Recommended by Dominica Plummer

Lots of clever plotting in Andrew Martineau's BE THAT AS IT MAY, and the way that each layer of interaction between characters and actors gets increasingly blurred is sure to delight audiences as they try to figure things out. Lots of suspense, lots of great opportunities for actors to have a blast with this fraught situation—I'd say Martineau has created a shorts festival winner here.

A student ambushes a teacher after class, and a friendship is born, even though the teacher is reluctant to give easy answers. Lucy Wang's A WALKABLE FEAST is an unexpectedly meaningful encounter that gradually reveals the characters to each other as they walk around a neighborhood in Los Angeles, take in an organic garden (just one of the feasts on offer) and return to the teacher's house opposite the school. Wang's charmingly meditative piece reminds us how good teachers can make all the difference.

This cleverly crafted and warm hearted walking play is a play about two people and their beloved pup, Sam. Two of the trio are no longer alive, but in a play that is part memory, part dream, that doesn't prevent playwright Williams from finding ways to reunite them. As Sam reminisces and acts out the glorious walks he enjoyed with Philip and Allen, the past springs back to life and the three can forget their sadness at being apart, and remember the magic of being together.

Julie Zaffarano's walking play Picnic on Squire Cheyney Farm Park pits a child on the threshold of becoming a man against a mother trying to adapt to the loss of her family. She attempts to hold onto her child with a walk to a local cemetery with family connections but, predictably, her teen wants none of it. Nevertheless these two find ways to confront the inevitability of death and transformation — and in doing so, connect to honour the past in a way that isn't completely "lame." A poignant piece that will appeal to audiences of all ages.

Two neighbors, Bea and Laura, used to taking a daily walk around their Framingham, MA. neighborhood, find that the events of January 6th 2021 directly impact their routine in a most unwelcome way. Bea is reluctant to pass by the house of Trump supporters, and Laura has her work cut out trying to convince her. John Minigan's poignant walking play shows a cataclysmic event rippling out to affect neighborhoods throughout the United States, and how ordinary folks must wrestle with unfamiliar feelings of violence and rage. Recommended.

Carl Andre, tortured artist and sculptor, takes a walk to Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston to commune with the bird spirit of his mentor, a gifted artist whose work never received the recognition it should have done during her lifetime. Carl has to pay homage, but also to confess. Can mentor Maud Morgan absolve him so that he can work again? Ellen Davis Sullivan's walking play, complete with instructions on how to follow in Carl's footsteps, will haunt actors and audiences alike.

Two people, having a bad day, meet at a bus stop. But instead of creating a drama about losing a job, or a doctor's appointment that might be bad news, Adam Richter chooses to focus on the dancing. Trudy and Jack aren't brought together by a mutual love of dancing, either. But in the space of a few minutes, these two connect, find joy in movement and music, and by the time Jack's bus arrives, we get the sense that both their lives have changed for the better. Nicely done!

Hayley St. James' short satire on social influencers is picture perfect as Opal and Rodrigo get invites to sample a magic water—sorry, Miracul'eau—for the bargain price of $300 and the opportunity to brag about it on social media. Great characters, lovely one liners, and images that burn. Nice!

The Known Universe is the final part of Scott Sickles' brilliant Second World Trilogy, and if you've read the first two parts, you'll love the way Sickles concludes Teddy and Anzor's story. It's a sad ending, as this extraordinary family has to confront an apocalyptic situation in a world once threatened by global warning, and which is now on the brink of another Ice Age. But the strength of Teddy and Anzor's love for one another and their family is center stage in this drama, and reminds us that even in the most desperate of situations, love conquers all.

Pudding is a precisely choreographed elegy for a parent's passing. One sister's way of coping is to jettison the past and replace it with a check. The other, Claudette, makes vanilla pudding. I love the way Steve Martin has detailed every moment and made it oh so much more meaningful than a packet of instant mix and some milk. Read this with your favorite comfort food at the ready, and some Kleenex. Then produce it!