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
Ritz Theatre Cabaret Series presents "Dream On!"
(HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- The Ritz Theatre Company continues its Cabaret Series with Dream On! on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 7:30pm. Curated by Connor Twigg, this event features regional artists singing songs from their dream roles.
Liberty Arts Theatre presents "The America 250 USO Tour" featuring a star-studded cast from Abraham Lincoln to Thomas Jefferson with music, dance, comedy and after party!
(LEONIA, NJ) -- Liberty Arts Theatre will keep us all rockin' in the free world with the high-octane celebration America 250 USO Tour - where Vaudeville meets American history – featuring a star-studded cast from Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson to George Patton, a live orchestra, song-and-dance numbers and comedy sketches. The America 250 USO Tour will march into the American Legion Post #1 (399 Broad Street) in Leonia on Thursday, July 2, 2026 at 7:00pm.
Classic American Tales honors the 250th with "Margaret's Diary During a Revolution"
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- "Before we retired to bed, an attempt was made to teach the children to pronounce 'vegates,' (how do you do?) like a German. Our good neighbors are a little concerned to think there is not one in the neighborhood who will be able to interpret for us when the Hessians are quartered here," wrote Margaret Morris in her diary on December 21, 1776.
American Theater Group and Union Arts Center present Spotlight on NJ: Play Reading Event
(UNION, NJ) -- American Theater Group (ATG), in partnership with the Union Arts Center, will present a three-day Spotlight play reading event featuring works by New Jersey playwrights at the DMK Black Box Theater at the Union Arts Center from July 6-8, 2026 with performances at 7:00pm each night.
Live On Stage Productions presents "Together Off-Broadway: Merman & Martin in Concert" at Cape May Stage
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Live On Stage Productions presents Together Off-Broadway: Merman & Martin in Concert at Cape May Stage from July 4-10, 2026. This show celebrates the remarkable bond between Ethel Merman and Mary Martin — two of Broadway’s brightest stars.
Gateway Playhouse presents Neil Simon's "London Suite"
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse presents Neil Simon's London Suite with three performances from July 11-12, 2026. Witty, charming, and unmistakably Neil Simon, London Suite invites audiences into a series of hilarious and heartfelt encounters set in the same London hotel room.
The Light Opera of New Jersey presents "H.M.S. Pinafore" at the Sieminski Theater Cultural Arts Center
(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- The Light Opera of New Jersey presents H.M.S. Pinafore from July 11-12, 2026 at the Sieminski Theater Cultural Arts Center. This is a comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan that satirize the British class system.
Misfits Theatre Co. presents "She Loves Me"
(MATAWAN, NJ) -- Misfits Theatre Co., a community theater organization dedicated to producing bold, entertaining, and accessible theater for audiences of all ages, presents its inaugural book musical production, She Loves Me at Matawan Regional High School from July 10-12, 2026.
Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center presents "Sense and Sensibility" outside duCret Center of Art
(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center invites audiences to experience Jane Austen's beloved classic Sense and Sensibility in a charming outdoor production this summer at duCret Center of Art in Plainfield. Performances take place July 10-12, 2026.
Howell PAL Theater Company presents "Grease"
(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Howell PAL Theater Company presents the classic musical Grease weekends from July 10-12, 2026 at the Jersey Shore Arts Center. Grease is a love song to the 1950s and a cornerstone of the American musical comedy form.
