The National Public Radio hit series Selected Shorts takes the stage at the Columbia Festival of the Arts as part of the Speak(easy) Howard series. Spellbinding short stories by established and emerging writers take on a new life when they are performed by stars of the stage and screen. Experience the series live as host Sam Underwood, along with Valorie Curry and Atandwa Kani, present stories that show us how to share our wishes, love our tribe, and live our best life. Join us for an evening of theatrical tales that teach us it’s never too late (or early) to seize the day.

Selected Shorts is produced by Symphony Space in New York City and broadcast on more than 150 stations around the country. The Selected Shorts podcast consistently ranks as one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes, with over 100,000 downloads every week. The series began in 1985 and enjoys sold-out performances to this day. Selected Shorts was conceived with a simple premise: take great stories by well-known and emerging writers and have them performed by terrific actors. Each Selected Shorts is a unique night of literature in performance.

About The Host

Sam Underwood’s television credits include recurring roles on Showtime’s Dexter and Homeland, Fox’s The Following, Power on STARZ, AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, the film adaptation of the musical Hello Again, and most recently as Adam Carrington on the reboot of Dynasty. He is the founder and artistic director of New York’s Fundamental Theater Project, with which he produced and starred in One Day When We Were Young by Nick Payne with Valorie Curry at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His New York theater credits include Candida at The Irish Repertory Theatre, The Picture of Dorian Gray at The Pershing Square Signature Theatre, and Equus at John Drew Theater at Guild Hall, in which he starred opposite Alec Baldwin. Underwood is Creative Director of Initiative Productions, with which he has produced and starred in the short film Ophelia and his one-man show, Losing Days. He recently appeared in the musical film Hello Again.