Recommended by Steven G. Martin

This laugh-a-moment short comedy delves into the topic of what makes for a wonderful, charming romantic relationship and how to develop one.

I had the absolute pleasure to read the role of PB in February 2021. Hilary Bluestein-Lyons has written a character both charming in itself and in tune with others' needs.

"Sometimes a Sandwich is Just a Sandwich" has lots of food-based humor, romance and love-based humor, and characters you've yet to see onstage. It is delightful how it hits upon content you want and expect, and then confidently goes further into the unexpected.

How much will we need to reorient ourselves to the world once the pandemic has passed? A helluva lot, as this 10-minute dark comedy makes clear.

Among Dominica Plummer's many strengths as a playwright is her ability to create characters who are fully focused on themselves, their world, and given circumstances. They're charming, good people but blinkered. Rose and Ally completely land in that queue, and their self-centeredness has consequences.

"Lunch" is darkly funny and the tension builds as the audience learns more ... and then the bottom drops out, and it's a new world to consider.

We have a new definition of "comic timing": dialogue "Grown-up things" followed at once by a bedsheet falling to the ground and revealing Dad wearing an all-latex, full-body, BDSM gimp outfit.

There are deadpan deliveries, visual jokes, situational humor, and a lot more to enjoy. But at its core: parents' being honest with their child in what must be an all-time awkward situation.

Thankfully "How to Talk to Your Child About BDSM" isn't set in a universe where door locks exist, otherwise we couldn't enjoy Daniel Prillaman's very funny, sex-positive comedy.

We put ourselves in extreme situations with the hope that someone will notice, regardless of whether they care is secondary. Sometimes we do it for ourselves, just to prove we can succeed.

Bethany Dickens Assaf uses action and physical space very well to tell the story of "Woman on a Ladder." It's visually interesting and adds an element of danger to the story. Plus, it puts both Jess and Dan on the same level (literally and figuratively) as they open up.

"Woman on a Ladder" is a terrific meet-cute with interesting action, backstory, and conflict throughout. Audiences will enjoy it.

This brief monologue recalls a life filled with poetry, a moment filled with joy and passion, all remembered and retold as a plea.

Vicki, the protagonist in D. Lee Miller's "Ball and Chain," steps forward to put the record straight. Now a grandmother, Vicki remembers a special moment while attending Woodstock, and that remembrance catapults her into a new future for herself.

This is a commanding monologue for a female actor in her 60s and 70s. Vicki takes a stand and changes her life. The audience will wish her all the best.

This play hits me hard on multiple levels, and I'll long remember it. I need to watch it in performance. And when I do, I'll cry more than a little, as well as smile.

Philip Middleton Williams, through his skills at sharing details and layering emotional insights to them, has created an exquisite portrait of his father. This is a memorial that will come to life each and every time "Hey, Dad" is read or performed. It is a fitting tribute from a loving son to a father who seems as genuine, caring, and loving as one could want.

This short drama succinctly showcases a bitter truth: people can be aligned, want the same thing, but conflict can still separate them.

Mark Loewenstern dramatizes the aftermath of the shootings near the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in Queens, New York. Loewenstern shows what the Muslim community wants and needs, as well as what the law can actually do. Audiences will empathize with both characters in this two-hander, which will lead to an even more emotional response to the conclusion.

Brief, balanced, yet still painful.

There is nothing more riveting than watching someone successfully do what they are good at.

Francis Boyle's short, dramatic monologue is a portrait of a person successfully doing what they do best: lead. The Chief of Surgery protagonist is decisive, empathetic, a sharp planner, a fine communicator, and tolerates no bullshit. The protagonist in "Before the Storm" truly is in command.

I watched a terrific reading of "Before the Storm" from Back Porch Theater on its Facebook page in December 2020.

I listened to a reading of "Parent / Teacher Night" on Back Porch Theater's Facebook page in February 2021.

Francis Boyle creates such crisp dialogue for the teacher protagonist in this short monologue. There's wit, there's reason, there's imagery, there's an implied command of the situation for the teacher, a character of strength back by Right.

And then comes the turn. Everything changes; the language, the emotion, and even our perceptions of the protagonist. And at the end, we understand who the teacher is speaking to and why. And it hurts to know why.

This one-act play feels like a football-field-sized mural built by hand using Dominoes.

John Busser is brilliant in working out story, plot, character, and motivation in "Time Travelers Can Apply Yesterday" to such high precision. Busser's plays always have a heightened sense of wit, but this play reaches a new dimension. Read it once to revel in its story, read it several more times to enjoy the skill that makes it feel effortless.

And I love that for as finely tuned the play is, Busser creates a climax that is absolutely groan-worthy and low and a mess. Genius payoff. Genius.