(UNION, NJ) -- Premiere Stages will celebrate its 11th Anniversary as Kean University’s professional Equity theatre with a dynamic lineup of events, featuring a season of topical plays that focus on people of the region, both past and present. Enhanced by award-winning premieres, engaging musical presentations for young audiences, captivating summer camps for middle-school and high-school students, and collaborations with like-minded organizations both on and off campus, the 2015 season promises to be the most successful to date. In describing the season, John J. Wooten, Premiere Stages’ producing artistic director, stated, “The power of the human spirit takes center stage at Premiere as we celebrate those who refuse to be beaten by the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, as well as those centuries before in Seneca Village who fought to keep what was rightfully theirs. The season typifies Premiere’s unique commitment to presenting ground-breaking and socially relevant work, while partnering with the community to raise awareness about issues of social change that profoundly impact and empower the local community.”
Premiere’s scintillating 2015 season features the Off-Broadway hit By the Water by Sharyn Rothstein (July 16 – August 2; Zella Fry Theatre, Vaughn Eames Hall), directed by Adam Immerwahr. In Ms. Rothstein’s moving new play, Hurricane Sandy wields its force upon the home of Marty and Mary Murphy, threatening to destroy not only the life they have built together but the neighborhood they grew up in. Will Marty manage to save his neighborhood and his home, or are the secrets unearthed by the storm too powerful to overcome? Premiere Stages is proud to present the New Jersey Premiere of this gripping and affecting play, described by The New York Times as "drawn with acute sympathy and in gritty detail.”
Premiere Stages will partner with Kean University Galleries (http://www.kean.edu/~gallery/) to present By the Block (July 16 – September 14; James Howe Gallery, Vaughn Eames Hall), an exhibition of salvaged wood quilts by Asbury Park artist Laura Petrovich-Cheney (http://www.lauracheney.com/), in conjunction with the production. Admission to the gallery is free, and patrons attending By the Water are encouraged to arrive early for their scheduled performance in order to view the quilts, which are constructed from wood scraps collected after Hurricane Sandy.
Premiere Stages is also accepting applications from middle and high school students for Camp Premiere, its innovative summer program for young aspiring theatre artists. Session I is a performance and playwriting camp for students entering grades 5 - 8 (July 20 - 31), and Session II is an acting camp for grades 9 - 12 (July 27 – August 7). Camp Premiere is dedicated to fostering a creative and nurturing environment for young theatre artists of all experience levels, and both sessions will culminate in a public showcase performance. Tuition is $295, and limited scholarships are available; preference is given to Union County residents. For more information, please contact Christine Whalen at 908-737-4092 or premiere@kean.edu.
Premiere Stages offers affordable prices, air-conditioned facilities, and free parking close to the theatre. Premiere Stages also provides free or discounted tickets to patrons with disabilities. All Premiere Stages facilities are fully accessible spaces, and companion seating is available for patrons with disabilities. Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available at all times; publications in alternate formats are available with advanced notice. Please call 908-737-4092 for a list of sign-interpreted, audio-described or open-captioned performances. For more information, visit Premiere Stages online at www.kean.edu/premierestages.
Premiere Stages is made possible in part through funding from The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Shubert Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Northfield Bank Foundation, The New Jersey Historical Commission, The Provident Bank Foundation, The Hudson City Savings Bank Foundation, Union County HEART Grants, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Union Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, The Westfield Foundation, The New Jersey Historical Commission, and through the generous support of individual patrons. Discover Jersey Arts is our marketing partner. Visit www.JerseyArts.com for more information about other arts programming happening around the Garden State.
PHOTO: Playwright Keith Josef Adkins, Winner of the 2015 Premiere Stages Play Festival for The People Before the Park, running September 3 - 20 at Premiere Stages. Photo courtesy of Keith Josef Adkins.