Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Jones has crafted a winner of a comic monologue with "That's Odd." The character is slightly manic, but relatable -- who doesn't overthink details about numbers or words, and tumble into a rabbit hole of "what if's," "how's" and "why's"? Jones' wordplay in this piece also is brisk and fun.

Kendall has written a wonderful comedy about modern communication and manners. It pokes fun at the slippery slope of over-texting that probably has become the reality for most people. An audience will cheer loud and long when Vanessa puts her foot down in this play. I know I did.

Panganiban's "MamaSiHero" is a loving, emotional, and knowing love letter to mothers and their superpowers. This short comedy is a joy.

You know when people refer to a "... and I've never spoken to [the other person] since" moment? Conrad A. Panganiban dramatizes such a moment in this 10-minute drama. The audience sees family ties torn apart as Rianne and Gerilyn fight, and it is heart-rending.

Fully dimensional characters who are witty and loving, and also blunt and flawed. A story that sings praises to creation and imagination, and also notes their limitations. A plot that is a slow-simmering mystery but has at its core a sense of personal longing and loss.

I cannot imagine the amount of research Kaplan conducted to so perfectly dramatize the details of the Brontë family's lives. And I am in awe of Kaplan's artistry that makes the family not mere bronze busts to be worshiped by Brontë fetishists, but a family of siblings that are of the real world.

"The Girl in the Wall" is a very dark, very comic retelling of a selfish character's most "Oh, shit!" moment in life, complete with fiendish flourishes. Don't look for empathy, regret, or redemption in Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos's gothic monologue; just be entertained in a tale well told.

This is a terrific monologue. Porter reveals so much about Tiffany by what she doesn't say and when she stops communicating.

The dinosaurs (via McGough) are right: The modern natural world is magnificent and inspirational. Ultimately, this is an uplifting play.

Arsinoë is the definition of defiance, even at the last. Stubbles has written a spine-stiffening portrait of the 18-year-old ruler.

Tasteless, tacky and shudder-inducing. Otterman's short comedy about relationships & the slippery slope of science is brilliant. Burn it all to the ground, indeed!