Recommended by Steven G. Martin

This short comedy is a love letter to actors. It starts funny and slightly ridiculous, but the ending speech is direct emotion from the heart.

I watched a performance of this comedy during Kansas City Public Theatre's Online 10-Minute Play Project in May 2020. It would play beautifully on stage.

Speckman creates such a beautiful, visual, wise, central metaphor about women and their connections to the generations of women that precede and follow them. And even while Speckman revels in the epic, the monologue -- framed as a letter -- also celebrates the most intimate of connections. It's no wonder this monologue for a female actor already has a rich production history.

"Brightly" is pretty frickin' awesome, indeed. I can only imagine the amount of tears that flowed when the audience hears it and watches it performed. Bravo to Deray for the genuine and direct emotion of this monologue.

There are subtleties of darkness in Polak's play. Grief, anger, fear, anxiety, disgust, and malaise wind throughout the Ryan's memories and his current conversation. And there's a haziness in the visuals and descriptors of the titular smoking room. This isn't a pretty play, but it is beautiful thanks to Polak's skill.

This one-minute play is positively Chekhovian. I enjoyed a performance during the Quaranteeny Play Festival from Fat Turtle Theatre Company in May 2020.

I'm crying. A heartbreaking portrayal of denial as one of the stages of grief. I enjoyed a performance during the Quaranteeny Play Festival from Fat Turtle Theatre Company in May 2020.

Gill's premise for "Top Shelf Tolstoy" is wonderful, but the execution is even better with enough witty dialogue and details that make this absurd world feel genuine. Funny stuff, with a slight bittersweet flavor.

O'Grady's one-minute comedy is sure to put a grin on your face. There's so much to enjoy, the characters' awe and joy first and foremost. Hey, if people aren't free to frolic and gambol, at least goats with Welsh accents are.

I felt a shiver of wonder when reading "The Time is out of Joint," namely when Monica Cross uses stopwatches to drive home the point. The action: slight. The results: a slight difference in expectation. But the results are stunning.

A romantic comedy with plenty of comic oomph! The concept is marvelous, the execution -- especially the dialogue -- is flawless. It's no wonder this play has a rich, international production history. I enjoyed a performance during the Quaranteeny Play Festival from Fat Turtle Theatre Company in May 2020.