Be Bold! Productions Announces Week One Winner of NYC Short Play Festival

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Uptown Express, written by Kevin Cheng and directed by Emily White, wins at Players Theatre.

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Be Bold! Productions' 15th annual Players Theatre NYC Short Play Festival opened last weekend at The Players Theatre in the West Village, with Week 1 presenting five original short plays by five different playwrights. Plays are based around life in New York City and the joys and challenges that come with it. Each weekend for three weeks in June, a new selection of 15-minute original plays premieres to celebrate and examine what it means to live in NYC - whether it's 2006 or 2026.

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Last weekend's audience-selected winner was 'Uptown Express', written by Kevin Cheng and directed by Emily White . In 'Uptown Express', lone commuter Noah (Griffin Garnett) waits for his delayed train to arrive. An Old Acquaintance , Zoe (Jemma Giberson), arrives on the platform instead. She coaxes Noah into talking, and it becomes clear that something about this reality isn't right. Has the veil between this world and the next been ripped asunder? Or is Noah's subconscious sending him a message about the self-destructive path he is on?

'Uptown Express' appeared among four other NYC-themed one-acts. 'Failing', written by Erin Moughon, directed by Ria DeLullo, and produced by Larissa Adamczyk , brings us back into the world of high school and make-up work, but this time there is ICE to contend with. Student Ana (Alejandra Lorenzo) wants to celebrate her 18th birthday with her friends, but her teacher Ms. Smith ( Larissa Adamczyk ) threatens to fail her if she doesn't stay after school to make up work. Little does Ana know that Ms. Smith has hidden altruistic motives.

'Atlantic/Pacific 2006,' written by Christina Kyllo Powers and directed by Lauren Harrison, introduces Claire (Christina Kyllo Powers), a woman in 2006 who has relocated from the West Coast to NYC and is waiting for her train. On the platform she meets Samuel (Joshua Armstrong), a native New Yorker. They quickly bond while another commuter Camila (Maria Duque) observes them, commenting on their conversation in Spanish to someone on the phone. When Samuel's train comes, he and Claire part ways, only for Claire to lament on the phone to her mother that she wishes she had a way to get in touch with Samuel. Luckily Camila reminds Claire that she can look him up on a brand-new platform - Facebook!

'Times Square', written by Virgo and directed by Burak Tatar, takes us to the titular area of midtown, where robed evangelist Joseph (Edward J Fee) holds a sign saying 'He Will Forgive' while proselytizing to passers-by. Babs (Haleigh Pierce) approaches him and tries to take him up on his offer to save her soul. Joseph realizes he is out of his depth, and Babs decides she wants to have a go a preaching to the masses.

'Proud Mary', written by Kathryn Loggins and directed by Hunter Corbett, introduces us to Mary (Kathryn Loggins), a resident of Hell's Kitchen who is about to lose her virginity to the guy she is dating - due at her apartment any moment. The archangel Gabriel (Riley Fee) appears and announces that he will snap his fingers and she will become pregnant with the savior of the world - something Mary is not down with! Her date Joe ( Frank Sullivan ) shows up, and together he and Mary help Gabriel come to a realization about himself - and convince him not to snap his fingers.

The Players Theatre NYC 2026 Short Play Festival continues this Thursday through Sunday with Week 2, which will present five brand new NYC-themed plays that are guaranteed to have audiences appreciating what it means to be a New Yorker!

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-off-broadway/article/SPF-NYC-2026-Short-Play-Festival-Week-One-Winner-Revealed-20260612)._