Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Gatton's characters are trapped in a horrible place, both on the processing floor and middle management office of a meat-packing plant and across the nation. All four are trying to better themselves -- morally, socially, or financially -- with tragic results. And yet, there's a glimmer of hope at the end. Which I love.

Tom Moran tells a very satisfying story about perspective, appreciation, and growth with "The Sign." Arthur doesn't find what he's looking for as he examines the past, but he sees how the past has led him where he is now. This is good, solid drama with a nice touch of science fiction.

"Present Tense" beautifully captures sibling relationships. Emily Hageman is on point with the dialogue and tone: Mike, Nicole, and David tease each other, torture each other, commiserate with each other so well because they know what the others are going through and the shared history is strong.

I love the delicate balancing act of action and character that Richter creates in "Spinach and American Cheese." Making an omelet requires nuance and control, which feels at odds to opening up emotionally to a child-nearly-adult daughter. Doing both at the same time would be a challenge, but Richter grounds both in love and in this case a wistfulness that drives both actions. This is an understated portrait of fatherhood, and I love it.

"Ignore the Random Bear" is the least realistic, most enigmatic of Neil Radtke's plays. The audience knows just enough about Nina and Ian's story, but we're kept at arm's length with a minimum of exposition and a mysterious, symbolic, non-speaking character. The audience will want to know more -- which is the point. Sitting still, observing, listening could help us identify the gap created by isolation and pain, could help us bridge it. "Ignore the Random Bears" reminds us we can and we should.

This is a feel-good play about living and change. Yes, you're gonna love the characters in this short comedy; Aloe and Mother's Tongue are terrifically comic. But what I love most about Debra A. Cole's "Late Bloomer" is its humane theme: growth doesn't have to be universal, sudden, or ostentatious. We should appreciate it can be deliberate and that it can be as individual as we are.

Genuinely touching. I love that "The Rekindling," at its core, tells a story about the constancy of love even as people change. The changes are extreme, but, hey, make your mark in one minute and grab that audience!

This is a fun, brisk play. I love Dad's dry wit as he messes with Mindy.

I love the impossible scenario Chloe and Woodrow face in Tom Moran's sci-fi/fantasy comedy "WYWH." Audiences will accept that they're communicating across 140+ years, and then they can enjoy Moran's skill, bringing a warm-hearted story about friendship and technology with gentle humor and more than nod to the dangers of changing history. I'd love to see "WYWH" on the stage.

I love how Aly Kantor shows in "My Beloved, My Axiom" that things work out in life and love, even in completely unexpected ways. There are plot twists upon character twists upon plot twists upon character twists a plenty in this short farcical -- yet hopefully romantic -- comedy.