Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Another excellent portrait by Asher Wyndham, this one in the form of a social satire monologue. Char Lexington is Cavity Sam from the board game "Operation" -- completely empty of anything human, just dollar signs in the eyes and moneybags where the heart should be.

There is such manic glee in John Busser's very funny play about technology behaving badly. Alexa's nearly nonstop entries about various subjects are hilarious, especially when they push the character of John to his breaking point. Actors and audiences will love "37 Origami Bees."

If I were channeling the character Hyperbole Girl, I'd say "Tuba Boy" is the best play ever written about music-based teen superheroes. Cross's short comedy has charm to spare with its broad characters, fun visuals, and resolution that leads to the characters working together. I think this would be especially fun for younger audiences especially in the elementary school/middle school age range.

I love the premise of this short, comic, and absurd short play: two strangers playing up a "What if?" scenario to surprising depth. It feels like a snowball has begun rolling down a snowy hill, picking up size and speed. "Imagine Being Joyce Carol Oates' Aunt, Just for a Minute" is fun and funny.

Give me a character who is passionate about something, waxes poetic about something that might otherwise be taken for granted. Give me Lucy Wang's character in the comic "Filet o Fish" to whet my appetite while I chuckle and crave a snack. That passion is going to shine in front of an audience.

John Busser clearly is poking fun at these sassy, boozy, slightly blue, slightly stupid ladies, but it's also clear he loves them. They are having so much fun and are so self-involved that they barely skip a beat when Busser upends their world. Their focus on drinking, eating, throwing shade, and talking sex is so all-encompassing that even the demon who possesses their friend gets into it a bit, which I love.

I love the silliness of Lipschutz's parody of adventure games and fantasy tales. There are sight gags, sound gags, and plenty of funny lines throughout. And I love that it's clear Lipschutz loves these things he's making fun of -- this comedy is silly and breezy, a salute to those games and tales.

Cathro strongly shows a woman who is pushed too far about her empathy and responds by defending it and negating her husband's casual cruelty. Character and backstory are wonderful and the dialogue, always a Cathro strength, is terrific.

Grisly stuff sprinkled on the core of a very human, grown-up story of people who have grown apart but still like one another. There are lots of levels to enjoy in Sickles' short play.

This is like fine music with its multitude of tones and timbres. Jonté conducts the audience's emotions throughout with three stories about guilt, faux guilt, and repression. Magnificent stuff in a short amount of time.