Recommended by Steven G. Martin

This is a satisfying, imaginative romantic comedy. Going into the theater, an audience will know exactly how the personal and professional conflicts will end. But they won't know what paths the characters will take to reach a resolution, and that's a testament to Zaffarano's skills as a storyteller.

Does owning and shooting a gun make you more of a man? Boyle shows the seductive nature of firearms in this monologue that has a strong, clear, singular voice.

Have you ever laughed out loud, only to be slapped hard in the face? That's what an audience will feel watching Siering's short play "Truth is..."

It's a satire that feels like a documentary; a harsh, perceptive, very funny, yet still slap-in-the-face experience that shows insight not only about contemporary issues, but also the larger plots and schemes at the national level that keep politicians toeing the line.

A delightful workplace comedy set in Heaven, specifically God's waiting room. Funny, yet thoughtful: Can Heaven be overcrowded? Can a committee offer solutions within an allotted time? Will the person in charge consider change? But mostly, it's funny and endearing. I'd love to watch a production or to direct one.

Stolnack places hell and paradise side-by-side on stage, simultaneously. And it's obvious he knows about both, as shown in the level of details he includes. That alone makes "The Spot" a play that would be moving to watch.

But Stolnack goes further by telling a story of friendship and redemption that trusts audiences to fill in the details and perhaps ask more questions.

I'd love to see Paloma Sierra's choreopoem in performance. "BuT yOuR eNgLiSh Is So GoOd!" showcases the frustrations of being condescended to, of being patronized, and how those frustrations wear down a person, incident after incident.

Carbajal presents holiday consumerism as psychological trauma. The humor is absolutely dry as a desert, and oh so enjoyable.

The character is cold, clinical, rational, emotionless. A psychopath, and a driven one, compelled by everyday people's words. We, the audience, are complicit, and that nauseated me. This is a controversial, unforgettable monologue.

God Bless America and American flippancy. They're the perfect subjects for Ken Green's spare, direct, one-minute political comedy. Produce this every national election year.

Everything you know and love is about to come to an end. Sickles makes this a concrete, emotional reality by focusing the story -- indeed, the entire "The Second World" trilogy -- on two men in love and their families. The structure provides a "life flashing before our eyes" and the characters' reactions make them feel vibrant and real.

Everything ends: Earth, our families. And this is a fitting end to "The Second World" trilogy. Very highly recommended.