The Theater Project Presents THINK FAST SHORT PLAY COMPETITION

Playwrights Vie for $500 Prize in Theater Project Short Play Fest on Zoom Part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance's Stages Festival (February 21-23, 2021, Virtual) Theater buildings may be closed, but theater companies can still Zoom.

Join The Theater Project online, when they showcase eight short plays in their eighth annual one-act play festival, THINK FAST, February 19-21. Made virtual by necessity, the competition is open to playwrights in the tri-state area. Tickets ($15) may be purchased online www.thetheaterproject.org.

This event is part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance's Stages Festival, the state's largest annual theatre festival, which provides free and discounted theatre events for all ages throughout the months of March, April, and May.

The Theater Project invited submissions last fall and chose eight plays to be showcased in THINK FAST. The audience and a panel of playwright-judges vote for Audience Favorite and the $500 Judges' Pick awards.

"It's never an easy decision," says artistic director Mark Spina, "and we like to remind everyone who participates that a competition is just an excuse to bring talented people together." The 2021 finalists are Kevin Brofsky, Sarah J. Congress, Claudia Emanuele, George Cameron Grant, Leonard Goodisman, Betsy Maguire, Lawrence Rinkel, and Cindi Sansone-Braff. THINK FAST is part of The Theater Project's commitment to new work and rising artists.

The eight short plays will be prerecorded and broadcast Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM. Each performance is followed by a live cast party on Zoom open to the THINK FAST actors, directors, playwrights, and viewers. The audience is asked to vote for their favorite plays after each show. The Audience Favorite award along with the $500 Judges' Prize will be announced at the Sunday, February 21 post-show Zoom cast party. In addition to Best Play, the judges will nominate and select winners for Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director.

The New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2021 Stages Festival is made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Foundation; the George A. Ohl, Jr. Trust; New Jersey Historical Commission; and Fund for the New Jersey Blind. A full calendar of events is available at www.njtheatrealliance.org/stages.

"The Alliance is grateful that The Theater Project is participating in the 2021 Stages Festival," said John McEwen, Executive Director of the Alliance. "For more than 20 years, The Stages Festival has provided theatrical experiences for thousands of residents across New Jersey. While we may be gathering a bit differently this year, we are thrilled that theatre can remain a source of connection and joy in the Garden State. These efforts would not be possible without the wonderful help of partners such as The Theater Project."

The Theater Project, now in it's 26th year, is proud to have converted virtually all of its programs to virtual platforms.

To learn more about the company's work, visit https://www.thetheaterproject.org/.