(PRINCETON, NJ) -- New Jersey professional and family caregivers, as well as patients receiving care, were asked to submit creative prose, poetry, and theatrical pieces that reflect the theme of caregiving or the personal healing experience. Over 100 writers submitted pieces to the project for consideration. The 16 pieces selected by McCarter were then woven together by a professional director into an evening of virtual readings celebrating, exploring, and bearing witness to the caregiving experience.
“This is the fifth year of the Healing Voices project, and we are delighted to have McCarter Theatre Center, George Street Playhouse, Premiere Stages, and Two River Theater participating,” said John McEwen, Executive Director of the Alliance. “Although we were not able to gather in-person last spring to witness these performances of writing by caregivers, we are thrilled that our theatres have found innovative ways to share their stories. The pandemic has once again revealed how essential caregiving and caring for one another is to the fabric of our society. Whether someone is a professional healthcare worker, a caregiver for a spouse or relative with a disability, or a parent caring for a child, these stories show the incredible compassion and strength of people who care for others. The New Jersey Theatre Alliance is privileged to be able to support our member theatres in lifting up these important voices through this program.”
The Healing Voices project is a partnership between New Jersey Theatre Alliance, George Street Playhouse, McCarter Theatre Center, Premiere Stages, and Two River Theater Company. McCarter’s performance, as well as Healing Voices projects at the other participating theatres, were originally scheduled as part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance's Stages Festival last Spring. When the pandemic shut down all live performances, the theatres re-scheduled their events to this year
“McCarter Theatre Center is honored to be a part of this impactful program,” said Brooke Boertzel, Director of Education and Engagement at McCarter. “What I most appreciate about the Healing Voices: Caregivers Stories on Stage program is that it offers people, both seasoned writers, and first-time writers, the opportunity to explore their complicated emotional connection to the theme of caregiving within a creative format. The arts are inherently therapeutic, and this program supports those benefits while also fostering a safe and welcoming community.”
A virtual reading of the writers’ work by professional actors will take place via a Zoom webinar on Friday, May 7, 2021 at 7:00pm. The event is free to the public, however registration is required. To register in advance for Healing Voices: Caregiver Stories please use the following Zoom Webinar registration link.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Funding for Healing Voices: Caregivers Stories on Stage was provided by New Jersey Theatre Alliance as part of their Stages Festival, a state-wide celebration of theatre made possible by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Bank; New Jersey Historical Commission; George A. Ohl, Jr. Trust; and Fund for the New Jersey Blind.
Joshua Schnetzer (Director) is a director, choreographer and educator, working throughout Philadelphia, New York City, and New Jersey. He directed and choreographed the world premiere productions of The Kite and Bashirah and the Great Bean Pie at the Please Touch Museum and Flash, Float, Fall at the New Jersey Fringe Festival. Off-Broadway, Joshua served as the Creative Director of Audible’s Path to Pride (starring Lance Bass) at the Minnetta Lane Theater. He choreographed and taught dance for Paper Mill Playhouse’s pre-professional Summer Conservatory and award-winning Broadway Show Choir. At McCarter, Joshua partners with the Education and Engagement department to develop and teach classes in Shakespeare, playwriting, scene study, and musical theater and managed the Community Ensemble for McCarter’s annual production of A Christmas Carol.
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 Amazon, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Grunin Foundation, The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Bank of America, City National Bank, 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.
McCarter Theatre Center’s mission is to create world-class theater and present the finest performing artists for the engagement, education, and entertainment of our community. They are committed to Sharing stimulating, diverse and provocative stories, working at the intersection of art and scholarship, and making the arts accessible to a broad range of audiences. An independent, non-profit regional theater, McCarter lives in the heart of the new Princeton University Arts District and provides programs all over Princeton, Trenton, and throughout central New Jersey.
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