Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Love's a bitch in this action-filled, high-concept, one-minute play.

I listened to a workshop cold reading of "The Ring Box," which highlighted Josie Gingrich's skill at building characters and atmosphere in a short time. The horror will creep up on readers and audiences, but by the time they catch on, it's too late. The family that slays together, stays together.

Emotionally and erotically charged, the play has plenty of surprises in plot and tone. It doesn't veer where an audience might expect, which is thanks to Cathro's talents.

Mildred Lewis shows us the painful moment when a young woman takes the first step to a slowly, subtly devastated life. The audience knows the future that Brooklyn faces, begs her not to give in to it. The audience will root for all these women who have few prospects and fewer resources, but better understand how they can feel so powerless in their current situation.

What I love about Mildred Lewis' "Roost First, Then Fly" is how the story can be enjoyed in any number of ways. How can this 10-minute play mean so many things to a variety of people? It's the quality of Lewis' writing.

It's a comedy about plucky characters who succeed at an improbable task; it's a critique about contemporary, commercial livestock-raising practices; it's a political and sociological allegory about the downtrodden rising against oppression.

This play deserves an even richer production and awards history.

Dwayne Yancey bookends "The Ferryman's Apprentice" with Greek mythology, but I was emotionally moved by its core: a story of grief, guilt, and the impossibilities that death brings. This 10-minute play also is about perspective and acceptance, the kind that people will never have while alive. And, oh, it's bitter to realize that.

Jeff Bouthiette's "Book Club" is a fun, light comedy on the surface, but it's not all one-liners. What's great is that both mother and daughter are taking initiative to manage the newfound change in their lives, which adds depth to the characters. This is a funny and touching 10-minute play.

Different people respond differently to the same art. The characters experience this, and I think audiences will take away different things from Rose's terrific, complex play itself. Here's what I took away.

I grew frustrated with one character's P.O.V. about the attendees at her gallery opening, because I felt she pigeonholed them as much as she thought they pigeonholed her art. And I cheered the other character who appreciated the nuance in her friend's art and, maybe, people too. Both were genuinely emotional responses.

"Art House" asks question instead of offering glib answers.

J.Stephen Brantley looks at men's relationships with other men, self-esteem, sexuality, and identity in this one-act comedy-drama. "Brojob" is sexy and sad, raw and exposed, and full of negotiations and power plays. Such straightforward sexuality on stage would make it a controversial choice for production, but also a powerful one.

A docudrama that also is theatrical. An angry, political play that uses action and symbolism very well in just a few minutes. Whidden makes a statement that leads to more questions than answers. This play is unsettling and images would linger in audience members' minds a while.