Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Lee Lawing's dramatic 10-minute play "A Lifetime of Adventure" is the type of historic fiction I love, focused on everyday people's lives in context of the times and mores.

Lawing has provided a strong sense of time and location in just the briefest of scripts, and we see George and William develop throughout.

This monologue is a perfect little pinprick of comic criticism against an all-too-common practice.

All hail Beverly the character, queen of Milk Duds, beer quaffing and sotto voce judgements. All hail "Beverly," a perfect short monologue for an older female actor.

The roadkill jokes in this monologue will pull in an audience. The on-stage action and commentary will keep them engaged. But what I love most about Tom Coash's "Flat Meat Society" is Dee's journey from having lost a lot -- relationships, health, pride -- to being able to create better opportunities for herself through her own work, perseverance and passion.

It's a terrific monologue, both funny and heartfelt. I'd love to see it in performance.

The tension in "A Shared Conviction" is palpable from the first beat of action. But good grief, Jackie Martin turns it up to its highest possible level, FAST.

Violent, funny, dark with great characters for older female actors.

"Starlight" is irresistible: sweet summer longing set against the apocalypse.

This romantic story seems simple but Jackie Martin provides setting, character backstory and development, and relationship and story growth in less than 5 minutes and in a very satisfying way. Plus the ending stage direction is gorgeous.

I'd love to see a full production of "Starlight."

I love Christopher Soucy's short monologue "Uncivil Suit" because the lawyer character is defiant, angry and willing to tie the threads between government and industry and quality of life -- or lack thereof -- before attempting to tear down all those threads. I'd enjoy seeing a performance of this monologue.

John Busser's reminds us that kindness, understanding and grace are needed especially in emotionally heightened times. That he shows that so clearly yet also layers good-natured ribbing and and teasing between siblings on top of it shows his skills. "Waiting on Mom, Who Already Left" is terrific.

One reason I love "Between Dollywood and Disney" is that Robin Rice provides an example of people not giving in to their struggles, of people who find solutions. I also love the depth of details in Susie's and Stan's shared life, the timelessness of the themes of love and memory (and loss). It's really wonderful.

This monologue is an electric jolt because of its tone and content.

An actor and director will discover so many layers to the story behind "How to Boil an Egg." That's because of Greg Hovanesian's writing skills -- what is told, when it is told, how much is told, how it is told, and who is doing the telling.

Audiences and readers will plead to know more about the given situations, but Hovanesian provides enough to fill in the necessary blanks for this one-minute piece.

Shannon Murdoch's plays focus on characters about whom society so blithely, cruelly, patronizingly says, "There but for the grace of God go I." But in her plays, including "Your Terrible Beautiful Heart," Murdoch treats her characters as people, not cautionary tales.

We feel Christopher's despair as option after option is closed to him. We understand Gabrielle's anger and resentment as she is treated as less than human. We can sense the sibling love between the two. Murdoch's empathy for her characters strengthens our own.