Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Sickles zooms in on the intimate and personal in the midst of tragedy. As with all his plays, Sickles provides details to imbue his characters with another humane dimension. Keep an eye on the flatware.

Regrets and frustrations. A tender, passionate moment between mature men. The final goodbye at the end of a 30-plus-year relationship. Sickles brings all of this gracefully in a way that will tug an audience's heartstrings.

It lasts only a minute, but "Exclusion" may be the most dangerous play I've read. It adds a perspective to a topic that normally is discussed in a single dimension.

This two-character play will appeal to actors and audiences.

When the heart doesn't get what it wants, frustration reigns. And pent-up frustration is set loose in "The Trike, or 'Use Your Words.'" Angus's methods to express his frustration are extreme, but Sickles allows the audience to understand how much that frustration is harming him.

The power of language in the realms of desire, joyously told in a single, sweet-then-sexy minute.

"Riddles" is a terrific thriller.

Kendall's script serves up ice-cold revenge: an unknown sadist forces his enemies to confess their crimes, humiliating themselves in front of strangers before they are killed. Lots of twists and turns in identity and power add to the fun.

"Riddles" has strong dialogue, visuals, and actions that will appeal to actors, designers, and directors. Audiences will enjoy it, too.

Instantly, an audience knows something is going to break during Burdick's play -- the strain is too high and has lasted too long. The question is what further destruction will the shards cause?

"The Fly" would be great fun for a physically gifted actor or actress -- not just because of the action involved, but also because facial expressions would be so important. I think Sytsma's comedy would be equally effective in a theater or as a site-specific performance.

Some anti-Christmas Christmas plays are merely snide or sarcastic. This is not one of them. Ashley Lauren Rogers has written a dark-as-the-inside-of-a-closed-coffin comedy.

A naïve elf. A diabolical brat. An unbreakable promise. What could possibly go right? Rogers makes sure it all goes horribly wrong by the sixth line.

Busser's short comedy is a brilliant spoof of police interrogations and their twists and turns (ding), it's a live-action primer of improvisational comedy and its foundations (ding), and it's a rollicking comedy that will leave audiences in stitches.

"Annnd Scene (of the Crime)" is fast-paced and hilarious, and directors and comic actors will love it as much as audiences. A special shout-out to the nod to David Ives at the end; it's the perfect conclusion.

May 2022: Audiences at MadLab Theatre Roulette howled themselves hoarse with laughter throughout this brilliant comedy, and rightfully so. It was the event's standout production.