Recommended by Claudia Haas

So hit me with an abacus, databases are funny. So is Death (really) and the desperate attempt to stay alive. When Death comes knocking at your door, it may help to have a once-a-nerd math major on your side. An absolute bonkers two-hander that would be a delight on any stage.

What happens when the unlikeliest child in the world becomes a superhero? Bunnyboy! (Or Smash-Hammer.) Kaplan has devised a delicious gift to young audiences: there's a mad scientist (sort of), bank robbers, the "smashing the piano and toilet" birthday party and surprise plot twists that pop up everywhere which get solved in unusual ways. It's theatrical, imaginative and along the way, you will discover how truly complicated a superhero's life can be. Bunnyboy is a treat for young audiences and their families.

Burbano skewers every political thought from the last two years, ties a bow on it and offers it with love. Just go for the ride through the woods. You don’t know where Burbano is taking you but you're happy when you get there.

The play is all heart - literally and figuratively. I’ve always admired hummingbirds - really who can beat those wings so quickly? You’ll never look at a hummingbird in the same way. Anyone can do anything - with a little heart. The loveliest fable for these times and anytime.

Carnes goes off the rails with this jam-packed Christmas carol in the vein of Stephen King. You’ll lose count of the dead bodies but at least you won’t have any sugar plum fairies dancing in your brain.

Rudy’s having a blue Christmas without Nick. In Hageman's play, the bittersweetness of the holidays is played for laughs and poignancy. It’s a clever little ditty told with a big heart. This is an original, nuanced holiday play that will fit well in a theatre’s holiday celebration. (And I really want to bring Rudy some gingerbread.)

There is beauty and unimaginable sorrow in the “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” reality of death. Esquivel manages to balance the absolute darkness of depression with the remarkable survival instinct that can combine in a life. You grieve with Kari and Helen. You also embrace them. A mystical look at hard realities that can be transformed through love.

It’s the end of the world. Will you be sending selfies while drinking designer coffee and making pithy pronouncements? Who knows in these times? A through-a-glass-darkly look at our world and our priorities. Maybe it’s time to rethink ... before it’s too late.

If you've ever wondered about what happens in a library after closing, look no further. Fantastical and sweet, the play made me think about returning to those so-called children's classics that work for adults. Part silly, part homage to books and all things that make you turn the page, the play is an absolute delight. If you need a smile, the last line of the play will give you one.

There is a gentle reminder here that Christmas doesn’t need to be idealized. In any holiday that is fraught with emotion, small loves remain. Small loves stand out. And you can still acknowledge pain side-by-side with the love. A gentle, family depiction that works for a short play festival any month of the year.