Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Spencer has a wicked eye for detail and earns A's in vocabulary class. Spencer also is not a good winner, which makes all the difference in Wyndham's comic monologue. Spencer boasts, mocks, gloats and lords it over Mom and Dad just like any kid would like to. The specificity of the insults and accusations in this harangue shine.

Plum Luck is a very good play for very young audiences: the goals and conflicts are clear, the cast of characters are varied, there is a lot of physical action and repetition, and there is a strong payoff for all characters. Not only could Plum Luck be performed for young audiences, but young actors could perform it themselves.

Sacks' short play is a marvelous tale about multi-generational conflict and the power of speaking up against those tactless voices in our heads. If only exorcising the living in real life were as entertaining as in this winning comedy.

Murdoch shows how much Maisie and Jennifer contrast one another as mother and daughter -- Maisie is poor, Jennifer is affluent; Maisie meekly seeks connection, Jennifer stridently opposes it. But where "Maisie in the Cold" will affect an audience most is Murdoch's ability to show how much the women are alike.

This wonderful script will shine even more through performance. Carnes incorporates three timelines and storylines for the same pair of characters (a mother and a son). Echoes and patterns of dialogue and action play against one another, and a strong director and cast can highlight the comic and tragic elements of Ellen and Dan's relationship.

Koppen examines world history through a contemporary lens. "Got a Light?" highlights characters and conflicts that are not only of our own time, but of all time. Funny and political.

"TEXT, a Soundscape Play" is a wonderful, wordless satire about people insulating themselves from the actual world, its inhabitants, and its marvels and problems. It's funny, sad, pointed, and more than a little uncomfortable because the character is so recognizable. Hibbard's short play doesn't coddle anyone, and it's all the better because of it.

Wanamaker's "352" may literally be a fever dream, as Aurora is ill but denial leads her to do nothing about it. So, impossible things happen: horrific, illogical, beautiful, and deadly. Even with the love, affection, and concern of Perrault, the best cat companion ever, I worry for Aurora. "352" is unsettling.

Omorotionmwan's unsettling drama is impossible to forget, makes it impossible for audiences not to feel sympathy for all the characters as an education system breaks down individuals into automatons. It also is a very personal tale of a girl who faces bias in the form of an older person attempting to provide a life lesson.

Produce "Color ED."

"Smile, Baby" is a first-rate ricochet of a play: spare, direct, on target. Pay attention from the start because Haas doesn't mess around.