The Second Annual 30 Minutes or Less Festival Returns With a Bold Lineup

Experience What Artists Can Create in 30 minutes or less!

Next month the Second Annual 30 Minutes or Less Festival returns to the Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre in Los Angeles presented by Combined Artform + Asylum.  Following last year’s stellar debut, the festival has expanded with an eclectic lineup of bold, tightly crafted works, each 30 minutes or less. The plays are presented in curated blocks running January 15th through 25th allowing audiences to enjoy multiple shows in a single evening. Submissions are now open through January 7, 2026 and artists may submit applications HERE.

Created by veteran festival producers Matthew V. Quinn and Bertha Rodriguez, the festival champions short‑form storytelling across genres, including solo performance, two‑handers, puppetry, movement pieces, musicals, variety performance, and works in development that bridge theater, film, and digital media.

Impact of storytelling

“Short‑form work is where artists take big creative swings,” said festival co‑founder Matthew V. Quinn. “This festival celebrates the freedom, experimentation, and pure storytelling energy that can thrive when artists are given just 30 minutes—or less—to make an impact.”

The 30 Minutes or Less Festival takes place Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre located at 5636 Melrose Ave. LA, 90038. Tickets and information are available at 30MinutesOrLessFestival.com.

2026 FESTIVAL SELECTIONS

Against All Odds: Coincidence, Chaos, and Everyday Miracles – The Universe is speaking to you. Are you listening?

Autastic – A broken man and the autistic son who saved him.

Bad Medicine – Everything is fine.

Being The Perfect Woman – A live stream on being “the perfect woman” unravels when the host begins to question themself.

Blow the Man Down: A Sea Shanty Concert – Welcome to a concert and cabaret on the open sea!

Emily F-ing Dickinson: America’s Favorite Recluse – A musical blending Emily Dickinson’s words with original songs— manic, funny, and emotionally charged.

Experience Taught Me Nothing – Decades of life. Zero takeaways.

Ghost Train – A time-traveling ghost story on a Berlin train drawing chilling parallels between 1930s Germany and today.

Gilded Spindle – A woman spins defiance into gold in a haunting reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin.

Heartbreak Feels Good (in a place like this) – An audience-determined clown variety show hoping—desperately—to make Nicole proud.

Hooligani – With the fall of the Soviet Union and Heidi Fleiss in jail, Tetyana the Russian madam tells all.

I Wrote You A Play / A Letter From The Grave – A play you didn’t ask for… but you’re getting anyway.

Kitties In Space: Doomsday –  Socks and Mittens—cats in space—must stop the Mice from seizing a dangerous Doomsday device.

La Mano del Mono – Hispanic mom disciplines daughter as white dad objects in a modern “Monkey’s Paw” adaptation.

Looking For Backup – Can a Realtor be an Actor? Can an Actor be a Realtor? Find out.

Mamma! I burnt the chicken!!! – An airport worker meets Jesus during the season finale of her favorite show.

Mr. Big –  A private dick is hired by a femme fatale… to find God.

Nancy – A raw story of survival, desire, family violence, and the boy who lived to tell the truth.

Open-Door Playhouse presents:

The End: A fall brings a surprising guest.
Fast Moving Consumer Goods: A man has a wild experience on a call for help.

(Un)Drinkable: Living through the Flint, Michigan toxic water crisis.

Will’s Dramaturge: William Shakespeare meets with a man for tips.

She Was Dick’s Tracie

Sweet Lorraine – A sweet reunion between exes turns complicated as old memories resurface—and not all are pleasant.

The Mascot –  Some people get chosen for the team. This guy made his own.

The Miraculous V: The Bizarre Awakening of a Virgin Witch – Never been kissed? You might become a witch.

The Queen of Reading Gaol – A tale of hubris, tragedy, and the light that filters between the bars.

(Additional selections available at festival website.)