(PATERSON, NJ) -- The Paterson Performing Arts Development Council (PPADC) has announced the 2023 lineup for its annual Hamilton Arts Festival (June 15–24, 2023), a series of events including theatrical productions and film screenings.

The Hamilton Arts Festival (HAF) is a performing arts event designed to promote and showcase the works of underrepresented and underserved artists from theater, film, and other disciplines. The 2023 HAF lineup includes readings and productions (virtual and in-person).

The 3rd Annual Hamilton Arts Festival kicks off on Thursday, June 15th at 6:00pm with a Paterson Film Premiere of American River, co-sponsored by the Urban Wilderness Renewal. This event includes a talkback with filmmaker Scott Morris, Pastor John Algera of Urban Wilderness Renewal and River of God Paddling, Laurie Howard Exec Dir. Passaic River Coalition. The screening will take place at Fabian 8 Cinema, 301 Main St. Paterson, NJ 07505. Tickets for American River are $10.00 for Adults and $8.00 for Seniors and can be purchased at the theater or in advance at https://www.ppadc.org/.

American River is a feature documentary about a 4-day, 80-mile kayak journey down New Jersey's Passaic River. The central character is Mary Bruno, who spent her childhood afraid of the polluted stretch of the Passaic near her home. Decades later, she returns to explore the river of her youth and tell its story. American River follows Ms. Bruno and River Guide Carl Alderson as they kayak from the Passaic's pristine headwaters to its toxic mouth in Newark Bay. Along the way, candid conversations with residents, experts and advocates reveal the river's extraordinary history, geology and ecology: How did this powerful and once-celebrated river become one of the most contaminated in the nation? Can it be saved? Three years in the making, the 86-minute documentary was directed by seasoned filmmaker Scott Morris and based on Mary Bruno's 2012 book, An American River; From Paradise to Superfund. The filmmaking team includes Producer Kelly Sheehan, Director of Photography Roger Grange, Consulting Editor Keith Reamer, Composer Ben Morris and Executive Producer S. Dillard Kirby.

On Friday, June 16th at 7:00pm there will be a staged reading of local playwright Robert Tyler’s “Douglasville.” This event will be staged at 13-15 North 1st Street, Paterson, NJ 07522.

The Hamilton Arts Festival Short Film Showcase opens on Friday, June 19th at 6:00pm featuring 7 short films. The event will take place at Fabian 8 Cinema, 301 Main St. Paterson, NJ 07505.

Wednesday, June 21st at 7:00pm features When Women Speak & Talkback with live performances on Zoom all attendees must register in advance.

The festival closes out on Saturday, June 24th at 7:00pm with a live performance of Roadmap the Choreopoem by PPADC’s 2023 Playwright In-Residence, Monica Prince. This event will take place at Great Falls Center, 39 Mcbride Ave, EXT, Paterson, NJ 07501.

In Roadmap, the lead character, Dorian, tries to save his own life by looking into his past and his present. He wishes to live a full life without violence and to grow old. But the world tells him he can't—because he's Black and part of a legacy of fatality at an early age. PPADC’s 2023 Playwright In-Residence, Monica Prince is a teacher of performance art at Susquehanna University and the author of How to Exterminate the Black Woman: A Choreopoem, Instructions for Temporary Survival and Letters from the Other Woman. She writes with a performance lens, trying to emphasize that what she says matters and deserves a platform. She brings a brilliant mix of mysticism, real world sobriety and movement to Roadmap, which asks its lead character, a young Black American man to thwart his inevitable murder.

Tickets for all Hamilton Arts Festival 2023 events can be purchased at https://www.ppadc.org/.

“To say we are excited about this year's Hamilton Arts Festival is an understatement,’ said Denise E. Womack, local Paterson Arts Commissioner and PPADC’s Board President. “We have been presented with some amazing opportunities to highlight regional talent like Ms. Prince. She has taken the lead on championing the choreopoem genre given to us by Ntozake Shange, while the films and other work you'll see is also richly representative of New Jersey’s tremendous talent. We look forward to bringing Broadway-style with a little Jersey flair.”

The PPADC is committed to presenting events that are accessible, free, or low-cost, diverse, and inclusive of a wide range of artistic voices. The Hamilton Arts Festival is made possible with funds from the Passaic County Cultural & Heritage Council, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Festival Lineup: 

Thursday, June 15 @ 6:00pm- American River Documentary (Film Premiere)

Friday, June 16 @ 7:00pm - "Douglasville" a play by Robert Tyler (Staged Reading)

Monday, June 19 @ 6:00pm - HAF Short Film Showcase (7 short films)

Wednesday, June 21 @ 7:00pm - When Women Speak & Talkback (Virtual Performances and Q&A)

Saturday, June 24 @ 7:00pm - ROADMAP a Choreopoem Play by Monica Prince (Live Performance)

The Paterson Performing Arts Development Council (PPADC) is a 501C3 nonprofit organization based in Paterson, NJ. PPADC devotes its energy and resources to fulfill our mission of bringing together diverse communities via performing arts and cultural events, establishing career pathways for aspiring and accomplished independent artists, and promoting the City of Paterson as a destination for arts enthusiasts. PPADC also strives to engage and encourage our city’s artistic youth. PPADC is an Affiliate Member of the New Theater Alliance, the country's first statewide professional theater service organization; and a member of ArtPride New Jersey, the state's largest arts service and advocacy organization.