Almost, Maine by John Cariani
This cozy meditation on love and human connection, set against the backdrop of a snowy fictional town in Maine, feels like a warm embrace on a cold winter night.
Winter Solstice by Roland Schimmelpfennig
This piece by one of Germany’s most frequently produced playwrights turns a stereotypical holiday narrative on its head, when an unexpected guest arrives on Christmas Eve. The resulting drama is an experimental exploration of the cultural traditions we hold dear, and their potentially darker roots.
Purpose by Branden Jacobs Jenkins
This epic drama finds a prominent Chicago family trapped indoors during an unexpected snowstorm. This powder-keg results in one of the most entertaining and shocking dinner scenes in the American theatre, which perfectly captures the feeling of a family who can’t help but argue. For many, it’s a painfully familiar (and painfully hilarious) reflection of many holiday dinners turned sour!
The Skriker by Caryl Churchill
In our modern imagination, Winter is associated with holidays, family, food, and cheer. But not very long ago in our history, it had a different connotation; it was a time when the nights were long and cold, when food was scarce, when darkness reigned, and spirits made contact with the world of the living. This is the tone of British dramatist Caryl Churchill’s play The Skriker, whose titular character feels like something out of a dark fairytale–though the fear she represents is very real.
