Recommended by Steven G. Martin

David Narter's dark comedy Sharpies has such a razor-keen edge, it slices the targets in its path: self-centered helicopter parents, the pressures put on very young children to stand out, and the system that encourages and rewards narcissistic sociopaths. And also, it's hilarious. Bravo to Narter for trusting the audience's intelligence and letting their imagination make the grotesque even more vivid.

Lawing's Connie Williams, Pez Slayer is a wild and weird play, filled with a mash-up of details that are perfectly in place within a fever dream. It's sexy and violent, filled with pop and political culture references, and its pacing rivals a roller coaster ride -- building slowly but after pausing at the top of the first hill, it runs rapidly through curves and loop-the-loops.

Hageman delivers a gut punch with her short play "Girl Dolls." She masterfully draws in the audience, leading them to expect an arch satire about how tech undermines face-to-face, human interaction. Then comes the shift, and Hageman briskly attacks the objectification of women, the cruelty of men, the ease of destroying personal lives. She raises questions that will last long after the performance ends.

Because of Matthew Weaver's warmth and empathy for all 3 characters, "When You Are a Little Bit Older" confidently moves beyond what could have been a cliched "sibling versus sibling" confrontation. Instead, it plays like a memory, perhaps the first in a series about any of these characters and how they grew up.

How far would you go to pass as someone you're not? What would you hide? What would you force yourself to do? Where would you draw the line? Bee Scott's one-act play Mission Creep dramatizes how the survival instinct leads Tess and Liam to disavow parts of their lives. Clearly drawn, life-or-death conflict. Nice pacing to reveal the horrifying given circumstances. No answers, just questions ... which I love.

Azure Osborne-Lee's 10-minute play The Sandbox dramatizes so many true moments in such a short time, from sibling relationships and rivalries to the sweet longings of first love to the surprising moments of connection between generations. Absolutely crystal clear with its characters through dialogue and action, Osborne-Lee has crafted a wonderful play that would be a warm, welcome addition to any festival.

Gina Femia has created an amazing character in school student Imogene. She blasts her rage and anger at full volume when speaking to God, but then opens up briefly to show her sadness and disillusionment. That rage turned to sadness finally expresses itself in pride, in pushing away shame that others try to inflict upon her. There's such truth in Femia's short play.

Recommended for all ten-minute festival opportunities. In "The Heinrich Maneuver," Mark Harvey Levine has created a world that follow its own logic and rules, and then gleefully builds upon them as ridiculously funny revelations are met by even more ridiculously funny revelations. Action, characterization, dialogue ... all are pitch perfect in this fast-paced, zany romp. Very well done.

Recommended for any 10-minute play festival, including those featuring LGBTQ themes. King comically and seriously shows how the newness of a situation can lead to awkward discomfort, even among good people. King also smartly shows how clarity helps them focus on what matters: the kid.

Kids are weird. And Weaver captures a lot of charming, weird kid-ness here: non-sequiturs of the strangest kind, an inability to keep physically still, a reluctance to be the center of attention that is immediately put aside, and a competitive streak centered around the silliest things. Lots of credit to Weaver on conducting research to get the facts right -- you'll learn more about Walla Walla sweet onions than before you started -- but even more credit for creating a wry, charming, winning character.