Recommended by Steven G. Martin

I love the friction created when characters do one thing, but speak about something entirely different. Shelley McPherson does a beautiful job of this in this ten-minute comedy.

Also: the immediacy of this moment is clear, but the characters' backstory is not. McPherson has created more friction with this. I think "Who Do You Love?" would be a crowd pleaser when produced.

Emily McClain has written a jarring play. From the opening image of a goat smoking a cigarette to the final twist where the tables have officially turned, the audience is going on a twisted, dark journey with implications about factory farming, being complicit in evil practices, and downfall caused by hubris. I love it.

There is much to love in this one-act script: the strong, distinctive characters and their voices; the tonal shifts from light-hearted to serious to the (bittersweet?) ending; the sections of beautiful contrapuntal dialogue; the conflicts and the stakes; the actions and choices the characters make; the theatricality. All of it comes from Jillian Blevins' skill, imagination, and empathy.

It's clear Blevins has conducted a lot of research, but more impressive to me is the emotional core developed for each character. "The Eighteenth Quinquennial Endlings Picnic" should receive many productions, and would be well-loved and -remembered by audiences and actors.

Magnificent beast, God-like, trapped in the most banal existence imaginable. Christopher Soucy captures a dangerous, muscular, tensed rage in "They Call Me Tony" that is terrible but also enthralling. But it isn't just anger at the top of the lungs, muscles tensed, either. There's also a resigned anger, a pitiful anger toward the end of this brief monologue. It's a nice journey.

Sheila Cowley brings poetic language, an open-ended fluidity to performance and physicality in "Boing!" This short play about resiliency and positivity is only enhanced by the inclusivity of performers joining in. I'd love to see this performed with joy,

DC Cathro's visual metaphor in "Resolution" is clever and enjoyable, and audiences, actors, and designers like will love it. I love it, too. But the richest parts of this play for me, however, are the character arc and the dialogue.

There are plenty of reasons in this world not to connect with other people, not to follow our passions. That DC Cathro is showing two characters taking the first tentative steps to counteract those reasons made me smile.

Vince Gatton comically, earnestly, and darkly reminds audiences of the excitement of living at the edge of the new millennium. Everything is possible when the future is so close you can touch it, which is wonderful and freeing but also frightening and scary.

And I love that his main character, Kelly, is in her teens. Her view of the world and her family has changed because of the actions in "Neon Glowing New." Some coming-of-age stories include X.

"The Book of Merman: The Musical" is wonderful.

Three dynamic, talented performers will shine. The score has plenty of standout moments, both with solos and group pieces. The book provides emotional cores for Ethel, Shumway, and Braithwaite -- they have strong needs, they're multidimensional, and they're respectfully written.

It's a knowledgeable show, too, with nods to several of Ethel Merman's best-known roles and to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and "The Book of Mormon."

Audiences will love "The Book of Merman: A Musical" for these same reasons.

Lucy Wang shows off a quick wit and playful style in this romantic comedy. Wang doesn't stop there, though, adding sexy innuendo and mouthwatering culinary bon mots. There's plenty happening in "Scenes from a Chinese Restaurant" that will charm audiences, challenge actors, and entertain everyone.

A writer's skills must be finely tuned to dramatize a moment as delicate as the first flutter of romantic recognition. And then to juxtapose that flutter against quiet, yet persistent, longing is beautiful irony for an audience to enjoy. Vince Gatton puts his finely tuned skills to terrific use in this short romantic play.