(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Tickets will go on sale January 18 for the Mason Gross School of the Arts’ spring 2022 season at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in downtown New Brunswick. Mason Gross is offering live events from February through May at NBPAC in jazz, opera, and contemporary dance, as well as screenings of original works by student filmmakers and visits from professional filmmakers. Past visiting filmmakers have included Josh and Benny Safdie (Good Time) and Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar (American Factory).
The Mason Gross spring season at NBPAC opens February 4 through 6 with student vocalists performing Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, featuring a live student orchestra. Canadian dance troupe Tentacle Tribe, described as “conceptual hip-hop with a contemporary twist,” hits the stage March 24 and 25. Look for a celebration women in jazz on March 2 and concerts in honor of jazz legend Charles Mingus’ 100th birthday on April 20 and 22.
Tickets for most events run $5 to $15; some events are free, but all require registration. Discounts are available for Rutgers employees and alumni, as well as senior citizens. Tickets will be available for purchase online and in-person at NBPAC, 11 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick. Check for updates to NBPAC’s health and safety protocols here.
The Mason Gross School’s spring 2022 season at NBPAC is as follows:
Opera Theater Rutgers and Rutgers Symphony Orchestra - February 4 at 7:30pm & February 6 at 2:00pm - A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Public $15 // Rutgers Alumni/Employees & Seniors $10 // Students $5
Rutgers Jazz Lab Band - March 2 at 7:30pm. Women in the Writer’s Chair. Music written and arranged by such luminaries as Mary Lou Williams, Melba Liston, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Maria Schneider. Directed by Abraham Burton. Public $15 // Rutgers Alumni/Employees & Seniors $10 // Students $5
Rutgers University Jazz Ensemble - March 4 at 7:30pm. A Jazz Afro-Caribbean Celebration. Jazz orchestra highlights works by such notable artists as Eddie Palmieri and Tito Puente. Directed by Conrad Herwig. Public $15 // Rutgers Alumni/Employees & Seniors $10 // Students $5
Visiting Filmmaker Series - March 7 and April 1 at 7:00pm. Rutgers Filmmaking Center hosts documentary and narrative feature screenings followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker. Free admission.
Tentacle Tribe - March 24 and 25 at 7:30pm. Montreal-based contemporary dance company influenced by the street dance scene. Funded through the Mid Atlantic Tours Program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Public $25 // Rutgers Alumni/Employees & Seniors $20 // Students $15
Rutgers University Jazz Ensemble - April 20 at 7:30pm. A celebration of the 100th birthday of bassist and composer Charles Mingus, featuring compositions from “Reincarnation of a Lovebird,” “Pithecanthropus Erectus,” “Tonight at Noon,” and “Mingus Ah Um,” among others. Directed by Conrad Herwig. Public $15 // Rutgers Alumni/Employees & Seniors $10 // Students $5
Rutgers Jazz Lab Band - April 22 at 7:30pm. Mingus at 100. A tribute to the music of bassist and composer Charles Mingus, highlighting excerpts from “Money Jungle,” “Mysterious Blues,” and “Tijuana Moods,” among others. Directed by Abraham Burton. Public $15 // Rutgers Alumni/Employees & Seniors $10 // Students $5
BFA Freshman/Transfer Film Showcase - April 28 at 7:00pm. Screening of documentary, fiction, and experimental work by up-and-coming Rutgers student filmmakers. Free admission.
BFA Film Thesis Showcase - April 29 at 6:00pm. Screening of documentary, fiction, and experimental work by up-and-coming Rutgers student filmmakers. Free admission.
New Lens Film Festival - May 3 at 7:00pm. Celebration of works by Rutgers student filmmakers, including fiction, animated, documentary, and experimental films, all selected for inclusion by Rutgers Filmmaking Center faculty. Free admission.
Photo credit: Amanda Brown Photography for Mason Gross School of the Arts. Rutgers University Jazz Ensemble concert at NBPAC, October 29, 2021.
Established in 1976, Mason Gross School of the Arts is the flagship public arts conservatory of New Jersey and a division of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Founded in 1766, Rutgers is the nation’s eighth-oldest institution of higher learning, a leading Big Ten public research university with more than 66,000 students, and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The Mason Gross School is home to the departments of Art & Design, Dance, Music, and Theater as well as Rutgers Community Arts, Rutgers Arts Online, the Rutgers Filmmaking Center, and the Rutgers Print Collaborative. The school has an enrollment of approximately 843 undergraduates and 240 graduate students across five disciplines, supported by approximately 370 faculty and 65 staff. Students at Mason Gross hail from 21 countries. Mason Gross is one of the most selective schools at Rutgers–New Brunswick, ensuring that students have the opportunity to work closely with accomplished artists in their fields.
