On Saturday, Thrown Stone held the second annual CT Short Play Fest at the Crystal Theatre in South Norwalk, CT. Six actors. Two sessions. Four celebrity judges. Eleven new plays.
Session 1
Six plays by playwrights ages 16 to 22:
- Out of the Void by Wyn Alyse Thomas (22, Buffalo Grove, IL)
- Do Not Pet by Anna Parker (19, Houston, TX, ★‘25 Alum)
- The Wanderlust Roadrunner by Frederick Durocher Jr. (19, Purchase, NY)
- Still Becoming by Ashley Diaz (16, Norwalk, CT, ★‘25 Alum)
- Fata Morgana by Luca Vladimiroff (21, Cold Spring, NY)
- Foaming, Biting, Close to Death by Audrey Hunter (20, Dallas, TX, ★‘25 Alum)
Judges’ Selection: Still Becoming by Ashley Diaz
Our judges chose Ashley Diaz’s Still Becoming to advance and open Session 2.
Ashley is 16, from Norwalk, and this was her second Fest. She and Anna Parker both had selections in the 2025 Session 1 lineup, and both came back this year with new plays.
Audience Choice Award: a three-way tie
Still Becoming, Do Not Pet, and Fata Morgana finished first in a very close contest. Congratulations to Ashley Diaz, Anna Parker, and Luca Vladimiroff, who share the 2026 Session 1 Audience Choice Award.
Session 2
Still Becoming opened the night, followed by five plays from professional playwrights:
- What You Make of It by H.E. Dunkle (Sioux Falls, SD)
- Pas de Deux by Dana Schwartz (Los Angeles, CA, ★‘25 Alum)
- Miracles and Magic by Franky D. Gonzalez (Dallas, TX)
- Interplanetary Paul’s Divorce Spectacular by Marshall Logan Gibbs (Baltimore, MD)
- The Fine Print by Jack Karp (San Francisco, CA)
Top Fest Honors
Our celebrity judges gave top Fest honors to two plays, Pas de Deux by Dana Schwartz and The Fine Print by Jack Karp. In Pas de Deux, a prima ballerina awaits the end of a 30-year curse, only to learn hard lessons about the nature of beauty. The Fine Print sits Abraham and Sarah down with God to sign for a Promised Land that looks more like a timeshare.
Audience Choice Award: The Fine Print by Jack Karp
With big laughs and even bigger characters, The Fine Print won the audience over. After this auspicious world premiere, we think Connecticut audiences will see a lot more of Jack Karp.
Newcomers and Old Friends
While Jack Karp is new to Thrown Stone, our audience will remember Dana Schwartz from last year’s fest (The April & Mr. Bigglesworth Super Special Fun-Time Show) and our 2026 New Play Commission for Gentlemen Hosts. Franky D. Gonzalez, whose Miracles and Magic played the same session, was a finalist for that same commission with Money Macks or, the Monarch of Mackerels.
Congratulations
Congratulations to all eleven playwrights, particularly the six featured in Session 1, ages 16 to 22. Three of them came back to do it again this year: Anna Parker, Audrey Hunter, and Ashley Diaz. Three are new to Thrown Stone: Wyn Alyse Thomas, Frederick Durocher Jr., and Luca Vladimiroff. Seeing these early works performed alongside some of the leading dramatic voices in the country is one of our favorite parts of the Fest. We thank our supporters who make it possible.
Your CT Short Play Fest ‘26 Company: (L to R) Jason Peck, Lisa DeAngelis, Tenisi Davis, Shannon Helene Barnes, Justin Villard, Clark Eileen Atkinson, and Jen Fedus.