(TRENTON, NJ) -- Due to unforeseen circumstances, Passage Theatre has made several date and presentation changes to the remainder of its 2020-21 Season. These changes include the date change for its upcoming online play reading of Babel, the cancellation of the Solo Flights presentation of Mother (and me), the transition of its in-person productions of Surely Goodness and Mercy and A Twist of Water to online productions, and the date shift of its in-person presentation of its PlayLab readings of The OK Trenton Project and Group!
Passage’s online play reading of Babel written by Jacqueline Goldfinger and directed by Jill Harrison has been moved back a month to February 18th - 21st. A group screening will be held at 7pm on Saturday, February 20th and will include a live post-show discussion with the reading’s artists immediately following the performance. Tickets previously purchased for the January dates will be honored for the new February screening dates.
Unfortunately, Passage has had to cancel its Solo Flight’s presentation of Mother (and me) written and performed by Melinda Buckley, which was originally scheduled for February 19th – 21st due to health reasons. Passage’s Artistic Director C. Ryanne Domingues and Ms. Buckley both agreed that canceling this year’s presentation was needed at this time. However, both are committed to presenting Mother (and me) in a future season at Passage. Ticket holders and Passport members can either receive a refund for the price of their Mother (and me) ticket, or kindly donate the cost of their ticket to Passage. Requests for refunds can be sent to ticketing@passagetheatre.org.
Finally, Passage has had to change its live in-person Theatre for Families and Young Audiences production of Surely Goodness and Mercy, mainstage production A Twist of Water, and its PlayLab readings of The OK Trenton Project and Group! due to the ongoing medical crisis caused by COVID-19. In keeping with NJ State health guidelines, Surely Goodness and Mercy (March 19-21) and A Twist of Water (May 12 -16) will be presented online only and not in-person. Additionally, Passage has also pushed back its live in-person public readings of The OK Trenton Project and Group! due to the pandemic crisis. The OK Trenton Project’s in-person public reading will be held on June 19th as an outdoor reading, and the in-person public reading of Group! has been moved to the start of Passage’s 2021-22 season this coming fall. All current 2020-21 Passport Members will be invited to attend these in-person public readings at no charge. For more details about our PlayLab programming visit our website at www.passagetheatre.org.
Passage’s Artistic Director C. Ryanne Domingues says "The past year has required an enormous amount of stamina, flexibility, strength, and patience from people around the globe. At Passage, we are doing our best to hold space for our staff, artists, and audiences to process current events and to heal from both physical and mental traumas that they may be enduring. With these things in mind, Passage is committed to remaining flexible and responsive in our programming. While we may have to shift and move our dates around to accommodate the health of our artists and audiences, we are also seeking out ways to be more creative and think outside the box with new and exciting ways to share our upcoming productions."
Passage’s Spring/Summer 2021 Season Programming
ONLINE PLAY READING:
February 18-21 (Group Screening on 2/20 @7:00pm) - Babel, Written by Jacqueline Goldfinger. Directed by Jill Harrison. An intimate, subtle comedy set in the near future, BABEL offers a dynamic world where two couples, and a talking stork, traverse infertility, prenatal genetic testing, and the lengths they will go to for the love of their future children.
THEATRE FOR FAMILIES AND YOUNG AUDIENCES:
March 18 – 21, 2021 - Surely Goodness and Mercy, Written by Chisa Hutchinson. Directed by marcus d. harvey. This story follows an odd, but bright little boy named Tino who befriends Bernadette, the lunch lady at his school. Through quick conversations, a few moments of grace, and the help of their sassy friend Deja, both Tino and Bernadette learn about the strength hiding within themselves and what it means to truly care for another.
MAINSTAGE:
May 12 – 16, 2021 - A Twist of Water, Written by Caitlin Parrish. Directed by Michael Osinski. Noah, a widowed history teacher, struggles to find hope in the wake of his husband’s death. When their adopted daughter Jira decides that she wants to seek out her birth mother, Noah and Jira are forced to re-examine both their own identities and their relationship to each other. Set against the backdrop of Chicago, this poignant play explores the definition of family and the love we find when we allow ourselves to heal.
PLAYLAB IN-PERSON PUBLIC WORKSHOPS:
June 19, 2021 - The OK Trenton Project. Written by David Lee White and Richard Bradford and the members of The OK Trenton Ensemble. Directed by C. Ryanne Domingues. The OK Trenton Project is a documentary-style play about the reaction to a sculpture entitled “Helping Hands,” which was designed and built by local students and installed on a vacant city-owned lot in Trenton, NJ. Following concerns that the sculpture too closely resembled a gang symbol and could send the wrong message to residents, the piece was ultimately removed. Told through the words of Trenton’s law enforcement, city officials, artists, residents, and students, this play tells the story of what one piece of art can mean to a community.
Moved to Fall 2021.
Group! Written by Aleksandra M. Weil (Music), Eloise Govdare (Lyrics), and Julia B. Rosenblatt (Book). In this new musical, six women from vastly different worlds come together to battle the great equalizer: addiction. At a time when the opioid crisis continues to build, and sexual assault and trauma have risen to the forefront of our country’s consciousness, Group! explores the terrifying, desperate and often funny journey toward women’s mental health and sobriety. Who will make it? Who will fall off of the proverbial wagon? And what happens when brutal budget cuts threaten the very place they’ve come to for healing?
Passage Theatre’s season is made possible in part by the Anonymous; Janssen Pharmaceuticals; Mary G. Roebling Foundation; Mathematica Policy Research; N.J. State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the NEA; National New Play Network's Bridge Program; New Jersey Arts and Culture Recovery Fund; New Jersey Manufacturers (NJM); New Jersey Theatre Alliance, The Stages Festival; New State Council of the Arts, NEA; NJ Economic Development Authority; Otsuka Pharmaceutical; Princeton Area Community Foundation; PNC Bank; The Bunbury Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation; The City of Trenton; The Curtis McGraw Foundation; The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; The MAP Fund; The Shubert Foundation; Thomas Edison State University; Trenton Downtown Association; Trinity United Methodist Church, Ewing, NJ; Virginia Brown Martin Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation; and WIMG 1300.
