Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Bloody, funny, meta, gory, sexy, spoofy, self-aware fun.

I love that Michele D’Annunzio/Solomon Rosenberg, the protagonist in this monologue, is filled with absolute self-confidence and certainty. It's almost a harsh response to everything done to them from a cruel decision made by a selfish father to jeering responses made by an uncaring audience.

Larry Rinkel has created a highly detailed history and emotional journey for the character. I enjoyed a virtual reading of "L'Ultimo Castrato" in December 2021.

This short play ambles along nicely in one direction, then suddenly WHAM, everything changes: tone, action, story. Unforgettable, shocking, jaw-dropping.

I had the pleasure to read the stage directions aloud for a virtual reading of "The Comfort Zone" and still remember the shocked and awed laughs the moment that everything went askew. The laughter didn't stop until long after "End of Play."

I like this short dramatic play. What I like most is Emily McClain's empathy for both characters and their perspectives. Ellis and Solaire both make valid points about modern life, ambition, reaching beyond means, and office politics. McClain is clear-eyed and allows these characters to go back and forth, arguing but understanding one another. It's really nice character work in a play that I really like.

The premise that John Minigan has created for this one-minute play is satiric enough on its own. Minigan raises the level of satire even higher with details like character and program names and dialogue that is brutal and funny and brutal again.

Rachel, the protagonist in "Call Me," is not a damsel in distress, a shrinking violet, a virago or a harpy. She is much more complex, which I appreciate in a short play.

Rachel is hurt, vengeful, mean-spirited, hopeful, funny, victorious, quick-witted. I'm not sure how I ultimately feel about her, which is meant as a compliment for Darryl Vinyard's writing.

This dramatic monologue overflows with remarkable language to convey Anna's thoughts and emotions and stunning images of her experience. It's a sensory-filled feast. Could Anna's experience have been made dark and harrowing? Yes, but Greg Vovos has written it to be transcendent and even heroic.

I love how Vovos uses the slightest, perhaps most thrown-away bit of dialogue to provide the most-necessary background information about Anna. It may take a moment or two to understand Anna's journey, but once it's understood everything flows together like tributaries into a river. Once you understand, read "Vast" again.

Asher Wyndham's monologue for an older female actor is a portrait of a worker who takes pride and care in her work, even though she may be overlooked or underappreciated.

Dora isn't only about flowers; Wyndham shows that all the reasons people go to the hospital -- and the joy, pain, grief, and exultation accompanying them -- filter through to Dora. Dora is all about the people she comes into contact with. She is a hero.

This is another winning monologue by Wyndham, who again shows the ability to create dimensional, emotional characters for the stage with a snapshot.

This one-minute play made me cry a little, sigh a little. I love that Scott Sickles shows that even the briefest respite from depression, grief, guilt ... anything negative that wears us down ... is to be savored. Even if it's a minute long. Even if we know the grind will return. "Signs of Life" will make audiences cry a little, sigh a little.

I love John Minigan's one-minute drama because the historical family dynamic is clear with only a few lines Alessandra's dialogue. I also love Alessandra's earnestness and openness.

Yet, this script seems to be less about what Alessandra says than when and, literally, how. She probably is at the height of her agency, but it's undercut because of when and how she communicates with her father. It made me feel for her and understand her inner conflicts.

"Bedside Manners" is subtle, layered, engaging drama told within 60 seconds.