Players Theatre BOO Festival Announced Week 1 Winner
The audience selected a short play titled Shadows in the Mirror as the winner of the first week of the annual event.
Updated on Oct. 14, 2026 in Puppetry
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The 15th annual Players Theatre BOO Short Play Festival has named its first audience-selected winner of the season. Shadows in the Mirror earned the top honor during the festival's opening weekend in the West Village.
Why it matters
The festival provides a platform for original short works that lean into macabre and supernatural themes for the Halloween season. By allowing audience participation in selecting winners, the event fosters direct engagement with new theatrical projects.
The festival is currently in its 15th annual iteration and features original plays with a 15-minute runtime. Five original short plays were presented for audience consideration during the opening week.
The players
The Players Theatre
Located in the West Village, this venue serves as the host site for the annual BOO Short Play Festival.
Reginald Jackson
He is the playwright who authored the winning production titled Shadows in the Mirror.
Kubbi
Kubbi served as the director for the award-winning short play Shadows in the Mirror.
The details
Each weekend during the October festival, attendees vote to determine a winner among the presented short plays. The winning entry for the opening week, Shadows in the Mirror, was written by Reginald Jackson and directed by Kubbi.
Timeline
The festival runs for three weekends throughout October 2026.
Week 1 performances occurred from October 10-12, 2026.
Industry Dynamics
The festival utilizes a competitive format that follows the off-off-Broadway short play festival circuit model, which prioritizes audience-driven programming over traditional critical reviews. This strategy allows the venue to sustain interest in original theatrical works through recurring, seasonal programming.
Theatergoers can participate in the selection process by attending weekend performances throughout the remainder of the month. Tickets are available for the upcoming festival slots at the West Village venue.
The takeaway
The festival demonstrates how seasonal themes can drive engagement for new works in a short-form theatrical format. Audiences interested in supporting original local theater should plan for upcoming weekend showtimes throughout October.
Further reading
For more on local theater performances, see New York City Puppetry.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Broadway World.
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