(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- Welcome to the sleepy town of Popcorn Falls, a small American town whose only claim to fame – their namesake waterfall – has dried up, and their neighboring town threatens to turn them into a sewage treatment plant. Their only hope is to - open a theater!
Now bankrupt, their last chance to save themselves is a large grant that can only be used if the town produces a play in a week. One big problem: no theatre. Another problem: no play. Led by the Mayor and the local handyman, the enterprising townsfolk try to rise to the challenge
New Jersey Repertory Company presents Popcorn Falls by James Hindman from January 12 through February 12. Two actors (Tom Souhrada and James Hindman) play over twenty roles in this fast-paced farce filled with love and desperation, hoping to prove once and for all that art can save the world. The production is directed by Rose Riccardi. Popcorn Falls is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
New Jersey Repertory Company (NJREP) is located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch, New Jersey. The company was founded in 1997 by SuzAnne and Gabor Barabas. Its current central headquarters is the Lumia Theater located on lower Broadway in Long Branch. The theater’s mission is to develop and produce new plays and to make a lasting contribution to the American Stage. Over two decades NJ Rep has produced 150 plays of which 125 have been world premieres. The theater has the additional distinction of having had many of its plays produced by other theaters around the country totaling over 200 subsequent productions in the U.S. and overseas. In 2012 and 2018 NJ Rep was the recipient of a National Theater Company Grant from the American Theater Wing that sponsors the annual Tony Awards for Broadway in recognition of its contribution to the repertoire of the American Stage. Only seven theaters have had this distinction. In addition, the theater has presented over 400 developmental readings as well as introduced 136 new works through its Theatre Brut Short-Play Festivals that focus on visionary and avant-garde works. In May 2016, NJ Rep acquired a new property, a 28,000 square foot school situated on 2 ½ acres and located just five minutes from its Main Stage Lumia Theater and two blocks from the Jersey Shore. The theater plans on gradually transforming the school in stages into a cultural center that will house additional performance spaces, an art cinema, an art museum, a rooftop café, an arts education wing, and residences for out-of-town actors and playwrights. When completed, the center will present a wide array of programs in acting, playwriting, art, sculpture, poetry, music, and photography and will serve as a catalyst for economic development and as the foundation for the cultural renaissance of the community.
