Recommended by Steven G. Martin

Philip Middleton Williams nicely balances a difficult path in this beautiful memory play. He details in his relationship with Allen Pfannenstiel, including several moments that had to have hurt very much, and he does so objectively so that he and Allen are seen as 3-dimensional people with flaws and strengths rather than types.

The structure of this play is beautiful, the scope both broad yet focused, and the details highlighting the character of two men in love and ultimately as best friends are rich and plentiful.

We may never fully know a person, but Williams creates a strong portrait here.

Being part of a loving relationship takes work, but imagine how much more work it would take to love a time traveler.

Sarah Cho nicely showcases some of the bad parts of relationships -- keeping secrets, feeing inadequate -- as she writes about Judy and Mark. But she also includes moments of joy and (because time travel provides opportunities for screwups) some funny moments as well.

"Married to Time" feels like a warm-hearted, genial comedy of two people in love, two people working together to keep their marriage strong.

The lives of three women are encapsulated as a single conversation held while getting their hair done at a salon. Theatrical and imaginative, and -- more importantly -- emotional.

Jennifer Barclay provides insights into Hildy's, Debs's, and Rachelle's lives with excellent dialogue and repeating themes. And by having the characters in a setting where it's not easy to hear each other, and some details are lost in the conversation, Barclay creates several bittersweet moments.

"Tight Curls Today" would appeal to actors and audiences alike.

A terrific comedy told in the style of a melodramatic, high-adventure cliffhanger.

Miss Enid Stump is a wonderful creation: a never-say-die, fight-to-the-end heroine ready to help those in need (within the standard work day). Give Chris Widney credit for making Miss Stump's task very difficult, stumbling blocks from lousy organization to dull-witted and ornery co-workers. The role is a 10-minute tour de force for a female comic actor.

Audiences will come into a performance knowing that "Miss Stump's Got It," but they will delight in seeing how she gets it done. A charming, fanciful Valentine to the human touch.

This is a perfect short play.

This 10-minute play was so painful to read, and I have to imagine it would be so painful to watch in production.

Watching Howie debase himself and those he loves at the Temple of the Cult of Celebrity ... we see him lose everything that should be the core of his foundation. We know that he is lost in a lot of ways, and it hurts.

Credit Vic Shuttee for being unapologetically harsh and corrosive in "Howie Zazser Can't Not." It would be an unforgettable entry on any theatre festival.

Sometimes life just pulls us along for the ride, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. This monologue has a strong foundation in both sides.

"What If, a monologue" affects an audience even more strongly because we recognize its setting, understand the complexities and ironies of its world, because we live there, too. Dramatic irony will be very strong in any production of this play.

Jeffrey James Keyes' play is filled with details that enhance the whirlwind-style romance that the unnamed protagonist experiences with Gus. And those details enhance the pain felt from the loss.

Audiences will be drawn to this 10-minute play because its world of vampires and zombies taking over speaks to our pop culture favorites. The world is going to hell! Survivors must band together! There's devastation everywhere!

But this is a Vince Gatton-penned play, and "Protocols" is much more subtle and humane. Shon and Ari deal with questions that only siblings caring for their parents must ask. There is so much uncertainty that caretakers face, and Gatton's script captures it so honestly -- including Ari's reluctance to tell Shon the main reason behind the phone call.

"Protocols" is marvelous work.

There are so many things to love in this short play: The empowerment a young woman feels in asking for what she wants for the first time, the sensory descriptions that will make anyone want one of Rosa's orange slices, and the kindness and generosity one person can have for another person in need - to name a few.

Emily McClain balances nicely the comedy and pathos of Kay's overwhelming need for an orange slice. She also knows that emotions become that much richer when a character is stonewalled and has written a true gasp-worthy moment in this play.

This one-act drama is a beautiful character piece that shows to just want lengths a person will go -- perhaps subconsciously -- to rid themselves of grief and guilt.

Give Straton Rushing a lot of credit in plotting the story of "Hal and His Atomic Ray Gun." The mysteries about Hal and his past unfurl, but so gradually and with care that an audience is going to feel unease and sadness before Hal, himself, does. And when Hal comes to understand what he's experienced, it makes the audience's empathy for him all the stronger for they knew it too.