Recommended by Paul Donnelly

Burn This Book is a taut and compelling exploration of the meaning and responsibility of legacy. What does an author owe to his family? What does he owe to the truth? And what does his family owe to him and his work after he is gone?

Adams pulls off the high wire act of mixing a parody of boy detectives with a moving meditation on grief and loss. This is a rich, complex, engaging ten minute piece.

A witty take on relationships, history and memory. It's fun to hear these characters misinterpret events from what to them is ancient history and to experience a different set of gender roles.

Love comes and goes, but life is forever when you're a vampire. John Mabey packs a lot of insight into this witty short.

A powerful, charged, poignant and regrettably necessary howl of rage. The exhaustion of both the characters and the playwright is palpable and heart-rending. The question of what, when and how change will occur remains painfully open.

Soucy brilliantly balances the high-wire act of a comedy about grief. A hired mourner forces the family members to face their own attitudes toward grief, toward the loss of their wife/mother/daughter, and toward one another. The characters are distinctive and well-defined and both their conflicts and their love are ultimately credible and compelling.

Worse than writer's block - the characters' revolt. Our poor author loses control of his creations to his consternation and our great amusement. The dialogue is witty and the action swift and engaging. The topper is the way the author regains control. This piece is great fun, especially when it explores the painful truths of the writing process.

Funny, sure, on the surface, but actually a play of real depth, feeling and insight. The struggle for self-knowledge and self-acceptance subtly undergirds the entire piece.

A very funny one-minute romp. Given the conclusion of this play I can only assume that Matthew Weaver is overwhelmed with dates.

A tender and funny look at the gifts a mother and daughter can give one another in a time of grief. The characters and their relationship have real depth and depth of feeling.