Recommended by Steven G. Martin

This one-act play questions, frustrates, and latches on painfully tight with pincers and teeth so it can't be ignored.

Steven San Luis has framed this political satire as a fairy tale/folk tale, which I found smart. But complexity rains upon complexity, frustrations grow almost exponentially, and that slight veneer of fairy tale with slightly charming qualities is rubbed out.

"The Border Troll" is not easy. It pushes an audience's threshhold for frustration. But the last echoing lines, which I'm guessing reflect San Luis's opinions, are wise and haunting. This is strong political satire.

A delightful skewering of pop culture, namely the board game "Clue."

But give Steven Hayet more credit than just writing a funny parody. As with "Everlasting Chocolate Therapy," Hayet adds interesting layers to themes and stories. "A Clue in the Library" takes on men who patronize women just because it's easier that way and how information can be stored, deduced, and shared in the most ridiculous of ways.

"A Clue in the Library" is also fun, and actors willing to go over the top in characterization will thrive.

This ten-minute dark mystery has enough twists and turns to satisfy even the staunchest fan of the genre.

Jack Levine sets Eric, the defendant in a criminal case, against wave upon wave of evidence. Always protesting his innocence and coming up with even-more-near-impossible reasons to show how the evidence could be faked, Eric is in for the fight of his life.

And then the other shoe drops.

A glorious, jaw-dropping, triple-take-inducing monologue explains it all. And yet explains nothing, which leads to another shoe drop. "A Troubling State of Affairs" is utter, stylish fun.

Audiences will be drawn in by the charm of the friendship shown in this short dramatic comedy/comedic drama, and they'll be pleased by the depth of discussion throughout.

Philip Middleton Williams refers to one of the greatest American plays in "Another Park, Another Sunday" while also creating an offshoot of it, adding insights to the themes of death and dying, but more importantly life and living.

Enjoy the deeply considered story and themes of "Another Park, Another Sunday." Enjoy the portrait of friendship and camaraderie, too.

This short play ranges from the most frivolous and shallowest of conversations to the densest and most in-depth monologue of self-awareness.

DC Cathro's dialogue (some characters say truly rotten things, others say truly heroic things) and structure in "Damaged" provide a strong foundation in the exploration of desire, attraction, jealousy, cruelty, and love.

I love that there is such a strong chemistry between the three characters; sometimes it's antagonistic, but it's there nonetheless. I love that the central monologue absolutely destroys some of the ridiculous things spoken earlier in the play.

I love this play.

This is satisfying short science fiction.

Jack Levine may include a twist in this 10-minute drama, but that isn't what the story is about. Instead, the twist serves to tell part of the story, to reflect upon the theme of "The Beauty of a Rose."

Nicely written.

An exceptional play. Characters, dialogue, story, plot, action, and visuals. All exceptional.

There is much to love about DC Cathro's short romantic drama "Orange." It is sensual, yes. It has a protagonist who is affected by Autism, yes, and that diversity is important. It has stunning language, yes, especially the final monologue.

But what I love most is that "Orange" is about a character who wants so much to be heard, to be understood, to have someone nod in recognition. And Cathro provides him with that ability. There's nothing more wonderful than that ... to be understood.

Screw corporate, indeed.

DC Cathro creates a 10-minute comedy whose humor all lies in its unique situation. This isn't a one-note play, however. There are notes of family pride and family ties, and a streak of feel-good emotion as Bryan and Karli consider doing the right thing. And there's just enough fun speculation at the end -- how will this couple "Ocean's Eleven" their goal?

"The Origin of the Bob's Big Boy Triplets" is a feel-good comedy about family, burglary, and dealing with the unexpected.

Two men grasp for normalcy in one of the most unusual times of all.

"No Right Time" is a highly emotional play for virtual performance. Jackie Martin keeps Kevin's and David's emotions mostly in check, as they must grapple with the reality of the situation. The dialogue is also spare but filled with plenty of subtext and inferences for audiences to understand.

I shivered, I teared up. There are no throwaway lines in this script, and "Just in case" felt like a battering ram against my heart.

Produce this wonderful play again and again.

Erotic, playful, perhaps a little embarrassing, and definitely funny, and what isn't said makes for the perfect punchline of this one-minute play.

DC Cathro's comedy "Saying It" had a marvelous performance during the 2nd Annual Washington, DC One-Minute Play Festival. (A supporting video link and a time cue is part of its NPX page.) The timing, the rhythm, the nuance that the actors and director brought to the script raise it even higher.

One minute, and a key part of this relationship has been exposed. Now what? Fine storytelling.