Recommended by Paul Smith

Crikey - this is a stunning piece - Christopher Plumridge is so good at speaking in a natural human voice - this is so utterly believable as a piece of writing. We are taken down a path of great tenderness and love and joy only to be side-swiped off track in devastating, but understated manner. An amazing monologue.

There is nothing like death to uncover things that haven't been known. Family relationships can come to a head at these times and in this short play Rachel Feeny-Williams expertly plays out a vignette between a brother and sister which brings them and their deceased father closer together. There is great depth here and clever writing. It works a treat!

Morey Norkin has an unerring knack, an inbuilt ability to create humour from the simple. This wonderful piece is - seemingly - devoid of plot and purpose, yet it is full of both, in some way! Beckett might well be rather chuffed at the comparisons to his work! What we have here is a play which entertains, delights and fascinates all in a few minutes - as ever, from this excellent writer, it is a cracker!

This is ever so clever - I admire Matthew Linder's mind in coming up with this satirical look at an abundance of issues in this satirical piece - it's so clever to use the scriptures to draw parallels with modern life and I am not sure I have come across it before. What we have here is smart writing which is funny and dark at one and the same time, but packs a punch too. Great stuff!

What a cracking monologue this is for an actor, layered with tension, horror and a decent helping of insanity. Debbie Lamedman has created a masterly piece of theatre offering so much to an actor and director to work with and to leave an audience uncomfortable, spooked and disturbed - fabulous stuff!

This is so clear, so vivid, you feel so 'there', that it doesn't seem possible to come from an imagination - it just has to be real, a memory relived. Morey Norkin's recollection makes for the most delightful of monologues, one which is choc-a-block full of the kind of memories we all have when we reach a certain age. Utterly gorgeous.

What a super piece of work is this. Ryan Kaminski skilfully sets up an American Western atmosphere - you can smell the dust - and delivers a wonderful short play with two superbly drawn characters - truly this could make a full-length story - a feature film even... an excellent story which draws you in immediately and keeps you moving nearer and nearer the edge of your seat.

I can't believe I haven't already recommended this stunning piece of writing. When I first read FAMILY BY NUMBERS I was struck by the amount of story-telling that was to be found in a ten minute play; the simplicity of the set up and the depth of the drama; the emotional swings and roundabouts. It has everything and stays with you - it has with me - I cannot recommend Arianna Rose's elegant and heartfelt play enough - writing of the highest calibre.

Cracking short piece from Paul Donnelly which gets straight to the point and goes straight for the jugular. Incisive, searing and spot on!

This utterly fascinating play based on actual events is vividly told by Lee Lawing; a lesser known piece of Victorian history and of the law surrounding sex and sexuality - how things have progressed; but issues are debated continually. The dialogue is sharp and the story-telling is compelling. It is so wonderful to read such an intelligent piece of work which has been soundly researched and offered up as a great piece of writing - would be amazing to see it expanded into a full-length piece or something for film/TV - Wonderful.