FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Party Princess and Light the Menorah Take Top Honors at First Annual CT Short Play Fest

South Norwalk, CT – August 4, 2025 — Thrown Stone Theatre Company’s first annual CT Short Play Fest, presented August 2 at the Crystal Theatre in South Norwalk in conjunction with the SoNo Arts Festival, brought together eleven brand-new plays, a panel of celebrity judges, and an enthusiastic audience for a vibrant day of theatre.

The afternoon session featured plays by teen and young adult playwrights, with Party Princess by Anna Parker of Houston, TX, named the winner. The evening session, featuring professional playwrights, awarded top Fest honors to Light the Menorah by Deborah Yarchun of Brooklyn, NY.

CT Short Play Fest

Date: Saturday, August 2, 2025
• Afternoon Session: 2:00 PM
• Evening Session: 6:00 PM

Venue: The Crystal Theatre, 66 Bayview Ave, Norwalk, CT 06850

“The day came off beautifully,” said Jonathan Winn, Co-Artistic Director of Thrown Stone. “We had strong performances, engaged judges, and an audience that stayed with us from first curtain to final bow. The feedback from participants, attendees, and partners was overwhelmingly positive, and it was a wonderful way to deepen our connection to South Norwalk.”

Celebrity judges for the Fest included Broadway director/choreographer Mindy Cooper, director and producer J.R. Sullivan, casting director Janet Foster, and director/playwright Tlaloc Rivas. The eleven plays were directed by Peter Charney and performed by a single ensemble cast.

Presented in conjunction with the SoNo Arts Festival, the Fest drew a lively mix of longtime theatre-goers and new audiences discovering Thrown Stone for the first time. Community engagement was a highlight, with artists and attendees mingling throughout the day.

Afternoon Winner

Anna Parker

Anna Parker (she/her, 19, Houston, TX) is a playwright and lyricist from Houston, Texas. Her play Party Princess won first place in the Afternoon Session of the 2025 CT Short Play Fest. Anna is a 2025 YoungArts Winner With Distinction in Writing/Play or Script. Her comedic short plays have been produced in The Blank Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival in Hollywood (2023, 2024, 2025) and at schools and community theaters across the country. Her songs and… Read more

Afternoon Session — 2:00 PM (Emerging Playwrights)

Ashley Diaz (15, she/her, Norwalk, CT) – Pablo’s Adventure: The Prequel
A nervous young robin faces bullies, predators, and a brutal winter. Will he find the courage to fly?

Audrey Hunter (19, she/her, Dallas, TX) – Buy Teeth / Find Space
After losing her front teeth, Leann fixates on a vision board while Jerome escapes into the cosmos. Can hope hold them together?

Dylan Malloy (21, she/her/hers, Aliso Viejo, CA) – Locusts
Three preteens are dropped at the wrong church for a Bible contest — and spiral into a surreal crisis of belief.

Ashton Mayhew (17, he/him, Norwalk, CT) – Due Tomorrow
A tale told by an idiot… in front of the entire class. Evan waits until the very last minute to deliver his Macbeth presentation.

Anna Parker (18, she/her, Houston, TX) – Party Princess
A birthday performer and a strong-willed mom debate what it means to empower a four-year-old girl.

Natalia Randolph (15, she/her, Norwalk, CT) – Wrong Number
A mistaken text from a nerdy stranger gives a stressed-out pop star a burst of inspiration — but can a misdialed connection lead to something real?

Top Fest Honors

Deborah Yarchun

Deborah Yarchun is a New Jersey-born, Air Force-raised, and Austin-rooted playwright; her plays are just as geographically discombobulated. She’s currently NYC-based. Her plays have been produced and/or developed at Ensemble Studio Theatre, Centenary Stage Company, The Civilians’ R&D Group, Capital Rep, The New Harmony Project, Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, Alleyway Theatre, Amphibian Stage Productions, The Great Plains Theater Conference, Jewish Ensemble Theater, The Playwrights’ Center, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, TheatreSquared’s Arkansas New Play Festival, the William Inge… Read more

Evening Session — 6:00 PM (Professional Playwrights)

Nelson Clark (he/him, Lisbon, Portugal) — The Greyson Scale
A skeptical researcher and a grieving mother clash during a clinical survey of a near-death experience. What hidden truths lie between science and the unknown?

Earl Crittenden (he/him, New York, NY) — Rubbish
When a Confederate jacket surfaces at a Southern church rummage sale, a drag queen and a society matron clash over history, identity, and what belongs in the trash.

F.J. Hartland (he/him, Johnstown, PA) — SALT WATER
On a windswept autumn beach, a couple confronts love, loss, and the power of memory.

Dana Schwartz (she/her, Los Angeles, CA) — The April & Mr. Bigglesworth Super Special Fun Time Show
Two puppeteers performing a children’s show unravel live onstage as their personal tensions break through the fabric of their characters. What happens when the hardest conversations come in the silliest voices?

Deborah Yarchun (she/her/hers, Brooklyn, NY) — Light the Menorah
Mira hopes to share Hanukkah with her Persian boyfriend for the first time, but blending old traditions with new love isn’t always easy. Can they light the candles without losing the spark?

About the Director

Peter Charney

Peter Charney (he/him) is a generative director for the stage and screen. His work seeks to explore the unknowns of existence, ignite the human imagination, and honor the collective experience of storytelling.
Peter is the co-creator and original director of A Eulogy for Roman, which premiered to critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe and later had a sold-out run at 59E59 Theaters (2024 Drama Desk Nomination). He is a resident director for SERIALS at The Tank and serves as… Read more

Meet the Judges

Tlaloc Rivas

Janet Foster

Mindy Cooper

J.R. Sullivan

About Thrown Stone Theatre Company

Thrown Stone Theatre Company is the only professional theatre in Connecticut exclusively dedicated to new work. From commission to development to production, Thrown Stone empowers artists and audiences to engage with the important questions of our time. Founded in Ridgefield in 2016, the company has built a reputation for intimate, locally crafted premieres with national relevance. Now performing at the Crystal Theatre in South Norwalk, Thrown Stone anchors its year-round season with professional productions of new plays. Additional programs, such as the CT Short Play Fest, commissions, and workshops, extend the company’s commitment to developing new work and cultivating the next generation of theatre artists and audiences in Fairfield County and beyond.

CONTACT:

Jonathan Winn
info@thrownstone.org
Phone: (203) 442-1714