Recommended by Steven G. Martin

I love this kind of storytelling: Reality collapses upon itself, breaks into fragments that ricochet against one another - sometimes to horrific effect.

I also love that "-1, 0, 1" feels objective, cold, a little clinical in its drama. We have some details but not enough to fully understand the protagonist. This isn't personal, it's all of us: our lives have multitudes of frequencies and ranges. It's so precise.

I hope Emily Elyse Everett's short drama/dark comedy gets a strong, varied production history.

A tearjerker on two levels: the knowing, serious drama of conflict and guilt and shame in the first part of this short play followed gently by the direct address of remorse and grief. Audiences will openly sob.

Absolute twisty, suspenseful, satisfying fun.

Scott Sickles layers revelations and reversals on top of one another from almost the beginning of this horror script. Once the first truth is exposed, the rest come crashing down almost like dominoes, one after another.

What gives "Corporeal Punishment" an added texture is one of Sickles' many strengths: As much as this one-act play properly belongs in the realm of horror -- some amazing visuals, dialogue and plot points! -- at its center is the conflict of wanting to love and be loved. It's scarily humane.

This is a crafty bit of comic writing. Comedy may be about people at their worst, but to devote an entire play to two characters at their worst except for the climax is an exercise in balance.

Two actors with strong chemistry will flourish in "The Hate Cafe" because Jim Siering's skill at banter, tone and pacing will keep an audience invested in Donna, Jim and their plight.

Scott Sickles takes his character Grant to such heights in this monologue that he's either going to continue to fly or he's doing to fall to his death. The stakes are that high.

Sickles has packed so much strident, sincere emotion and rich, vibrant details into "Music in the Name" that Grant can be fully understood by audiences, directors and actors alike.

We understand this is THE signature moment in Grant's life -- his plea for a doctor's help. What happens afterward is of the highest magnitude: either resurrection and celebration ... or emotional annihilation and devastation.

Flirty, sexy and low-key funny. Cast a pair of actors with serious on-stage chemistry in the roles of Chris and Sam and this one-minute comedy will appeal to audiences and performers alike.

And don't rush the dialogue -- this is a one-minute play that becomes better the more the full minute is used.

I enjoyed a performance of David Hansen's "Double Heart (The Courtship of Beatrice and Benedick)" that was romantic, comic and serious when it needed to be. Hansen's writing beautifully creates two willful characters and their journey in such a way that the audience can understand how they became who are they are in "Much Ado About Nothing."

The wit and wordplay are in full bloom as is the double heart as romance ensues. Give Hansen ample credit for not forcing the characters through strange situations and stimuli in order to arrive where they do. Plot and character development flow naturally...

There so much to enjoy in George Sapio's short play: backstory and given circumstances I've never imagined; a setting both disturbing and romantic; characters with competing agendas, both of which are soul-crushing in different ways; a microscopically detailed worldview that is beyond relevant to today's world; twists and turns to the story that'll shake an audience.

"Messages" is marvelous and deserves a rich, robust production history. It's entertaining and engrossing, and it'll remind people of realities that often go unseen. Marvelous.

Kara Maddox and Bryan Stubbles capture the pulse-pounding chaos in horror stories in this short play. "You're It" has classic tropes actors and audiences alike will enjoy squirming and screaming about. This would be a perfect play for a Halloween- or horror-themed event.

Ellen Koivisto has written a pleasant, endearing, recognizable and comfortable drama. Reading "Dog and Human" feels similar to looking at photo albums whose images were taken several years apart.