Recommended by Steven G. Martin

A papercut of a play: brief, swift and cutting.

"Office Hours" shreds a few subjects in under 60 seconds: entitlement, the state of education, and modes of parenting. And probably more.

The ending is funny but as audiences think on it, it also will induce a cringe of recognition. I guarantee we all know the people in this short comedy because of Jackie Martin's broad and strong characterizations.

"Eleven Pipers Piping" is not the monologue I was expecting.

Nora Louise Syran has written a wistful short monologue. While there's a pride to this character -- pride of place, pride of culture and tradition -- there's also a sad knowledge that things change and fade, that sometimes things die out.

Syran makes a brilliant touch in having the character be an older teacher wanting to pass along knowledge to further generations. The use of bagpipe music and the Breton language also is inspired. This entry in the "Twelve Days of Christmas in France" series may best stand alone.

This is an ambitious short play, serving as an omnibus of scenes that extend the previous 9 plays in Nora Louise Syran's "The Twelve Days of Christmas in France" series. While it would be a challenge to stage, it would be a lot of fun for actors an audiences to see how the characters' lives extend beyond just those few moments we spent with them earlier.

"Ten Lords a Leaping" is the linchpin of the series and makes it a collection that must be performed together in a single sitting.

"Nine Ladies Dancing" is the silliest and funniest installment in Nora Louise Syran's "The Twelve Days of Christmas" series. There are sight gags, wordplay, character-based humor, situational humor, and action gallivanting through this 4-minute-long comedy. It's a gift to comic actors and audiences who enjoy them.

I enjoy Nora Louise Syran's dramatic monologue "Eight Maids a Milking" because it is set on a farm, that it showcases a farmer at work. I like how self-aware the farmer is of herself, how aware she is of the family's history and its present, and at how others look at her and compare her to a standard of womanhood she doesn't meet. And I like how she gets done what she needs to get done.

I admire this nose-to-the-grindstone monloogue.

This play is wise, mature and a little sad in its exploration of the next steps to take after damage is done. Do we rebuild from what's left over? Do we throw everything out to start from scratch.

Again, Nora Louise Syran excels in setting, mood, atmosphere, just as in all the plays of her "The Twelve Days of Christmas in France" series. There's an awareness of fragility and necessary change in this short play, but also mutual understanding and awareness. "Seven Swans a Swimming" is a sigh of realization.

This musical provides a lot of opportunities for actors to shine, showcases some women's impact on everyday life in the American West, and provides a lot of opportunities for imaginative design.

Debra A. Cole has created a story that is clear, offers a lot of repetition for young audiences to grasp onto, and is powered by distinct characters. "Taming the West" also would provide a good foundation for classroom study about post-Civil War, pre-World War I America.

"Six Geese a Laying" is the most comic script among the first six in Nora Louise Syran's 12-play cycle about Christmas in France. There's a heightened sense of urgency, language barriers, and multiple layers of arguments. Ultimately, French culture wins out and life is good. This is a fun and funny play that I'd enjoy watching onstage.

"Five Golden Rings" is a heartwarming short play that shows the transformation of a self-centered character to a selfless one. Much like the plays that preceded this one in the "Twelve Days of Christmas in France" series, this holiday play especially shines in terms of character and atmosphere.

Greg Lam's one-minute satire says and shows everything it needs to skewer award-bait movies, the actors who appear in them, and the awards themselves. It's a sharp gem of a script that'll be a centerpiece of any one-minute festival in which it's produced.