Recommended by William Triplett

Don't be fooled by the charming elderly couple and their enduring love at the center of this poignant character study. Undercurrents of sadness and mortality are swirling about, breaking the surface only occasionally and in the slightest ways. And that's what makes this short piece so effective -- the structure mirrors the emotional realities. You come away feeling they have so much vested in each other, but you can only hope both will be able to remember that.

A sly and witty send-up of casting a show -- in particular, a Shakespeare play -- in the age of possible gender-oversensitivity. If old Bill could cast men in all female roles 400 years ago, why not have a pre-adolescent boy play Cleopatra? Larry Rinkel gets great comic mileage out of that question, while also poking fun at stage moms. Lots of fun.

Yet another of the memorable readings at this year's Midwest Dramatists Conference. The characters and action of this charming piece feel so natural, so every-day real, and so recognizable that you almost feel you're in the bathroom with them as Matt tries to remove his hand that's stuck in the toilet. It's an accident that has caused him to reflect on his life and marriage as his wife Lisa tries to figure out not only how he got his hand stuck, but why is he waxing so nostalgic and philosophic suddenly? Lynn deftly makes it all utterly believable and enjoyable.

When it comes to authentically creepy and spine-tingling imagery and language of the Southern Gothic variety, Lindsay Adams is the real deal. It hits you right at the start: A young girl buried up to her chest, playing with paper dolls, unspooling a tale that you will not soon forget. Riveting!

Men -- particularly young men -- be very afraid: The two young women in this stinging comedy are on to your BS, and you'll be sorry you ever messed with either of them. This wonderful, laugh-out-loud romp through the Tinder scene and its occasional horrors will make you feel the angst, anger, and delicious joy of revenge as our heroines realize the super-hero look-alike one of them dated turns out to be a lot less than super. Guaranteed fun.

This is another really accomplished piece I caught at the Midwest Dramatists Conference, and I'm still struck by how Emily Hageman creates smart, sophisticated people who seem to know everything except how to deal with their loss. The wife and husband in this short play are witty, intelligent -- and hurting. You'll feel their love, their confusion, and their pain. And I believe you, like me, will be glad you did.

Caught this little gem at the Midwest Dramatists Conference, and was awfully glad I did. John Adams has a facility for blending whimsy, mystery, and loss in this alternately delightful and poignant 10-minute piece that will have you laughing out loud and then maybe wiping away a tear. It'll stay with you, believe me.

This is one job interview you don't want to go on, but it's a hoot to follow Philip Middleton Williams's characters as they go back and forth with questions that really shouldn't be asked regarding a position shrouded in mystery. Funny and scary!

Just when you might feel life's no longer worth living, some strange phenomenon or force challenges you to think what you might be giving up if you pull the trigger -- quite literally -- on yourself. In "I'll Tell You at Sunrise," that force takes the shape of a homeless man who is trying to make a suicidal man pause and reflect in this brief but poignant play. Sometimes only someone who doesn't know you can understand your pain, whatever it might be, and Franky Gonzalez captures the ironic powerful connection that strangers can feel.

A fun send-up of the noir genre from a different point of view -- that of a hard-boiled female private eye -- laced with wry humor and gangster antics. Think Samantha Spade or Phyllis Marlowe as seen through a prism of good-natured parody.