Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Back-of-the=-neck-hair-raising horror in less than a minute. Radtke's premise is strong enough that all that matters is that audiences know SOMETHING is wrong. This was good as a staged reading. This would be excellent in production.

Audiences loved a staged reading of this sex farcical comedy. Surprising situations, some wordplay, and a button that wraps up the script by raising the stakes further. A comic gem.

An emotional coup de théâtre that led to an audible audience gasp during a reading in April 2026. This short romantic drama needs to be produced and seen. Bravo, Neil Radtke.

Classic comedy: Bad people doing bad things to others and one another then getting their comeuppance. Well done by Jack Levine.

I enjoyed the hell out of Hell in a Handbag's staged reading of this epic play for young audiences. There lots of laughs, an epic journey filled with unusual characters that audiences will love, some lovely father-daughter moments, and sass that only a Wig Monster can provide. It's more than just "Lord of the Rings" meets John Waters, though. It's heart and humor of Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend and David Lipschutz that make this play shimmer.

Ruben Carbajal's Fireflies is a terrific short play. I love its focus and theme of communication and connection in the modern age. I also love the imagery conjured by this script.

Every comedy has life lessons, including this funny play by Michael Lin. The ones I took from "Madam Tiffani, the Minor Arcane" are 1) manipulations always succeed, b) second graders with any level of vocabulary are terrifying and should be avoided, and c) Uno and Pokémon have more power than anything tarot provides. These details and others make Lin's comedy a lot of fun.

There are many things to love in Zip It: The love between Ace and Ora is strong, the details of their backstory -- the spinach episode, misremembering titles -- adds dimension to their character, and it dramatizes a life-altering moment; you just know Ora will become an adventurous, thrill-seeking, adrenalin aficionado after this first zipline experience. Ms. Latrice Young has written a marvelous romantic comedy that would satisfy fans of both genres. (And the stone-faced worker is perfect.)

I enjoy how Hilary Bluestein-Lyons succinctly dramatizes that some relationships are like heavy rocks dropped into a deep pond: The initial contact is momentary, but the impact ripples outward for awhile.

I loved listening to Broken Arts Entertainment's audio production of this comic tale of a horrible morning after situation turned gentle comeuppance turned sweet romantic comedy. The major twist in this comedy comes after a seemingly innocuous statement, which makes it feel even more real and not a capital-T twist. A little harrowing and a whole lot comical.