Recommended by Adam Richter

A brilliant one-minute play with a tantalizing setup and a perfectly funny (and perfectly appropriate) punchline at the end.

A delightful and thoughtful one-minute play with a fantastic ending. One feels for Lincoln, Proust and Gandhi.

This comic sci-fi drama says a great deal about how we treat the unfamiliar. The sound effects are fantastic but what makes the play is the back-and-forth between Doug and Ralph and and their relationship with the mysterious man. This had me hooked from the very beginning.

If I ever get to London, I want Marcus and Sextus as my tour guides. I loved how Dominica Plummer so deftly blended history and comedy in this wonderful and poignant piece.

Elisabeth Speckman sets us up for what feels like a meet-cute romantic comedy, then changes the setup to a dark stalker thriller, then — I don't want to spoil anything here — throws the chess board over and completely shatters our expectations. This is a taut, layered play that would be an actor's delight. This would be a great addition to a 10-minute play festival.

Even though the world is ending, some of us still have work to do. Greg Lam takes this conceit and runs with it in a very funny 10-minute play that puts all of the horrors of the past year into a comic perspective and adds new twists. "This Year" is a brilliant satire of our world and the meaningless work we do to get through each day.

Wendy is a hero, saving the wedding guests from the Philistine observations of Chad. Monica Cross takes on the cringeworthy wedding-day toasts and gives us a monologue that is funny and insightful. And a note to groomsmen and bridesmaids everywhere: Stay away from Sonnet 116!

Not since the Baseball Diamond theft at the end of "The Great Muppet Caper" have I enjoyed a heist as much as this one. Hayley St. James' 10-minute play sparkles with sharp dialogue, clever and funny one-upmanship and a twist ending that is just perfect. This play is, dare I say, a gem. A terrific showcase for two actresses to show their physical comedy chops.

A harrowing and tension-filled short play about domestic violence. Clever use of Zoom theater, and one of the few dramatic pieces I've read that use the medium.

You have to feel for Zoé in this hilarious play about mispronunciation and Shakespeare. The opportunities for physical comedy in this piece make it great for staging at any one-act festival. I loved the well-meaning cluelessness of And, who, if asked the immortal Shakespearean question, "What's in a name?" might answer "Not much. You?"