Recommended by Steven G. Martin

The tone of this play shifts, and shifts hard. An audience won't even realize it's immersed in a horror until it's too late, and then comes the visceral, unnerving, palm-sweating, try-to-close-your-ears climax. But lest you think the resolution will let an audience off scot-free, nope. Hageman serves thought-provoking social satire and commentary to chew on and think about for a long while.

P.S.: Directors, stage this as Hageman suggests -- in the dark. It isn't a gimmick. It pays off beautifully, subtly, and gruesomely in the story.

Goldman-Sherman is such a skilled playwright that different audience members will feel different, valid emotions toward Marcia -- the protagonist in "Five Golden Rings" -- even when watching the same performance.

Marcia wants, wants, wants so much. She is so specific, and we recognize her because of that specificity. Do we feel sympathy for her? Do we deride her? Do we see ourselves in her? This is a gorgeously written short portrait.

"Five Golden Rings" would be a terrific addition to any holiday festival or festival about love.

Everything is better with math and science puns, and Portman's "Pythagorean Triplets" is proof. But the silliness isn't a "wink-wink" kind of silliness that ruins an illusion; the characters are questioning their value in the world and that's a beautiful core for this story. Audiences and actors alike will absolutely value this short play.

All praise Kate Danley for writing a romantic comedy that doesn't skimp on either! "Socks" is a romantic comedy with enough kookiness and sweetness to delight any crowd. Quick, light, breezy, screwball, sweet, and oh so refreshing. Produce this play.

This script is pure fun: sibling jealousy and a strong conflict/need at its core, distinct characters and precise dialogue added in to the mix, and an environment and actions that put it over the top. An audience will be surprised and delighted throughout.

I love theatre for young audiences and astronomy, and Wang's short script combines them beautifully. This is an absolutely charming play that lets all members of its large cast (10 characters representing the planets, the sun and the Hubble Space Telescope) shine. An imaginative director will find opportunities for fun costumes and staging, and Wang includes more than a few scientific facts into the dialogue.

We celebrate the firsts, we grieve the lasts. This one-minute play shares the lasts of an entire species. Spare, direct, and blunt -- it feels like a memorial. It has a little bit of poetry and a whole lot of harshness with poison and shit. I'd love to see how a director and actors bring Morrison's script to the stage.

A concise, acid-tipped, 1-minute satire that dramatizes having a literally new world view.

Tension overrides all of Wang's "My Aim is True," with power plays and deflections between the FBI and Anna Mae Aquash, a young woman. Threats and empty promises abound, and there's even a sense of impending doom, but Wang leaves the audience with a picture of pride and defiance. This is a wonderful portrait.

Liddell's "The Talk" is a family drama teeming with strong characters, a history lesson, and a call to take action. Audiences will long remember the Fuqua family.