate universe take on the birth of Christ, loaded with clever puns and wordplay! I have never seen so many corpses in a nativity story before, and after reading this Christmas comedy, I think that's a damned shame! The feminist subtext was a personal favorite addition, but stick around for the laugh-out-loud final image, which will stick with you long after the twelve days of Christmas have come and gone! It may be unorthodox, but this ridiculous little love story has two great roles, high stakes, and enough unexpected whimsy for everyone!

An eerie, haunting Christmas tale that will make you think twice about putting out the fire in the wintertime! It's ripe with brilliant opportunities for audio designers to craft a bone-chilling soundscape with dragging chains, ominous bells, and sharp winter winds, creating the atmosphere this story deserves!

Is Serena really an intuitive, or is she just an empathetic friend (or more...?) who pays attention and knows how to open the lines of communication? Ultimately, it doesn't really matter—the revelations are the same in the end. This script makes tangible the profound loneliness of hiding in plain sight, and the unexpected joy in finally being seen and understood. It's easily staged and character-driven, with a satisfying conclusion that only the most intuitive will see coming ;-)

When you sit down to read a Vivian Lermond play, you know there will be an element of mystery. I couldn't wait to find out what that meant for a Christmas play... and I was not disappointed! As the story progresses, we learn more and more about each character, gathering clues and building theories. As they say, better the devil you know than the one you don't, but this tale is a compelling exception... in which the stranger you don't know just might be the angel you've been waiting for! A different Christmas story, indeed! And a great one!

The amount of specificity in this play is utterly mindblogging—in a WONDERFUL way! The commitment to these oddball characters warts, antennae, cookie-cutter mouths and all, makes nearly every line a laugh-out-loud delight. You need to be patient, but the reversal at the very end was a spectacular gut punch that left me grinning from ear to ear! Everything about this short is thoroughly unexpected, a bit baffling, and perfectly delightful! I am certain any audience would find something to love about these out-of-this-world characters!

What a lovely, understated, thoroughly character-driven holiday short! I could relate to the way Jake and Addie's resistance to celebrating the holiday was in competition with their desire to break the routine and do something special. When you're unemployed and the holiday essentially glorifies capitalism, it is even harder to make an effort to embrace the festive spirit. I adore the way these two friends manage to find joy through compromise. A sweet and unique option for holiday-themed festivals!

Mary Shelley is one of my favorite historical weirdoes, and E.M. Lark tells her story gorgeously and engagingly in this poetic, cleverly framed play. The narrative weaves back and forth through time, providing new and profound context as the play moves forward. I love the way this piece brings the creative process to life. I also enjoyed the use of historical texts throughout the work. It offers an exploration of the horrors of both birth AND death - the everyday trauma of being a person in the world, and the value of fear. A very human play about monstrosity!

I am a huge sucker for plays in which divine entities show off their humanity, flaws and all, and the delightful pantheon at the center of this play has such phenomenal chemistry! There is a fantastic sense of PLAY from page one! It's a hilarious ensemble piece with a serious question at the center. Ultimately, it hands the choices back to the audience, leaving them with - as Hutch suggests - a sense of hope. I know for a fact that actors would have a spectacular time putting this larger-than-life, character-driven short on its feet.

There is something deliciously intimate about this story of two high school theatre kids (who SOUND authentically like high school theatre kids) selecting Shakespearean audition material that connects. It's a phenomenal vehicle for two young, in sync actors, allowing them to show off their contemporary dramatic chops AND their skill with the classics! There are definitely some young performers who will see themselves in these characters, so I am glad this material exists. Although I don't know what will happen to these two beyond this moment, the play left me with questions... and the warmest, fuzziest feeling of hope!

Wow - this absurd dark comedy is an excellent way to draw attention to the hoops Americans must jump through to receive medical care under late capitalism. When the MAJORITY of characters are actively dying, the stakes couldn't be higher, yet the game show circumstances add a dissonant level of levity. While you can put a monetary value on a life on a gameshow, is it truly ethical in reality? And how do you decide who is deserving? A lot to think about and a lot to laugh about in this short!