Four actors play eight characters in twelve monologues showing the faces of eldercare: the families, the caregivers, the cared for, and the neglected. Finishing It Off! by Mary Jane Walsh, is being presented by The Theater Project at the Burgdorff Cultural Center in Maplewood from July 7-17. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos at a dress rehearsal.

Playwright Mary Jane Walsh (Basking Ridge, NJ) is a member of Dramatists Guild of America. Her plays have been produced in New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and South America -- Finishing It Off!  was translated into Spanish and performed in Montevideo, Uruguay. That production came to the United States and was performed in the Hispanic Theatre Festival in Arlington, Virginia. Critics in Virginia called the play, “a bittersweet gem, beautifully written,” (Style Weekly), and “a many layered, significantly personal play.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch).

The cast includes Valerie Stack Dodge (Morris Township, NJ), Sue-Ellen Mandell (Nyack, NY), Diane L. Parker (Old Bridge Township, NJ), and Terri Sturtevant (Hillsborough, NJ). The production is directed by Dennis DaPrile (Asbury Park, NJ).

This intimate play is being performed in an intimate space, the Studio Theater at The Burgdorff Cultural Center (10 Durand Road, Maplewood). Masks and proof of up-to-date vaccination are required. 

Performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8:00pm, Sunday at 2:00pm. Determined to keep live theater affordable, The Theater Project is returning to in-person performances with pre-Covid pricing: $25 for single tickets, with discounts for students, seniors, and groups. Senior Sunday (July 10) tickets for Seniors are $15. Flexpasses allow patrons to see all three plays for $50. Tickets are available for purchase online.

Here are more photos from the play.

Finishing It Off!  will be followed at The Theater Project by a play by another New Jersey author, playwright/ novelist/screenwriter Bill Mesce, Jr’s A Jersey Cantata, concerning the lives and loves of the “boys" from an old Italian neighborhood (August 18-28). 5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche, by Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood, is an interactive comedy about a 1950s cooking contest interrupted by a Cold War air raid siren (September 8-18).

If your theatre company is interested in having John Posada cover your plays, contact New Jersey Stage at info@newjerseystage.com.

ALL PHOTOS BY JOHN POSADA

John Posada is a New Jersey based photographer specializing in photographing live theatre and music performances. For more than 15 years, John has photographed live events where he mastered the techniques of timing and capturing fast moving action under challenging lighting conditions. Currently, John has spent the last 3 years concentrating on photographing almost 200 theatre productions for over 70 different theatres. Click here for John's website.