Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 03/11/2025
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The Tony Award winning Crossroads Theatre Company is expanding its acclaimed Genesis Festival of New Voices and New Plays with a new award in partnership with Columbia University School of the Arts. For decades, The Genesis Festival has been an incubator of new work for some of the world's most celebrated and decorated playwrights including Ntozake Shange, Anna Deavere Smith, Richard Wesley, Samm Art- Williams, Paul Carter Harrison and Lynn Nottage.
Crossroads continues its 45-year commitment to creating a sanctuary for the next generation of black playwrights with The Crossroads Genesis Prize for Playwriting Excellence, acknowledging the creative prowess of next generation playwrights and honoring their commitment to bold, authentic storytelling.
“Our long time commitment has been to ensure that our artists have a safe and nurturing environment to thrive. This partnership is an extension of that dedication to the next generation of storytellers.” -Ezra Ezzard, Managing Director
The partnership with Crossroads ensures an important and culturally unique opportunity for Columbia University MFA students seeking to augment their academic pursuits with professional support of their new work. The selected winner will receive a development lab and a public reading of the play with professional actors and director.
With a generous gift from an anonymous donor, the two institutions will present the award in a ceremony that launches this extraordinary partnership at the opening of Crossroads’ annual Genesis Festival, April 2, 2025 at The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
This year’s honors are extended to :
* Silma Sierra Berrada (‘27) - The Genesis Prize Winner with Pearls
* Goldie E Patrick (‘23) - Finalist with Fish Fry
* DeAndre Short (‘23) - Finalist with The Group
* Jonathan Williem Mikhael Barbee ('25) - Finalist with The Finisher and The Opener Destroy the Universe
Founded in 1978, by Ricardo Khan and L. Kenneth Richardson, Crossroads has been a sanctuary for some of the world's most celebrated and decorated artists including August Wilson, Ntozake Shange, George C. Wolfe, Joe Morton, Viola Davis and many more. To date the company has launched 100+ productions, 50 World Premieres and introduced nearly 35 new playwrights to the global theatre canon. With existing partnerships with other theatre companies around the world, The Tony Award winning company is a leading global ambassador for diasporic storytelling.
Columbia University's School of the Arts is one of the leading arts schools in the world, a unique place where artists from every discipline come to study in their fields and to create together in one vibrant community. We award the Master of Fine Arts degree in Film, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Writing, as well as an interdisciplinary program in Sound Art that leads to an MFA in Visual Arts.
The School also offers a Master of Arts degree in Film and Media Studies, as well as undergraduate majors and summer programs. The MFA playwriting program is led by Tony©, Pulitzer, Obie Award and Outer Critics award winners such as Lynn Nottage, Leslie Ayvazian, Charles Mee, and David Henry Hwang. This program seeks to help each student find their own unique and idiosyncratic voice, and help each play grow into the best version of itself.
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EVENT PREVIEWS
"Apartment Swap" by Alli Hartley-Kong to Take Place Friday at Parsippany Playhouse
(LAKE HIAWATHA, NJ) -- Pleasant Valley Productions, in collaboration with Lomotion Live, presents Apartment Swap, an original piece by Alli Hartley-Kong on Friday, August 7, 2026 at Parsippany Playhouse. Showtime is 8:00pm.
Gas Lamp Teens present "Fame: The Musical"
(GLEN RIDGE, NJ) -- Gas Lamp Teens present Fame: The Musical on August 7-8, 2026 at the Ridgewood Avenue School. Fame has inspired generations to fight for fame and light up the sky like a flame!
Gateway Playhouse presents "Crazy For You"
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse presents the musical comedy Crazy For You with four performances from August 7-8, 2026. A city slicker falls for a hometown girl in this ebullient romantic comedy featuring cowboys, showgirls, high-energy production numbers, and a glorious score from George and Ira Gershwin.
Cape May Stage presents a Staged Reading of "Appendage" by Derek Murphy
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Cape May Stage presents a staged reading of Appendage by Derek Murphy on Monday, August 10, 2026 at 7:00pm. A darkly comic and psychologically sharp two-hander, Appendage by Derek Murphy explores grief, masculinity, and the messy ways we cope with loss. Admission is free.
South Camden Theatre Company's New Play Reading Series presents a reading of "The Ocean Deep" by Katherine Vondy
(CAMDEN, NJ) -- South Camden Theatre Company's New Play Reading Series presents a reading of The Ocean Deep by Katherine Vondy on Monday, August 10, 2026. Admission is free with live music at 6:00pm and the reading & discussion at 7:00pm.
Gateway Playhouse to Hold Open Auditions for "9 to 5: The Musical"
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse of Somers Point is holding open auditions for their third MainStage production of the year, the incredibly fun 9 to 5: The Musical. Auditions will take place from 6:00pm-8:00pm Monday and Tuesday, August 10 and 11, 2026. All roles are open and any performance experience is welcomed (must be 16 or older).
Middlesex County Plays-in-the-Park to Host Auditions for "Curious George: The Golden Meatball" on August 12th
(EDISON, NJ) -- Middlesex County's Plays-in-the-Park is holding auditions for its fall 2026 children's production of Curious George: The Golden Meatball on Wednesday, August 12, at 6:00pm at the Stephen J. Capestro Theatre located inside Roosevelt Park in Edison. Everyone's favorite mischievous monkey and his friend in the yellow hat sing and dance up a storm in this adventure-filled musical.
Music Mountain Theatre presents "Alice By Heart"
(LAMBERTVILLE, NJ) -- Music Mountain Theatre presents Alice By Heart with three performances from August 12-13, 2026. From the Tony and Grammy Award-winning creators of Spring Awakening (Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik) and co-written by Jessie Nelson (Waitress) this is a touching musical inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Chimera Productions presents "Job" at Paul Robeson Center for the Arts
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- New Jersey-based theater company Chimera Productions will present its 17th production, Job by Max Wolf Friedlich, from August 13-15, 2026 at 8:00pm each night. The play, presented in the intimate 60-seat theater inside Princeton's Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, is a psychological thriller that offers a sharp, darkly funny, and unsettling examination of our addiction to work, the internet, the cost of modern life, and what we're willing to sacrifice to belong.
Masquerade Theatre presents "Myths, Legends & Folklore Showcase"
(RIVERSIDE, NJ) -- Masquerade Theatre presents Myths, Legends & Folklore Showcase with performances on Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 8:00pm each night.
