(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- New Jersey Theatre Alliance (“the Alliance”) has announced a series of upcoming events showcasing the diversity and excellence of New Jersey’s professional theatre community. All events will be ASL-interpreted and open-captioned.
“We are thrilled to partner with such innovative organizations as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The New Jersey Historical Commission, Newark Arts, and New Jersey Performing Arts Center to bring this series of events to the public,” said John McEwen, Executive Director of New Jersey Theatre Alliance. “Although we are eager to once again gather in person at our theatres, the online format of these events will offer the public an intimate, candid, and informative experience with some of New Jersey’s most well-respected artists and professionals.”
On October 6 at 4:00pm, The Alliance will partner with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the live-streamed video series, Arts Across America. Four New Jersey artists connected with theatres from the membership of New Jersey Theatre Alliance will be featured. Suzzanne Douglas, an actor and singer representing Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, will perform music and spoken word poetry accompanied by a live bass player. Playwright Tony Meneses, representing Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, will share excerpts from his play twenty50, a political thriller about immigration and the American Dream. Playwright Tylie Shider, representing The Theater Project in Union, will share excerpts of his new play, The Sign in My Window, a piece he wrote during the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, about cosmopolitan-neighbors who discover they have dissenting opinions about how to protect their homes during an uprising. Lewis Merkin, composer and performer, will collaborate with a young artist to share a duet from A Thousand Faces, a song between a deaf father and his hearing son, written for a deaf performer. The development and production of A Thousand Faces at Skyline Theatre Company in Fair Lawn was awarded a 2019 Innovator Award from the Cultural Access Network Project, a partnership between New Jersey Theatre Alliance and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. This showcase of exciting new work by some of New Jersey’s finest artists may be viewed for free as a live stream or an archived video on the John F. Kennedy Center’s Facebook page.
On October 8 at 7:00pm, in partnership with the New Jersey Historical Commission, New Jersey Theatre Alliance will present Women in New Jersey Theatre: Theatre and Civic Engagement. This third annual panel discussion featuring high-profile women in New Jersey Theatre will feature professionals who use their art to engage communities and promote social and civic change. The panel will include Dr. Paula Alekson, of McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, Ryanne Domingues of Passage Theatre Company in Trenton, Amanda Espinoza of Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, and Dr. Jessica Brater of Montclair State University. It will be moderated by the Alliance’s Deputy Director, Erica Nagel. This event is free and open to the public but does require registration. Registration is available here.
On November 16 at 7:00pm, New Jersey Theatre Alliance takes its annual Curtain Call celebration virtual! A highly-anticipated fall gathering for theatre artists, administrators, supporters, and the general public, Curtain Call is a yearly celebration of the people who make a big impact on theatre in the Garden State. This year's Star Award will be presented to Mills + Schnoering Architects, in honor of their outstanding commitment to universal design and access. Awards of Excellence will be given to Stage Managers of member theatres, offering a well-deserved moment in the spotlight to these essential artistic collaborators who so often stay behind the scenes. This event is open to the public but requires registration. You may register to attend on the New Jersey Theatre Alliance website, www.njtheatrealliance.org, beginning Wednesday, September 30.
Closing out the calendar year, on December 19 at 3:00pm, New Jersey Theatre Alliance partners with Newark Arts and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center to present Producing Black Theatre, a panel featuring Black theatre artists and administrators discussing their work and the intersection of theatre and social justice. Confirmed panelists include Aaron L. McKinney from Hi-Arts NYC, Andrew Binger of Yendor Theatre Company, and Damion Parran of Passage Theatre Company. It will be moderated by Marshall Jones, III of Rutgers University-New Brunswick and trustee of the Alliance. Additional panelists will be confirmed as the date approaches. The event will be part of NJPAC’s day-long Kwaanza celebration and registration will be available at www.NJPAC.org later this fall.
Founded in 1981, New Jersey Theatre Alliance was the first statewide service organization for professional, not-for-profit theatre companies in the United States, and is a leader in developing model programs that unite, promote, strengthen, and cultivate professional theatre in New Jersey. Funding for the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, a not-for-profit organization, is provided in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, and contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations including the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Grunin Foundation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Bank of America, The Shubert Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Investors Bank, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, Kessler Foundation, The F.M. Kirby Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, and The Union Foundation.
