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originally published: 03/14/2023

(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Mile Square Theatre, Hudson County’s leading professional theatre, presents the world premiere of Yuppies Invade My House At Dinnertime, written by MST’s playwright-in-residence Joseph Gallo.  Directed by Mile Square Theatre founder Chris O’Connor, performances begin March 31 and run through April 8.

Based in part on the book Yuppies Invade My House At Dinnertime which the New York Times called “...a detailed portrait of Hoboken’s soul,” this hybrid/documentary play set in the 1980s, chronicles Hoboken’s gentrification, a time commonly referred to as “Hoboken’s forgotten history” when there were hundreds of fires, many of them arson, which displaced thousands of tenants (the majority of which were Puerto Rican), and led to 28 unsolved arson-related murders.  Nearly every word in the text is taken verbatim from more than 40 interviews of community residents who lived through that time, newspaper clippings, letters-to-the-editor that appeared in the Hoboken Reporter, and other primary source documents.

“I am so happy to feature Joseph Gallo in his final production as Playwright-in-Residence at Mile Square Theatre. It is especially meaningful this spring, as we offer hyper-local programming to the community of Hoboken,” says Mile Square Theatre’s Artistic Director, Kevin R. Free. The production stars playwright Joseph Gallo*,  Dan Domingues*, Ross DeGraw*, Darlene Tejeiro, and Jen Giattino. *Performing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association. 

The production features sound design by Michael Blasewicz, projection design by David Bonilla, and lighting design by Nina Agelvis. Arielle Legere* is the Production Stage Manager. 

This program is made possible in part by a grant from OSHE/OMIC, the New Jersey Council of the Humanities Incubation Grant for New Work, and a grant from the New Jersey State Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State, and administered by the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, Thomas A. DeGise, Hudson County Executive, and the Hudson County Board of County Commissioners. 

Performances of Yuppies Invade My House At Dinnertime take place Friday, March 31 at 8:00pm; Saturday, April 1 at 8:00pm; Sunday, April 2 at 3:00pm' Wednesday, April 5 at 8:00pm; Thursday, April 6 at 8:00pm; Friday, April 7 at 8:00pm; and Saturday, April 8 at 8:00pm.Running Time: 90 Minutes

Tickets are $24-35 and are available for purchase online. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the theater a half hour before the performance. 

Mile Square Theatre is located at 1400 Clinton Street in Hoboken, New Jersey.

 

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JOSEPH GALLO (playwright/actor) is the playwright-in-residence at Mile Square Theatre in Hoboken where his credits include: wrote and directed the dance/theatre piece "The Magic Hour," and directed the performance film, which was named Best Feature at the NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival; wrote, directed, and performed in the podcast play "The Playbill Gallery (a love story)"; wrote and performed the solo plays "AJ's Book" and "Long Gone Daddy" (“…strong, moving, assured…an unsparing, honest, funny story…beautifully captured.” – Broadway World); and worked as dramaturg and producer on the dance/theatre piece "Much Ado About Cucumbers & Cigars," and additionally directed the performance film. As a solo writer/performer he also appeared in the original production of "My Italy Story" at Penguin Rep, which later had its debut Off-Broadway at the 47th Street Theatre in New York with Danny Mastrogiorgio (“…a compelling page turner.” – New York Times). The play later received a critically acclaimed revival at MST starring Emmy Award winner Tom Pelphrey, who was named Best Actor by The Star-Ledger. Full-length plays include: "Two-Man Kidnapping Rule" (New Ohio Theatre); "Warning: Adult Content" (Theatre 54); "Staten Island" (Circle Rep Lab); and "New York City 523", which was developed in workshop at the Writers Theatre of New Jersey and is excerpted in Smith & Kraus’s Best Men’s Monologues of 2019. He also co-created and wrote the text for the dance/theatre piece "80% of Love" for company Rindfleisch, which debuted in New York at the Obie award-winning Ice Factory Festival at the Ohio Theatre, and subsequently transferred to the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (“…this dance soap opera/symbolist dream play boasts a virtuosity seldom seen.” – nytheatre.com). He is a current member of the Actors Studio Playwrights and Directors Workshop, a New Jersey Council of the Arts Playwriting Fellow, and a recipient of the NJ Council of the Humanities Incubation Grant for New Work. A frequent participant at The Moth in New York City, he is a two-time StorySLAM champion, and has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour. Training: MFA in Playwriting, Ohio University.

CHRIS O’CONNOR (Director) is Mile Square Theatre’s founder and former Artistic Director. He is an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Molloy University/CAP21 BFA program. Recent directing projects include Billy Bishop Goes to War and Two Gentlemen of Verona at Franklin Stage Company. As Founding Artistic Director of MST he received an Award of Excellence from the New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2017. Chris produced 19 seasons for MST, including the Off-Broadway transfer of Erin Mallon’s The Net Will Appear. He directed over 30 plays at MST and has directed at theatres and universities across the country. As an actor he has performed Off-Broadway and regionally in such theatres as Seattle’s A Contemporary Theatre, The Culture Project, Soho Rep, The Ahmanson, Gloucester Stage, Provisional Theatre of Los Angeles, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, The Ohio Theatre, The Bathhouse Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, and at City Theatre in Pittsburgh. TV credits include Magic City and Burn Notice, and he appears in the indie thriller Depraved. Upcoming projects; He will direct Good People at FSC this summer. He will also return to the MST stage this spring in the solo physical comedy piece Balloonacy. Chris holds a BFA from Carnegie-Mellon University and an MFA from Rutgers University.

MILE SQUARE THEATRE was founded in 2003 as a non-profit professional theatre. MST’s mission is to enrich and engage the region through the production of professional theatre and innovative arts education. MST produces professional theatre year round, including shows for young audiences and our annual festival of plays about baseball, 7th Inning Stretch.

Advertise with New Jersey Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info

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