Recommended by Paul Braverman

Elevators have rules. Press just your button. Stare straight ahead. And whatever you do, don't start a chat with a stranger. Baughfman's chilling short play starts out simply enough, but quickly takes a sharp turn into horror. Cram two actors into a cramped elevator, and let the set do the talking!

I highly recommend this timely monologue. In just a couple of minutes, Wyndham manages to encapsulate the on-going strife in American politics and shifting policies, with a strong whiff of Islamophobia disguised as indifference.

This monologue is a powerful testimony to the power of empathy. Xanthopoulou's writing is both poetic and chilling. We find ourselves connecting to The Minotour's perspective, thereby seeing more clearly who the real monsters are. Brilliant!

As many playwrights will attest, it can be annoying when a short play festival insists on only including world premieres. Heyman's short script brilliantly and efficiently skewers this notion. Whether you're a playwright or not, this play is hilarious.

Anyone who has ever bonded with a pet, whether a cat or otherwise, will be moved by Floyd-Priskorn's touching play about connection and grief. The bond we create with our pets is unique and this play captures the heartache when a pet is gone. This play will bring a tear to your eye, even as you are smiling along with Hathaway, who is indeed a very wise cat. The actors will love sinking their hearts into this one.

Here's a fun, short play that comically underscores the importance to so many people of establishing family traditions at holiday time. As these young parents try to create meaningful first holiday memories for their infant son, they fumble and bumble until they finally create magic.

This is a very funny short play, and also a totally on-point allegory. The suburban setting is perfect for this "meet the neighbors" story, which delivers both great laughs and pointed social commentary. This would be a great addition to any short play festival, and every actor will want to play Percy.

What a lovely and heartwarming short play. Loving our pets is almost universal, so this play really is for everyone who ever sent a furry loved one over the rainbow bridge. Here's wishing that this is true. If so, there are about a dozen cats in heaven looking for the reading glasses I lost on an airplane a few years ago. Meanwhile, this play will charm any audience.

I thoroughly enjoyed this smart, funny, endearing one-act. Tiffany and Jessica have the kind of frank chemistry that only comes with true friendship. Their engaging banter goes deeper and deeper into the challenges of failed marriage, aging and re-claiming their individuality until it all finally boils over in an intense yet hilarious finale. In the end, this play takes an honest look at what friendship really means.

This fast-paced comedy will be a lot of fun for actors and designers. When war breaks out in the creche, it's pandemonium as the toys and insults fly. As in the grown-up world, the pendulum swings from war to peace and back to war. Good fun!