Little Theatre of Alexandria Picks Three Winners From 200 One-Act Plays

ALEXANDRIA, VA— Three new plays—one involving Arctic beavers, another a book warning of global economic trouble, and a third a snowbound hunt for a former English soccer star—have won The Little Theatre of Alexandria’s 2026 One-Act Playwriting Competition.

LTA announced Monday that judges selected three winners from 200 submissions from playwrights around the world. The winning works will receive staged readings at the Wolfe Street theater on January 18, 2027, at 8 p.m.

There is also an immediate opportunity for local theater artists: LTA is now seeking directors to bring the three winning plays to the stage.

Three Very Different Stories

First place went to Sveiki by Peter Sonenstein of Madison, Connecticut. The play begins when Maya enters a dysfunctional government office with a battered notice generated by a bizarre glitch involving Arctic beavers. What starts as bureaucratic absurdity takes an emotional turn when the notice confirms her worst fear.

Second place went to Supply and Decay by John McEnerney of Flushing, New York. Kay has written a book—under her brother’s name—warning of a coming global depression. As her employer tries to suppress it, she faces a stressful day balancing workplace absurdities and family pressures.

Third place went to The Great Anderton Snowfall Debacle of 2025 by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend, a Reston native now living in Singapore. In the comedy, Tiffany and Jessica desperately need an autograph and photo from former English soccer star Darren Anderton to save Tiffany’s marriage. There is just one problem: it snowed, and he might be dead.

“This year’s submissions showed a remarkable range, from bureaucratic farce to family drama to a snowbound comic caper. We’re thrilled to give these three playwrights a stage and to introduce our audiences to new voices,” LTA President Eleanore Tapscott said in the theater’s announcement.

LTA Is Looking for Directors

The Little Theatre has opened a call for directors for the three staged readings. Application information is available through LTA, which has hosted its annual One-Act Playwriting Competition for nearly 50 years.

The competition is designed to give original, previously unproduced work a chance to reach an audience. LTA awards $350 for first place, $250 for second and $150 for third.

Founded in 1934, The Little Theatre of Alexandria is one of the Washington area’s longest-running community theaters and has operated from its Wolfe Street home since 1961.