UNION, NJ — Theatergoers from the United States and beyond will get to experience and participate in live theater — from home — as voters in The Theater Project’s prestigious THINK FAST short play competition, from Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3.
Eight plays — submitted from around the country and as far away as New Zealand/Aotearoa — have been chosen as finalists in the THINK FAST competition, a cornerstone in the spring season of The Theater Project, a leading incubator for rising talent and a showcase for new work from New Jersey and beyond.
Submissions for THINK FAST were invited last fall and the eight finalists, chosen by a committee of playwrights, are Donna R Boyd of Berkeley Heights; David Carkeet of N. Middlesex, Vermont; Elle Collins of Aotearoa/New Zealand; Bruce Deveau of Amesbury, Mass.; Abigail Espinal of Union; Kimberly Ferse of Seattle, Wash.; Serena Norr of Mount Kisco, N.Y.; and Emmett Spaw of Manhattan, Kansas.
This is the 11th year for the THINK FAST competition and the fourth consecutive using the Zoom “vote from home” format.
“By holding this competition via Zoom, we’re able to bring live theater into homes throughout the country and beyond and give everyone — including the authors’ friends and family — the opportunity to participate in the voting,” said Theater Project award-winning playwright and THINK FAST coordinator Joseph Vitale.
While there will be several individual awards during the THINK FAST competition, only one play will be chosen as the winner of the $500 Judges’ Pick award.
Plays are pre-recorded and live-streamed on Friday, March 1, and Saturday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. Each broadcast is followed by a real-time conversation with playwrights, actors, directors and audience on Zoom.
Tickets are $15 and include a link to a live, post-broadcast Zoom meet-and-greet after each performance, where audience members can chat with the actors, directors, playwrights and event organizers. The prizes, including commendations for best actor, actress and director, are announced at the Virtual Cocktail Party following the final performance on Sunday at 2 p.m.
For further information or tickets, visit TheTheaterProject.org/THINKFAST TIX or phone 908-809-8865.
Photos Courtesy of The Theater Project