Brian S. Brijbag’s ON THE LIKELIHOOD OF ELEPHANTS Wins Verna Safran Prize for Best Play

On the Likelihood of Elephants, a play by Florida attorney and playwright Brian S. Brijbag, Esq., has been awarded the Verna Safran Prize for Best Play at the 21st Annual 10-Minute Play Festival presented by Theatre Odyssey. The announcement was made following a standing-room-only performance at the FSU Center for Performing Arts.

The award was determined by a panel of adjudicators comprised of celebrated theatre professionals Jeffery Kin, Catherine Randazzo, and Michele Strauss, and was shared publicly by Theatre Odyssey President Donna DeFant. The winning production was directed by Cinda Goeken and featured performances by Carrie Greenberg and Mark Shoemaker.

Set in a late-night train station, On the Likelihood of Elephants brings together a resigned professor and a grieving poet in a conversation about probability, loss, and the fragile mathematics of human connection. The play examines how unlikely encounters - and improbable arrivals - can quietly reopen the possibility of belief, intimacy, and second chances.

"This play lives in the spaces between certainty and hope," said Brijbag. "It's about what happens when two people linger just long enough to be changed. To see a piece this intimate recognized by such a thoughtful panel is profoundly meaningful, and I'm deeply grateful to Theatre Odyssey, to Cinda Goeken's careful direction, and to Carrie Greenberg and Mark Shoemaker for honoring the stillness of the work."

Brijbag is a Florida-based personal injury attorney and founder of Brijbag Law, as well as an award-winning playwright with productions and readings presented nationally. His work has been featured at the Queens Short Play Festival in New York City, the Sundog Theatre Festival also in New York City, Tampa Bay Theatre Festival, and at Stage West Community Playhouse, among others. His plays frequently explore themes of grief, justice, memory, and human connection through a blend of wit and restraint. In addition to the Verna Safran Prize, Brijbag has received multiple honors across theatre, poetry, photography, and community arts leadership

Brijbag is also the author of the recently released book The Caretaker's Manual for Forgotten Objects, a lyrical and meditative work exploring memory, loss, and the quiet lives of overlooked things. The book is currently available through multiple retailers, including major online platforms.

Additional information about the Twenty-First Annual Ten-Minute Play Festival and additional performances will be announced by Theatre Odyssey.