Recommended by Greg Mandryk

The Mount Pleasant Baking Competition is a strange game. The only winning recipe is not to play.

There's definitely a message here in this delightful short comedy. Perhaps it's that you should be careful what hoops you jump through on your path to glory. Sometimes, the only prize for acting like an idiot is getting to look like an idiot. Or, at least, that's what I got out of it. Apart from its worth as a satire, Don't Touch the Carrot Cake is brimming with humor and wit and would be a solid standout in an evening of comedic one-acts.

I’m not sure if I would have seen the big twist coming (maybe skip the synopsis), but knowing the reveal was coming didn’t diminish the effect of this very touching piece. I may have teared up a smidge.

A quick, light, and very relatable monologue about that discombobulating feeling you get when reality and your perception of said reality are at odds. And really, it should be "-stein".

I came for the title alone. But I stayed for the hilariously twisted humor. If you like the Addams family, but wish they were less "all together ooky" and more demonically deranged, this is your show! And Busser is right: someone has to prove Steven G. Martin is wrong and produce this thing!!

I can't imagine this was intended for an audience outside of NPX, but if you're reading this, you most likely fit in its target demographic. That is, you're a playwright whose attempts to get their work produced have entered you into a world of artistic directors who view you as an exploitable source of income. This chance to commiserate is Jennifer O'Grady's Christmas gift to you.

If you have a costumer and set designer who are chomping at the bit to flex some creative muscle, this your show! Its production photos will certainly be more eye-catching than the people-on-a-sofa photos most theatre companies use for their websites. Apart from the visual possibilities, this play is full of heart and humor and is just demanding to be performed.

We all know how we're supposed to face imminent annihilation: all hugs and forgiveness for whatever lingering grievances we may have with our loved ones. Marcia Eppich-Harris skewers that notion beautifully with ALOHA APOCALYPSE. Anyone who's ever been in an intense situation with their long-term significant other should be able to relate to the feeling of "Oh my God! Can I not even die in a nuclear blast correctly for you?" that she serves up. Dark, profound, and hilarious!

Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn serves up a very powerful short play with a light and fluffy topping. Once you cut past the metaphor and get to the dark subject matter underneath, you’ll be hit with a sobering effect that will stay with you long afterward.

If this doesn’t tickle your funny bone, there’s probably something depressingly right about you. Also, we can’t be friends. Ari Aster’s Midsommar is suggested viewing before diving into this one, but by no means is it necessary. It’s twisted and brilliant and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Strongly recommended!

Consisting of a love story, a thriller, a tragedy, and a dark comedy, HELLISH DELIGHTS is an excellent showcase for Scott Sickles’ impressive talent. My favorite of the four is probably Fallow Garden. Killer church ladies will never not be fun.