Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Timms uses emotion, rhythm and history-building to create a complex character in their monologue about mourning. A young man attends the funeral of a former friend now "in the background" of his life. Timms doesn't brush aside emotions or default into "courageous, bright-side-of-life" mode. Instead, they provide Young Man the opportunity to express a mixture of genuine grief, regret and guilt. This is a humane portrait of a man in mourning.

Sometimes when loved ones die, we don't have the opportunity to be with them, to speak to them and that can be rough. Sometimes we can be around our loved ones when they die, and -- as Brian James Polak shows in this short drama -- that can be worse. These characters don't exist in the vacuum of the moment, Polak endows them with a history that affects their choices in the present. That's a treat for audiences and actors alike.

Canfield's short comedy is a witty re-imagining of the Greek Fates in a thoroughly modern domestic setting. There's plenty of action, a nice use of props and three well-defined characters in this winning script.

This comic short play excels because of Canfield's gift at creating contrasting characters. Actors will love performing the roles of Fish and Cat, who have vastly different world views. This is a lively, lovely light comedy. Produce it!

In this one-minute drama, Villanueva succinctly shows through dialogue and action how a single problem can lead to a cycle that pulls a person away from their American Dream.

Thank you Melisa Tien for your empathetic soul, your humane heart. For writing about Boyd, one of the invisible in the United States, one who slips between the cracks. For showing his humanity rather than ignoring him, even when it feels he is succumbing to the problems associated with being poor in America. "The Boyd Show" is not politics, it is not a hot-button topic. It is humanity, age 11-22, in tour de force mode.

Gerardo has built a complex, futuristic world with its own history and rules in "Kith and Tell." It nicely plays into the tension of boyfriend-meets-girlfriend's-parents/fish-out-of-water scenarios. A really elegant touch is that Gerardo doesn't fully explain what led to what seems to be apocalyptic situations as tensions ebb and flow. "Kith and Tell" is wonderful science fiction, satire, dark comedy and mystery at its core.

It isn't easy for everyone to speak openly, to act upon opportunities. Collin's and Barney's inability to say what they feel in "Turtles and Bulldogs" is genuinely heart-wrenching. Just when it seems there's no hope, however, Sickles provides a glimmer.

Moran's comedy "WTF" is a minute-long avalanche about language. It starts with realistic dialogue, builds to ridiculous permutations, and ends in sheer absurdity. Additional kudos to Moran for creating a complete story -- beginning, middle, and end with conflicts and characterizations -- in a single page.

Hilton's "Ten Speed" is a contemporary tragedy that brings together characters damaged by the past and plagued by bad decisions in the present. The plot's actions and reactions make the climax feel inevitable, but Hilton's eye for characterization allows Red and Terry to be fully realized individuals rather than just automatons set on a destructive path.