Recommended by Steven G. Martin

I'd love to see Paloma Sierra's choreopoem in performance. "BuT yOuR eNgLiSh Is So GoOd!" showcases the frustrations of being condescended to, of being patronized, and how those frustrations wear down a person, incident after incident.

Carbajal presents holiday consumerism as psychological trauma. The humor is absolutely dry as a desert, and oh so enjoyable.

The character is cold, clinical, rational, emotionless. A psychopath, and a driven one, compelled by everyday people's words. We, the audience, are complicit, and that nauseated me. This is a controversial, unforgettable monologue.

God Bless America and American flippancy. They're the perfect subjects for Ken Green's spare, direct, one-minute political comedy. Produce this every national election year.

Everything you know and love is about to come to an end. Sickles makes this a concrete, emotional reality by focusing the story -- indeed, the entire "The Second World" trilogy -- on two men in love and their families. The structure provides a "life flashing before our eyes" and the characters' reactions make them feel vibrant and real.

Everything ends: Earth, our families. And this is a fitting end to "The Second World" trilogy. Very highly recommended.

Everything is changing in Sickles' "Pangea," the second of a three-part epic cycle of plays. The world is beginning to end and two men who have long loved one another have finally met. And the changes cause personal, political, and environmental rifts that must be navigated. Very highly recommended.

"Marianas Trench" is beautifully complex: a dystopian drama, a coming-of-age tale, a story of first love and longing, and the uncertainty that first love and longing bring. This full-length play is frightening, sad, heartbreaking, and more than a little bittersweet. Very highly recommended.

On June 5, 2020, I attended Portland Stage's reading of "Marianas Trench" as part of its Little Festival of the Unexpected. All the emotions -- and not just the romantic ones -- were heightened by beautiful performances. I'd love to attend a full production of this play.

"It gets better" means nothing to those people whose immediate future promises only pain, humiliation, and suffering. Perhaps the only option, from their perspective, is the unthinkable one.

Martin has created such a specific character in Denny Jacobs through voice and cadence, backstory, and self-critique. He has done horrible things, but through Martin's monologue I can understand why and -- perhaps -- feel some sympathy.

Martin beautifully packs a lot of personal history in this one-minute drama. A lot is left unspoken and a lot more questions are raised in the audience members' minds. I'd love to see a production of "Baggage."

Dry humor permeates Higbee's very enjoyable 10-minute folktale. Bessie and Bob almost feel like they're from separate eras as they contend with family traditions regarding marriage proposals. "Cherries Jubilee" would be fun for audiences and actors alike.