Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Because of Matthew Weaver's warmth and empathy for all 3 characters, "When You Are a Little Bit Older" confidently moves beyond what could have been a cliched "sibling versus sibling" confrontation. Instead, it plays like a memory, perhaps the first in a series about any of these characters and how they grew up.

How far would you go to pass as someone you're not? What would you hide? What would you force yourself to do? Where would you draw the line? Bee Scott's one-act play Mission Creep dramatizes how the survival instinct leads Tess and Liam to disavow parts of their lives. Clearly drawn, life-or-death conflict. Nice pacing to reveal the horrifying given circumstances. No answers, just questions ... which I love.

Azure Osborne-Lee dramatizes so many true moments in such a short time from sibling relationships and rivalries to the sweet longings of first love to the surprising moments of connection between generations.

Gina Femia has created an amazing character in school student Imogene. She blasts her rage and anger at full volume when speaking to God, but then opens up briefly to show her sadness and disillusionment. That rage turned to sadness finally expresses itself in pride, in pushing away shame that others try to inflict upon her. There's such truth in Femia's short play.

Recommended for all ten-minute festival opportunities. In "The Heinrich Maneuver," Mark Harvey Levine has created a world that follow its own logic and rules, and then gleefully builds upon them as ridiculously funny revelations are met by even more ridiculously funny revelations. Action, characterization, dialogue ... all are pitch perfect in this fast-paced, zany romp. Very well done.

Recommended for any 10-minute play festival, including those featuring LGBTQ themes. King comically and seriously shows how the newness of a situation can lead to awkward discomfort, even among good people. King also smartly shows how clarity helps them focus on what matters: the kid.

Kids are weird. And Matthew Weaver captures a lot of charming, weird kid-ness here. Lots of credit to Weaver on conducting research to get the facts right -- you'll learn more about Walla Walla sweet onions than before you started -- but even more credit for creating a wry, charming, winning character.

DC Cathro dramatizes a simple truth: We love who we love, we love when they are happy, and we will go to great lengths to make them happy, even if it means feigning an interest in things we don't necessarily like ourselves, including soul-sucking ceramics and football jerseys.

Is there a perfect match out there for everyone? Yes, Neil McGowan says, if a person is willing to expand horizons more than just a little bit. Soulmate, Inc. is a well-structured comedy that nicely builds on the lunacy of its premise. But the comedy is tempered by glass-shard-like reality when our hero is told about what it means to really connect with another person. Cynics will laugh, realists will nod at this funny, deceptively harsh comedy.

Jennifer O'Grady has crafted a nice portrait of friendship that remains strong even during rough times: no plans for Christmas, not much food in the cupboard, no job prospects and even questioning why friends are friends to begin with. Most Wonderful would be a terrific addition to holiday- and Christmas-themed festivals and productions.