Recommended by Steven G. Martin

This play is wise, mature and a little sad in its exploration of the next steps to take after damage is done. Do we rebuild from what's left over? Do we throw everything out to start from scratch.

Again, Nora Louise Syran excels in setting, mood, atmosphere, just as in all the plays of her "The Twelve Days of Christmas in France" series. There's an awareness of fragility and necessary change in this short play, but also mutual understanding and awareness. "Seven Swans a Swimming" is a sigh of realization.

This musical provides a lot of opportunities for actors to shine, showcases some women's impact on everyday life in the American West, and provides a lot of opportunities for imaginative design.

Debra A. Cole has created a story that is clear, offers a lot of repetition for young audiences to grasp onto, and is powered by distinct characters. "Taming the West" also would provide a good foundation for classroom study about post-Civil War, pre-World War I America.

"Six Geese a Laying" is the most comic script among the first six in Nora Louise Syran's 12-play cycle about Christmas in France. There's a heightened sense of urgency, language barriers, and multiple layers of arguments. Ultimately, French culture wins out and life is good. This is a fun and funny play that I'd enjoy watching onstage.

"Five Golden Rings" is a heartwarming short play that shows the transformation of a self-centered character to a selfless one. Much like the plays that preceded this one in the "Twelve Days of Christmas in France" series, this holiday play especially shines in terms of character and atmosphere.

Greg Lam's one-minute satire says and shows everything it needs to skewer award-bait movies, the actors who appear in them, and the awards themselves. It's a sharp gem of a script that'll be a centerpiece of any one-minute festival in which it's produced.

This fourth play of the "Twelve Days of Christmas in France" series packs the most action and conflict so far. There are still atmospheric elements, but there's also more robust humor with wordplay. Nora Louise Syran even refers back to the first play in the series here. "Four Calling Birds" is probably the most complex entry in the series so far, and it's terrific.

This short play is the third of Nora Louise Syran's "The Twelve Days of Christmas in France" series. It nicely builds upon the strengths of the previous two: characters, tone and atmosphere. The title also is a sly one.

Like the first two plays in the series, "Three French Hens" feels like a brief snapshot of a pleasant, warm moment in life -- that of friends dining together and enjoying the newest success of one of them.

There's a lot packed into Lee R. Lawing's one-minute comedy. I love the irony of the characters' dialogue juxtaposed against the seriousness of the stage action. I love the theatricality, the sleight-of-hand stage magic, the genuinely uplifting message at the end. I'd love to see "Passion Play, Eureka Springs" produced.

Nick Nappo has created a terrific multidimensional protagonist in this full-length play. Marone is a high school physics teacher facing a lot of professional and personal conflict. It's enjoyable to see how he acts differently around different people; his students, his wife, his colleagues, his boss. "Unbalanced Force" clearly tells his story, and we see him going through a lot.

Nick Nappo uses structure and action/visuals to great effect in "Unbalanced Force." The direct address from a narrator/chorus gives the play a classic feel. And the experiments and student protest offer great opportunities for direction and design.

This short play is romantic and wistful. Nora Louise Syran adds a touch of magic and mystery as there's nothing explicitly said about the identity of the lover or the connection with the cooing pigeon. It adds to the charm and atmosphere of "Two Turtle Doves."