Booking Selected Shorts On Tour

To find a schedule of upcoming performances, please visit our page for Selected Shorts On Tour. To find out how to book Selected Shorts at your venue, please contact us.

The public radio series that presents extraordinary performances of classic and new short stories wants to come to you.

“One of the finest evenings at the theatre.”
– David Sedaris

Selected Shorts features classic short fiction by masters such as Zora Neale Hurston, Flannery O’Connor and Dorothy Parker; contemporary greats like Grace Paley, Raymond Carver and John Cheever; and the bold and experimental voices of Neil Gaiman, Amy Hempel, Sherman Alexie, Michael Cunningham and Haruki Murakami.

Recently, performers such as Stephen Colbert, Alec Baldwin, Rent star Anthony Rapp, Hope Davis, Mary-Louise Parker, Parker Posey, John Lithgow, Joan Allen, and Amy Ryan performed stories here in New York.  House star Robert Sean Leonard, B.D. Wong, Campbell Scott, Sonia Manzano, Jane Curtin, David Strathairn,Fionnula Flanagan, Jane Curtin, Denis O’Hare, Mia Dillion, Keir Dullea, and Jill Eikenberry joined us on tour. You can see some of the other great Selected Shorts performers on our Radio Show Listing — and don’t forget to subscribe to our free podcast while you’re there!

Selected Shorts on Tour is perfect for theatres, libraries, college campuses and conferences. The Selected Shorts name reaches audiences nationwide through our radio broadcast, establishing fans and cultivating an appreciation for literature in performance.  Over the past 30 years Shorts has toured all over the country, visiting hundreds of venues — including The Getty Museum, Steppenwolf, The Dallas Museum of Art, The Westport Playhouse, and many more. Take a look at where we’re going this season.

Programs can be selected from a diverse collection of popular themes, such as Food Fictions, Pets, Tales of Betrayal, Odd Couples, Unforgettable Journeys, and more.

“Selected Shorts is, quite simply, the perfect library program – literate, profound, and fun – an evening that transports the audience.”
– Arlene Sahraie, Library Services Director of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System

“Hearing your own story read aloud by someone else — if the reader is as good as those involved in Selected Shorts — is a bit like seeing your daughter dancing with John Travolta. It’s unsettling, but you’re proud of the way she moves. Who knew?”
– Roy Blount, Jr.

Our Host

Isaiah Sheffer is co-founder and artistic director of Symphony Space. He hosts and directs Selected Shorts live events at Symphony Space, on tour, and programs as heard on public radio nationwide.

For Colleges

Selected Shorts can work to tailor the program by working with your Creative Writing or English department. Student and/or faculty fiction could be read alongside contemporary and classic literature by a cast of first-rate actors.

Contact Info

For booking inquiries, please contact:
Off Broadway Booking (OBB)
1650 Broadway, #408
New York, NY  10019
(212) 586-7777
orin@obbnyc.com