Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Our need to be heard and understood when we are suffering is universal. This one-act adaptation is another piece of evidence; Sickles modernizes Chekhov's 1886 short story by setting it in 1999 New York City.

"We'll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet" will appeal to directors and actors with its vibrant, varied characters and its subtle tension and drama.

Earnest, lovely, emotional, and surprising. Audience members' hearts are going to rise and fall and rise again during this one-minute play.

Andrew Siañez-De La O's one-minute play is a poetic remembrance that needs to be performed, not just read. Andrew has created strong voices that hint at a sense of play and confirm a sense of loss.

This is a play for all of us who have experienced loss. This is a play for all of us who have wondered and hoped, but never knew for certain. Emotionally touching, dream-like, funny, and full of images and visuals.

I finished reading this play more than ten minutes ago, and I'm still crying. "My Pretty Pink Rifle" dramatizes a harsh reality no one should face.

Read this play twice. Hansen has written a wry parody of biographical plays and their limitations. And playwrights' and historians' limitations. Kudos on Lilliebell Lombardo's outcry, too -- the most genuine and emotional moment in this short play.

"First Chair" steps into the world of professional orchestra musicians and their frustrations. Koppen uses music and choreography to set a foundation of character, the passage of time, conflict, and -- most importantly -- resolution and triumph. This is a powerful, uplifting 10-minute play.

Angie is in it for the long haul; her revenge is like slowly seeping poison. John Busser's very dark monologue may have holiday trimmings, but audiences will strongly remember its bitter core.

I love "Mrs. Claus Gets Menopause" because it's clear Daniel Guyton knows and appreciates the lore of the characters. But he uses the established history of the characters as a springboard to several contemporary comic moments, some of which are just bawdy enough to make an elf blush.

The very definition of bittersweet. The very model "if only" scenario.

Sickles starts this tale of friendship with humor through small talk and genial gossip. But the conversation deepens, emotional truth pours out and there's a sense of vulnerability ... before self-doubt and fear shut it down. And the audience experiences the bittersweet tone. The audience knows what would happen "if only." And the audience will ache for Doug and Garrett.