From Left to Right: Connie Alexis-Laona (Curtain Call Committee Co-Chair), John J. Wooten, John McEwen (Executive Director, New Jersey Theatre Alliance), Pat Barksdale (Curtain Call Committee Co-Chair).

(UNION, NJ) -- New Jersey Theatre Alliance (“the Alliance”) hosted its annual Curtain Call celebration on April 17 at Kean University. This year’s focus was on staff, volunteers, and board members of Alliance member theatres, who were instrumental in helping their theatre navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The night honored John J. Wooten, Producing Artistic Director at Premiere Stages at Kean University with the Star Award and Dr. Stuart Weiss, Founder of Intelligent Crowd Solutions, with the Beacon Award.

Over 200 guests, representing the Alliance’s member theatres, arts supporters, and community partners gathered to celebrate the first in-person Curtain Call celebration since 2019. The event raised $62,000 to support the work of New Jersey Theatre Alliance as they unite, promote, and strengthen professional theatres in the state and region.

“This celebration was a wonderful way to recognize the many individuals who have been leaders and innovators in the survival of our amazing theatre community,” says John McEwen, Executive Director of New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

Star Award recipient and Producing Artistic Director at Premiere Stages at Kean University, John J. Wooten says, "Serving on the Board of the Theatre Alliance has been one of the highlights of my career. Being recognized alongside the extraordinary staff of New Jersey theatres, who accomplished incredible feats navigating their companies through the challenges of the past few years, makes this honor particularly special.”

Dr. Stuart Weiss, Beacon Award recipient and Founder of Intelligent Crowd Solutions proclaimed in his speech, “It is with humility and pride that I accept this award. I'm glad that I was able to be a beacon to guide you through the pandemic. Not a single theatre closed in the state of New Jersey and we managed to keep the arts and theatre going and kept it a part of our lives to get through the dark times.”

From Left to Right: Michael Stotts (Executive Director, Paper Mill Playhouse and Vice Chair, New Jersey Theatre Alliance), Dr. Stuart Weiss, John McEwen (Executive Director, New Jersey Theatre Alliance).

Twenty-eight individuals were honored with an Award of Excellence. Awardees, each from a different Alliance member theatre, ranged from staff members, to trustees, to technicians, to performers. "All of us at the theatres have someone we'd like to express our gratitude to, someone who really went the extra mile creatively to sustain us during the months and years we were separated from our audiences and each other. And this event is a beautiful opportunity to publicly thank these special people,” says Laura Ekstrand, Chair of the Alliance Board of Trustees and Artistic Director of Vivid Stage.

"Curtain Call" is the essential celebration for New Jersey theatre world as we honor outstanding individuals - John J. Wooten and Dr. Weiss.  Both gentlemen discovered engaging and innovative ways to navigate the Covid crisis. When most other theatres on the country were focused on streaming during the pandemic, John had Premiere Stages staging shows outside. And Dr. Weiss was the critical element that provided coherent and sound medical advice so our theatres could re-open safely. In addition, each member theatre has selected the person that performed herculean tasks during the Covid-19 period,” explains Marshall Jones III,  President of the Alliance Board of Trustees and Associate Dean for Equity, Associate Professor - theatre, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers, the state university of NJ.

The evening of celebration featured performances by actor and singer/songwriter Kena Anae, who’s albums are distributed by Universal Music Italy. His theatre credits include Premiere Stages: Certain Aspects of Conflict in the Negro Family. Baltimore Center Stage: Marley the Musical. Film/TV:  Begin Again, Lola vs., Kinyarwanda, The View.

The Alliance is grateful to this year’s Curtain Call sponsors: Kean University Foundation, Carolyn Ferolito, Mills + Schnoering Architects, Stages Consultants, Dr. Stuart Weiss, and Ruth Fost.

Proceeds from Curtain Call will enable the Alliance to continue its work uniting theatres in a collaborative network, and providing a wide range of services and resources to help ensure each of our member theatres is on the path to full recovery.

Founded in 1981, New Jersey Theatre Alliance was the first statewide service organization for professional, not-for-profit theatre companies in the United States, and is a leader in developing model programs that unite, promote, strengthen, and cultivate professional theatre in New Jersey. Funding for the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, a not-for-profit organization, is provided in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation, and contributions from numerous individuals, corporations, and foundations including Amazon, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Grunin Foundation, MidAtlanic Arts Foundation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Bank of America, City National Bank, The Shubert Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The F.M. Kirby Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, The Union Foundation, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance, and OceanFirst Foundation

Photos by Ian Alfano