Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Sports aficionados are called fanatics for a reason.

Dominica Plummer's short comedy, as noted in other recommendations, features easygoing, natural, bantering dialogue between friends. It also features obsessed characters who are ready for any explanations as to why their favorite team wins or not. And on top is a genius ending that will make audiences laugh.

"The Jinx" would be a terrific entry for any short play festivals, especially those about sports.

There are several reasons this very funny short comedy has been produced worldwide since 2000: terrific timing not only on verbal jokes but also visual ones, a central premise that skews from the expected to the ridiculous, and at its core a situation that a lot of people can relate to -- the breakup of a relationship. And the sweet ending is well deserved.

Mark Harvey Levine delivers an absolutely beautiful script for theaters at all levels -- high school, college, community, professional -- to produce. "Surprise" is outstanding for performers, directors, and audiences.

Wit and charm course through this one-minute play from its opening image and beat.

Conrad A. Panganiban adds another level, however, with his reveal at the end. "The Elephant in the Room" is ultimately a bittersweet romance. It's a play audiences will feel deeply for.

This short comic monologue has a joyful ending.

It's a beautifully written piece, with Mark Harvey Levine doing an awful lot of set up in the start: Paul's frustrations and questions reveal several sides of him, including the side that longs for pure joy. And in "A Little Fresh Air," through the most natural of circumstances, the audience sees him find it.

Audiences are going to smile broadly at a performance of "A Little Fresh Air." And thank you, Mark, for creating a male character who seeks emotion and connection, rather than shun them.

This is an absolutely dizzying play not only because of the onstage action, but also because of the performance-within-a-performance, the quick shifts in power and point of view, and the audience beginning ten steps behind the drama and not immediately knowing who is doing what to whom and why.

Emma Goldman-Sherman explores the high drama of love and lust against the popular entertainment of the circus in "Tightrope." It is dangerous and death-defying, and I get the feeling Goldman-Sherman is having the time of her life telling this story.

"Tightrope" is going to keep your audience's attention riveted.

This monologue focuses so sharply on the human needs of being understood, of being seen, of wanting to understand that it's filled with several genuine audience-lean-in moments.

Steve Harper hasn't created an Everyman in corporate lawyer Greg Stephens (college educated, economically affluent, Black, middle aged, married, male, city dweller, white collar). That specificity strongly informs his experiences (in an elevator, in his Lexus, with his coworkers, with his family, with police) and the leads to his wearisome knowledge that shit will find him. And don't overlook the circumstances of Greg sharing his story.

"What I Know" is illuminating.

An absolutely magnetic personality shines on the stage of a honky-tonk in this ten-minute monologue. "Who sticks around when they’re not welcome?" asks 20/30-something Amy Singh. Audiences will love Amy's answer to her own question.

"How Do You Fall out of Love with Country Music?" genuinely raises all sorts of emotions for Amy, and for the audience: pride, joy, fear, camaraderie, disgust, reverence, and more. It feels as though Amy herself has written this monologue, with all the details and emotions genuinely from her. Which goes to show just how wonderful Maximillian Singh Gill is as a playwright.

This short drama deftly flows from comedic banter to serious discussion about intimate relationships, the impact of aging on self-esteem, and how those who love us see us for our best qualities.

Maximillian Gill beautifully decorates "Cold Dead Heart" with humorous action and dialogue thanks to making one of the protagonists supernatural. But at its core, this short play has serious subject matter: what it means to love, to fear about losing love, to not know what will happen when we age. Meaningful and moving.

I enjoyed a virtual reading of "Cold Dead Heart" by Back Porch Theater on Facebook.

This short play is a gallon of scalding black coffee poured down the throat -- very strong messages that will jolt a person, not sweetened to suit everyone's tastes, and oh so unforgettable.

Quinn D. Eli raises surrealism and farce to sharp political heights in "Scraps." The tension is high throughout not only because of the initial conflict -- wanting to order food over the phone -- but also because Eli has a lot to say about the racial politics of plays, theatre, and the vicious cycle that begins when a person settles for scraps.

Unforgettable.

This 10-minute drama juxtaposes youthful Romantic optimism and exuberance with the wisdom of experience, pragmatism and cultural history. All against the backdrop of America's determination not to accept Black people, Muslim people or their sacrifice.

Donnetta Lavinia Grays has written about wanting to love America despite messages that it won't love you back. Intergenerational black actors will shine in "On Break at L.L. Bean," a play that ends with an impasse of respect and sadness as the two men believe what they believe.

Grays includes a list of references, highlighting Somali history and the impact of refugees in Maine.