Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Oh this is so very much a genuine love letter to theatre and the people who create it and find pleasure/comfort/joy within it.

Vivian Lermond's language is anthem-like in its visuals, its rhythm. I look forward to the performance of "Theatre Is ..." during the 17th annual Gi60 U.S. Festival in October 2021.

A dash of physical comedy, characterization, more than a little lunacy all within a single minute.

Matthew Weaver is a magical storyteller -- able to get a complete story filled with conflict, power struggles, a climax ... and again, that taste of lunacy that will make an audience sit up and take notice. An actor would love this role, an audience will love this play.

I look forward to its performance in the 17th annual Gi60 U.S. Festival in October 2021.

Jennifer O'Grady absolutely trusts her audience's intelligence. With nary a word about the given circumstances, she conjures strong feelings of the world of the play and makes us wonder about our own world. And all through the guise of a monologue for a talking cat!

Funny, a little dark, and thought provoking -- especially the unanswerable final line that O'Grady has constructed as the topper. I can't want to watch the performance in the 17th annual Gi60 U.S. festival in October 2021.

A very dark, very funny monologue that flits across propriety like a dragonfly skimming over water. But Sean Keeley pulls the audience below that calm, water-like propriety to show darker -- and still funny -- depths.

"The Dilemma" is an enjoyable, sharp, biting short monologue. It's fun to read aloud, no doubt would be fun to act, and it would be easy to produce.

The logic of the mind versus the chaos of the heart. This is an ultimately sweet story about saying "yes" when the possibility of love appears.

"Inevitable" isn't cloyingly cute or syrupy, however. Bethany Dickens Assaf punctuates the story with very funny dialogue and visuals on the path to the ultimately sweet "yes": waffles, porn, cocaine, and evil presence of clueless Rob.

This is a story many will understand, the characters' pitfalls and challenges lead to great visuals and dialogue, and the feel-good ending will make audiences smile. I hope its production history will grow even more robust.

If I were to watch this monologue performed, I would be bawling after the first sentence. Chip's story may be fictional, but this monologue is complete truth. We're seeing, perhaps, the beginning of the end of Chip.

Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn creates a character whose biggest conflict is with himself. He thinks of himself as selfish, probably also as lazy and unintelligent because of his reaction to being his father's caretaker.

Chip's tension, depression, tiredness in "Help" are absolutely right on. Floyd-Priskorn's monologue is jarring.

"But look what that love has done for me."

That line is exactly what makes Lee R. Lawing's monologue "It is I, Seagull" captivating. Yes, the craft of conducting research on an historic event and personality are top notch. But Lawing goes further by giving Valentina Tereshkova the opportunity to daydream, to hope, to express joy that is so personal and perhaps beyond what we knew about Tereshkova before.

I loved watching Back Porch Theatre's performance of "It is I, Seagull." I'd love to see it in performance again.

A very funny premise that I'd like to see more of.

Nicole Cox's "Call Center, Morning & Evening" goes beyond just its premise though. There's a nice build of banter between the characters, some surprising twists, and a fine button to the end.

It's a miracle to find a play that expands our understanding of what a can be accomplished in a particular genre -- in this case, the 1-minute play.

Matthew Weaver deeply imbues "Spokane Beauty" with micro dramas and comedies, personal victories and defeats. This play is refreshing, it thumbs its nose at the so-called rules of short plays, it energizes. I'd watch this on stage many times in joy.

A direct, spare story with a definitive point of view.

Adam Richter's one-minute drama "Some Game" feels uncomplicated but it leaves me with more (good) questions at the end, especially about Hiram's history and how Jordan will be affected by considering another person's perspective.

Simple, thoughtful, direct, decisive. I like this play a lot.