THINK FAST
A virtual short play competition
Submissions for 2027 accepted Oct 1-Nov 16, 2026
2027: SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
About the Festival
At The Theater Project’s annual virtual one-act play competition, 7 to 10 short plays are selected for 3 pre-recorded broadcast performances. The goal is to give emerging writers in NJ and beyond the chance to showcase their work.
After each broadcast, the audience will vote for their favorite play. They can meet authors at live virtual meet-and-greets after each show.
At the final meet-and-greet after the Sunday performance, judges will award Best Play, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Audience Favorite (Play) certificates.
The $500 Grand Prize is given to the playwright selected by the judges at the final performance.
2026 FINALISTS:
Ramifications
by Alex Bernstein
Looking for romantic advice, a lonely man consults an online predictive-analytics service...and gets a little more honesty than he bargained for.
On the Likelihood of Elephants
by Brian S. Brijbag, Esq
A conversation about probability, faith, the stories we tell ourselves to survive waiting, and the tension between what can be proven and what we desperately hope might still be true.
Never Buy a Used Cat
by Robert Diamante
When a ragged old cat insists on exploring the underworld of Eric’s house, a maddening truth is revealed.
Harry Potter and the Superfans' Dream Vacation
by Teddy Durgin
Three “Harry Potter” fans prepare to visit the filming locations of the original movies. But one of the trio has much more ambitious ideas for their trip.
Time Table
by Jeff Perlman
When a young couple is seated with strangers at a mystical restaurant, they discover they're actually talking to their future selves.
Not to Take Latin Composition
by Glen Sharpe
A visit to a nursing home at the holidays: we don't always understand what we say or why we say it.
Far From the Tree
by Michael Towers
A school admin mediates a parent/teacher conference after a student makes a series of explicit threats against her teacher. If the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, can it be saved?
Confessional
by Chris Zaczek
A Catholic priest gets more than he bargained for when a frequent visitor unburdens herself.... in some most unexpected ways.
NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
The nominees for best director are
- Robert Diamante, NEVER BUY A USED CAT
- Giovanni Sandoval, RAMIFICATIONS
- Michael Towers, FAR FROM THE TREE
And the winner is: A TIE: Robert Diamante, NEVER BUY A USED CAT and Michael Towers, FAR FROM THE TREE
The nominees for best actor are
- Jonathan J Castro, RAMIFICATIONS
- Santiago Pinkney, ON THE LIKELIHOOD OF ELEPHANTS
- Christopher Zaczek, CONFESSIONAL
And the winner is: Jonathan J Castro, RAMIFICATIONS
The nominees for best actress are
- Bridgette Dove, RAMIFICATIONS
- Karly Laskowski, CONFESSIONAL
- Emily Winn, ON THE LIKELIHOOD OF ELEPHANTS
And the winner is Karly Laskowski, CONFESSIONAL
AUDIENCE FAVORITE – a tie:
RAMIFICATIONS and CONFESSIONAL
The nominees for best play, the Judges Prize and the $500 cash award are:
- RAMIFICATIONS by Alex Bernstein
- ON THE LIKELIHOOD OF ELEPHANTS by Brian S. Brijbag, Esq
- FAR FROM THE TREE by Michael Towers
And the winner is FAR FROM THE TREE by Michael Towers
About the Festival
At The Theater Project’s annual virtual one-act play competition, 7 to 10 short plays are selected for 3 pre-recorded broadcast performances. The goal is to give emerging writers in NJ and beyond the chance to platform their work.
After each broadcast, the audience will vote for their favorite play. After the final performance, judges will award Best Play, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Audience Favorite (Play) certificates.
The $500 Grand Prize is given to the playwright selected by the judges at the final performance.
Questions? Email OneActFest@TheTheaterProject.org.
2027 APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
scripts accepted October 1 through November 16, 2026
- Email your script to OneActFest@TheTheaterProject.org with the required acknowledgement (below) between October 1, 2026, and November 16, 2026.
- Title page should include author's name and email address/contact information.
- One entry per writer ONLY.
- Online submissions only.
- No submission fee required.
- You MUST include the following acknowledgement in the body of your email: “If my play is accepted and I choose to take part in the festival, I understand that I will be responsible for the casting and rehearsal of my play and that I will be charged a $100 participation fee. I also affirm that generative AI was not used to create my script.”
Submission Requirements
- Dramas and comedies accepted.
- Maximum 15 minutes running time. Plays that exceed 15 minutes will not be considered.
Zoom Performances
- Live talkbacks with playwrights follow the evening performances
- All ticket buyers vote electronically for Audience Favorite Play at the conclusion of each performance and receive links to all talkbacks and the awards announcement.
- Nominations and winners for Best Actor, Actress, and Director, Audience Favorite (Play), and Judges' $500 Prize are announced post-show Sunday afternoon at our virtual cocktail party (BYOB)
How It Works
- If your play is selected, The Theater Project will supply a stage manager/technical director to oversee the Zoom recording process.
- Individual playwrights supply the actors and directors and make their own agreements regarding actor and director compensation.
- Production Fee: $100. Participating playwrights (finalists) will be charged a $100 fee to cover the $500 prize as well as the cost of hiring the stage manager/technical director.
- Playwrights invited to participate must have plays that are ready to perform and supply their own actors and directors who are recorded via Zoom by The Theater Project.
Why a production fee?
The Theater Project does not charge a submission fee for its THINK FAST festival. We do, however, charge a $100 production fee to help cover the cost of the $500 prize as well as the hiring of a stage manager/technical director to work with the productions on their technical needs, supervise a rehearsal, and record the final performance on TTP’s Zoom platform.
While we’d rather not charge a fee, we would be unable to offer this showcase without help from participating playwrights. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility!
