Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Are there flaws to the death penalty and execution by lethal injection? How does it affect journalists who are required by law to serve as witnesses and extensions of society?

Eric Mansfield has written an excellent "issue" play with "Witnesses for the Execution." There are well-defined characters, excellent dialogue, philosophical points of view. The location and time of this play are also excellent, too, not pandering for cheap theatrical thrills.

I hope this play receives more productions.

Stomach-churning. Gleefully madcap. Onyx-dark. Unique.

This play could easily be titled "Sociopaths in Love." Daniel Prillaman has taken the seeds of romantic comedy and planted them in the acidic dangerous soil of the horror/torture genre. Both sides of this cross-breeding experiment are amply played out, but with the added bonus of being genuinely, horrifyingly funny.

As with so many of Sheila Cowley's excellent short plays, audiences are going to have to lean forward and listen well and look hard in a performance of "Timing": the rich emotions are underplayed by the characters, the subject comes through subtext, the characters are constrained for a variety of reasons.

"Timing" is bittersweet and partially hidden away, a gem of a short play that must be paid attention to fervently. But it is so rich and ironic and full of life that it's well worth the effort.

Lucy Wang is my pen pal. She encapsulates in such a short amount of dialogue the joys of not only writing but also receiving a single letter from a friend.

"A Letter is a Smile is a Laugh" takes on huge subjects -- communication, connection -- in a tasty morsel of a monologue that would be a gift to any performer.

Sheila Cowley continues to be one of my favorite playwrights, period, a playwright whom I think emotion means more than even plot or character. Emotions and the given world, i.e., often in nature.

"Tidal Pulls" fits right into that type of work, emoting such a strong feelings of wonder and connection, of generous and welcoming perspective. This short play engages feelings for the broader world and its inhabitants that Lee describes.

It was painful to hear this monologue in performance on Back Porch Theater. Which is the point.

It's the end of Courtney's nightmare. How did she get here, how did the world close in around her? Lee Lawing knows; we all do. We all know we're living in the days that seem to do nothing but divide us.

"Blood Red State" is painful and necessary.

The characters in "A Carefully Planned Spontaneity" may have a few decades more experience than the protagonists in other Scott Sickles romances, but they express a similar sense of uncertainty, bashfulness, and hope their younger counterparts do.

It's not just that "A Carefully Planned Spontaneity" features characters in their 50s and 60s -- although it's wonderful that it does -- it's also a good story that will have audiences rooting for the future of these characters.

This is a sledgehammer of a satire: very funny and shudder inducing. A part of me wishes Greg Lam's science-fiction scenario was reality; it would provide some reason why the state of leadership in the world has changed so drastically.

"The Ones Who Adapt" is a terrific short play. It's easy to see why this comedy was published in "The Best New Ten-Minute Plays, 2020" by Applause Acting. It deserves all the publications and productions it earns.

"Legacy" is a terrific feel-good play, and that's because Daysha Veronica has created wonderful characters, especially mother Toni. Toni is an enthusiastic, life-loving, big personality who commands a space in the best way. And then Veronica shows off Toni's support and love for Harper, audiences are absolutely going to fall in love with her.

I'd love to see "Legacy" performed in person. I'd love to see its production history even more full.

This is the 10-minute play that a festival audience will be speaking about for days: the working poor, sacrifice-selfishness, body perception, reproduction/sex and self-worth.

Give a lot of credit to Scott Carter Cooper for setting up the world of "The Donor Class" as dark and Dystopian, and then finding just the right moment to make the drop the other shoe. Going from dreary and dark to almost Day-Glo Neon Pink in tone (and humor!) is stunningly funny. This is satire done very, very well.