Recommended by Paul Smith

This is an utterly delightful piece for young people. Friendship abounds as Josh's excitement is shared by his friends at the news of the imminent arrival of his new puppy. Random chats about knitting, turtles and monkeys are all part of the early hours Zoom chat between friends. Charming and warm-hearted.

One of the great joys of NPX is finding golden nuggets hidden away. This is one such nugget. Timothy Henderson Jr. has managed to distil the life of a couple into a a few short minutes. Spare of language but not of story, it is an incredibly clever piece of work with far more depth to it than might at first appear. It's a small marvel. Highly, highly recommended.

It's a bit mad and it's a bit bonkers - but I loved it. Just beware the next time you go to buy your Christmas tree that there is possible danger all around. Ron Burch has created something sinister from something so harmless and has done it in a clever and very funny way. Huge fun!

A moment in time - in the toughest time. Marj O'Neill-Butler distils the experiences of so many over the last year - aiming for normality and wanting to share and love - but separated by a sheet of glass. The separation leads to thoughts of an end; the end of the pandemic or the end of life. Fingers crossed this one might have a happy ending... A moment in time, and a beautifully crafted one.

On first reading this play I was struck by the gentle way in which the story unfolded. How, the wonderful dialogue and setting just drew you into what turns out to be unexpected and invigorating and heart-warming. Characters are drawn in full three dimensions, something which Philip Middleton Williams achieves with an ease which belies the difficulty in achieving the feat. Creative, warm and moving. A superb piece of work.

It never ceases to amaze me, the skill of the writer who can pack so much into one minute. Here, we have expectation, anticipation, hilarity, shock and horror all bound together by Philip Middleton William's hallmark fluid dialogue. A breathless one minute of wit and smart writing. Fabulous.

Well....what an extraordinary piece of writing - certainly that of a very fertile mind. Jarred Corona juggles, balances, and performs acrobatics with words in this wonderfully absurd, bizarre and very off-the-wall comedy. The puns and wordplay comes thick and fast, see if you can keep up. Brilliantly original!

Sharing a home, sharing a life, sharing anything is something which can make or break a relationship - we all know that going on holiday together can be a real relationship maker or breaker. In this wonderfully amusing and emotional monologue Sebastian Timpe, beautifully captures that uncertainty of when a friendship has transcended the normal into the special and when the communion of two persons should be made official. This is writing which is full of heart and soul and very, very reminiscent of many of our own life experiences. Super stuff!

A moment in time. Encapsulating anything within one minute when writing a play is a real art. In this case Matthew Weaver offers a tantalising glimpse of a very sweet story of love and friendship - two young people with different views on how close the friendship is, should or could be. This is one minute of utter delight which in performance would be sure to stir emotions. Love it.

There is something about this very clever piece of story-telling that makes you rather wonder if it has some truth - yes, really! Jonathan Cook has created an amusing, but disturbingly 'realistic' piece of sci-fi - within the space of a few minutes he transports the audience into a world which might make us all look over our shoulder a little more often. Smart, perceptive and mindbendingly good work.