Recommended by Aly Kantor

This is such a sweet and inventive radical adaptation of a beloved Christmas classic - and fans of The Nutcracker will have a BLAST discovering the very subtle but hilarious allusions to the story hidden in this contemporary apartment setting! The relationship between the siblings was another highlight, with thoughtful, natural dialogue helping us understand how this duo relates. I think there are fun opportunities to incorporate music, if desired, making this a fun playground for Nutcracker-loving design teams! Heartfelt and easily staged, this holiday short is a unique, festive treat for young performers and audiences of all ages.

What do critics owe artists, and is there a level of criticism that goes too far? Can a transactional relationship between critic and artist ever amount to anything honest? What about when there's a gendered power imbalance at play? This play asks those questions in the form of an intimate dinner date between a female chef and the scathing male food critic who bashed her. The stakes only grow as we realize exactly how much power one party has over the other. I love the reversal and the whiplash moment of realizing who had regained the reins! Funny, sexy work!

The title of this play evoked Blue Velvet, so I was expecting something a little bit strange. Reader, I had no idea! This absurd, darkly hilarious play starts off twisted and only gets bloodier and more bizarre as it goes on. By the end, you're not sure if you've just experienced the vengeance of a Lovecraftian god, a love story, a double psychotic break, or some odd combination. Because the main characters are so very broken and unreliable, the audience doesn't know which narrative to trust, which is such a fun storytelling choice. I hope these two get their wings!

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!

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.