Recommended by Paul Smith

Sometimes it's what you don't see, what you don't know that creates the atmosphere, the frights, the horror. Greg Mandryk creates a great combination of the comic and the terror in this short piece which is heavily reliant on Brad and Connie to 'bring Beatrice to life'. Love it!

This rather reminds me of one of my pieces set around the subject of a meal - but this is a very different take and delves into the darker side of eating - oh and it works so well. Greg Mandryk has just the right level of humour to sidetrack the viewer/reader until he delivers the twist! Oh, just wonderful stuff!

Crikey Brenton - what have you served up? This is a gem of a piece which switches between a raft of genres before really going for the jugular. Brention Kniess is a writer after my own heart - I have a penchant for this kind of play - and this will make him more and more fans. Cracking stuff from this fabulous writer.

The sheer simplicity of this monologue somewhat disguises the very depths of which Brenton Kniess reaches with this tender and beautifully written piece. The writer illustrates a memory of time gone by through words which conjour ups many images. Utterly delightful.

What enormous fun! Vivian Lermond effortlessly creates a fun and intriguing mystery play with a really engaging pair of sleuths. Full of atmosphere, great characters and, of course, murder! A triumph!

A whole host of questions develop in reading Christopher Plumridge’s monologue - who is ‘the uninvited’? Or what? As the piece lays out its effect, you see what the answer is. The power of the writing is made all the more potent when you realise the personal nature of the writing. It is laden with realism and soul searching. It is truthful and devastating. To anyone who has suffered from the same destructive condition it will resound with the pain it lays on its victim. Plumridge’s writing about the human condition has never been so effective.

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!