Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre company in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize Pareidolia by Kareem Fahmy as a Semi-Finalist for the 2026 Premiere Play Festival. Pareidolia rose through a competitive process to become one of 65 Semi-Finalists out of 894 submissions. The play was an engaging tug-of-war exploration of connection, realities, and illusions – all beautifully shown through Mal’s heartfelt vulnerability. Our congratulations and thanks to Kareem.

A rom-com and a thriller that makes us ask our own questions about how we connect with the people around us. I admire this play for its craft, and I enjoy it for its emotional core.

A superbly written and nuanced play about connection, relationships, alienation, and dating. Hilarious, unsettling, and heartbreaking, "Pareidolia" straddles a number of genres and moods quite well. I also love the unique theatrical world Fahmy builds by splicing the online world, naturalistic scenes, and some magical sounding montage/collage towards the end and in the wedding scene. I would love to see this staged, as it seems like an exciting adventure for directors and designers as well as actors. At the heart of this play are well developed characters--both the sympathetic Mal, and the other eclectic individuals.