(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) by special arrangement with Lisa Dozier Shacket, will continue its 27th Season with an added special presentation of the world premiere of Pen Pals by Michael Griffo, directed by SuzAnne Barabas. Performances run from October 3 through October 20, 2024. The production stars Nancy McKeon and Gail Winar.

For decades, Nancy McKeon (“Facts of Life”) as Bernie and Gail Winar (NY: Trans Scripts) as Mag have shared every corner of their lives—the smallest moments, the deepest secrets, all the laughter, and every heartbreak--all without ever meeting in person. Through letters, their bond transcends continents, with Bernie in New Jersey and Mags in England, making them closer than anyone despite the miles between them. They've confided in each other more than they ever would with another soul.

Now, after fifty years of letters, their remarkable story unfolds. Join them as they take you through the journey of a lifetime—told in their own words.

"We are thrilled to present the world premiere of Pen Pals by Michael Griffo. This play beautifully captures the power of connection across distance and time. Through Bernie and Mags’ journey, audiences will be reminded of the enduring bonds we create and the profound impact of shared stories, even when miles apart. We’re excited to bring this heartfelt and unique story to life for our 27th season," said SuzAnne Barabas, Artistic Director of NJ Rep.

The creative team includes set design by Jessica Parks, lighting design by Jill Nagle, technical direction by Brian Snyder, costume stylist David Woolard, sound design by Nick Simone,   assistant lighting designer is Janey Huber, the production stage manager is Kristin Pfeifer and assistant stage manager is Ian Duhart.

Tickets are on sale at NJRep.org or by calling 732-229-3166. NJ Rep is located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch, New Jersey Pen Pals will begin promptly at 7:30pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with additional matinees on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 2:00pm. 

Who’s Who

MICHAEL GRIFFO has written over 20 plays including 9th Street Water, The Date, Klaxson ’77, No More Sundays – winner of the New Jersey Perry Award for Best Original Play, Can Dina Even Spell Afghanistan? – finalist for the Reva Shiner Comedy Award, and CLOUDY and 5G/10B – both of which were published in Smith & Kraus’s 2005: The Best 10-Minute Plays for Two Actors.  His High School plays – Material Girls and Promapocalypse! – are licensed by Theatrical Rights Worldwide. 

He has published 15 novels with Kensington Books including Between Boyfriends, The Archangel Academy Trilogy, The Darkborn Legacy Series, and The Ferrara Family Mystery Series.  His new mystery series launched in September 2023 with the publication of Murder In An Italian Village, followed by Murder In An Italian Café, which was published in September 2024. His screenplays include The Silver Reindeer, The Christmas Swap, and Holiday High School Reunion.

SUZANNE BARABAS (Director And NJ Rep Artistic Director) For NJ Rep, SuzAnne directed Two-Hander (premiere), Find Me a Voice, North Fork (premiere), Immortal Interlude (premiere), Octet (premiere), Till Morning Comes (premiere), Maggie Rose, Getting in Touch With My Inner B*tch (starring Christine Lavin, premiere), The Adjustment, 10% of Molly Snyder, Romulus Linney's Klonsky & Schwartz, Apostasy (premiere), Women Who Steal, Apple, The Housewives of Mannheim (premiere), Evie's Waltz, Dead Ringer (premiere), Steven Dietz's Yankee Tavern, Puma (premiere), Night Train (premiere), Just In Time: The Judy Holliday Story, Bakersfield Mist, Annapurna, Happy, Broomstick (premiere), Lucky Me (premiere), Swimming at the Ritz (US premiere), and The Realization of Emily Linder (premiere). SuzAnne directed productions of The Housewives of Mannheim at 59E59 Theater (NYC), Ensemble Theater of Santa Barbara (CA), and Phoenix Theater (Indianapolis). In addition, she directed regional productions of Ibsen's A Doll's House, The Fantasticks, The Roar of the Greasepaint the Smell of the Crowd, Cabaret, Shaw's Heartbreak House, A.R. Gurney's The Perfect Party, Marsha Norman's 'Night Mother, Philip Barry's The Philadelphia Story, Christopher Durang's Beyond Therapy, Mark Dunn's Belles, Lee Blessing's Down the Road among others. She is a member of Actors Equity Association, BMI, the Dramatists Guild, SDC, and LPTW.

NEW JERSEY REPERTORY COMPANY (NJ Rep) 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 152 plays, of which 128 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 US 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. NJRep 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.

NJ Rep thanks the following for their support: The Shubert Foundation, MacMillan Family Foundation, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The New Jersey Cultural Trust, The Stone Foundation of New Jersey, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, OceanFirst Foundation, Manasquan Bank Philanthropic Fund, Investors Bank Foundation, Community Foundation of New Jersey, Jewish Communal Fund, Darien Family Fund, Citizens Philanthropic Foundation, The Smart Family Foundation, NJEDA.