Selected Shorts: Objects with Roz Chast

Selected Shorts: Objects with Roz Chast is a single evening of literature in performance at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side. It is not a play or a musical, and it is not a run: there is one performance, with no previews and no press opening. Symphony Space, the nonprofit arts center that produces it, gives every Selected Shorts evening a theme, and actors known from stage, screen and television read several short stories chosen to match.

This evening's theme is objects, meaning the things people hold on to, from the everyday contents of a kitchen to keepsakes that carry real sentiment. The program also includes a reading from The Two Saddest Kitchens, which Symphony Space presents as Roz Chast's new book. As of October 2026, Chast is listed as the host.

The series draws on short fiction, mostly, with some classic stories and some new ones by established and emerging writers. As of October 2026, neither the stories nor the readers for this evening have been announced. Symphony Space says casting and special guests will appear on its website and that actors may change, so recheck the lineup closer to the date.

Selected Shorts began in 1985 on the stage of Symphony Space. Over the years it spread to weekly public radio, a podcast, audio collections and tours around the country.