Premiere Stages at Kean University Announces Semi-Finalists for 2024 Play Festival

(UNION, NJ) -- Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, has announced the 2024 Premiere Play Festival Semi-Finalists.

The Play Festival panel and literary staff reviewed 760 submissions before choosing the 48 Semi-Finalists. From those 48 Semi-Finalists, four Finalists will be chosen in May for public readings. The readings will be held June 6-10, 2024 at the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center (Vaughn-Eames Hall, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ). One Finalist will be awarded a full production in Premiere Stages’ 2025 season.

“The semi-finalists explore an impressive array of contemporary issues” stated producing artistic director John J. Wooten “Kudos to Nick Gandiello, the literary team and our panel of readers for their careful consideration as they took on the difficult task of narrowing down a particularly impressive pool of 760 submissions to 48.”

In the nineteen seasons since its founding, the Premiere Play Festival has received over 8,000 submissions and developed more than 85 plays.

Multiple plays produced at Premiere have been honored by the American Theatre Critics Association, selected for agency representation,  and/or been published by Theatrical Rights Worldwide, Concord, Dramatists Play Service, Dramatic Publishing Company, Playscripts, and Broadway Play Publishing. A number of Play Festival winners and finalists have subsequently been produced in New York, internationally  and at regional theatres across the country.

48 SEMI-FINALISTS FOR THE 2024 PREMIERE PLAY FESTIVAL

• BEFORE THE THAW by Dan Aibel


• THE FAMILY SAVES A LIFE by jose sebastian alberdi


• LEMURIA by Bonnie Antosh


• MURDER GIRL by Heidi Armbruster


• SNOBS VS THE UNDERDOGS by Kia Barbee


• THE WORLD I HAVE KNOWN by Kari Bentley-Quinn


• LAND OF NO MERCY by Rae Binstock


• I GOT YOU by Suzanne Bradbeer


• THE OFFSEASON by Jonathan Caren


• THE MALLARD by Vincent Delaney


• ZIONISTA RISING by Alexa Derman


• ON THE DOCKET by Bryan Dykstra


• ANONYMOUS SKIN by Cris Eli Blak


• SCRIBE, OR THE SISTERS MILTON, OR ELEGY FOR THE UNWRITTEN by L Feldman


• GOOD TO GO by Craig Garcia


• YELLOW LIGHT by Justine Gelfman


• THE TOTALITY OF ALL THINGS by Erik Gernand


• CASTLING by Anthony Goss


• BELOVED SON by Matthew Greene


• THE ANCESTRY DOT COM PLAY by Alyssa Hadad-Chin


• DOGS by Hanna Kime


• TOMORROW AND TOMORROW by Matthew Libby


• KINGDOM OF WONDER by Shayan Lotfi


• APE by Dano Madden


• FIFTEEN HUNDRED by Gloria Majule


• STRAW POLL by Nicholas Malakhow


• THE COUSINS by Benjamin V. Marshall


• CATCH by Lara Miller


• FISH MEAT by Esme Ng


• (I AM [MY MOTHER)'S DAUGHTER] by Bianca Nkwonta


• THE DECOYS by Greg Pierce


• THE NEREIDS by Brian Quirk


• A GOOD GUY by David Rambo


• WET by Aurora Real de Asua


• DISPERSION OF LIGHT by Rich Rubin


• MARKED GREEN AT BIRTH, MARKED FEMALE AT BIRTH by Sophie Sagan-Gutherz


• GOOD HAIR by Phaedra Michelle Scott


• AN INVITATION TO ANNA'S WEDDING by Parade Stone


• LAERTES DIES TOO by Rachel Luann Strayer


• IDEE FIXE by Joe Sutton


• FAKE LAUGHTER by Rob Ulin


• WEREWOLVES: A PLAY ABOUT MONEY by Liba Vaynberg


• THIS IS A PLAY ABOUT BUTTONS by Emily Wanamaker


• ANAPHORA by Mallory Weiss


• WHEN GOLD TURNS BLACK by Ron Wilks


• OUR FATHER by Amy Witting


• GREAT WHITE by Deborah Yarchun


• NIGHTWATCH by Max Yu

Premiere Stages is made possible in part through funding from W. John Bauer and Nancy Boucher, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Carole Shaffer-Koros and Robert Koros and ExxonMobil Foundation, The Dubose and Dorothy Heyward Foundation, Blue Foundry Charitable Foundation, The Northfield Bank Foundation, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Union Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, The Union County HEART Grant and through the generous support of individual patrons and local organizations. Discover Jersey Arts is our marketing partner. Visit JerseyArts.com for more information about other arts programming happening around the Garden State.

Premiere Stages is committed to producing topical plays and interactive programs that reflect people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, national origins, nationalities, ancestry, religious groups, gender expression or identities, sexual orientation, political beliefs, ages, abilities and disabilities.

Created in 2004, Premiere Stages is the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University. Through its unique partnership with Kean, Premiere’s play development programs, educational initiatives, and professional development opportunities actively embrace the university's academic curriculum while expanding the scope, accessibility, and prestige of the professional programming on campus.

Kean University, New Jersey’s urban research university, is a national institution of higher education recognized for its diversity, innovation and the social mobility of its graduates. Founded in 1855 as a teachers college, Kean has evolved into a thriving research university that supports students as they persist to graduation, give back to their communities and launch successful careers. Kean’s six colleges offer more than 50 undergraduate programs, six doctoral degree programs and more than 70 options leading to master’s degrees, professional diplomas or certifications, across a full range of academic subjects. With campuses in Union, Toms River and Manahawkin, New Jersey, and Wenzhou, China, as well as Kean Online, the University provides students of all backgrounds an affordable and accessible world-class education.

EVENT PREVIEWS

The Mainstage Center for the Arts presents "High School Musical 2 JR."

(BLACKWOOD, NJ) -- The Mainstage Center for the Arts presents High School Musical 2 JR. on June 4-5, 2026 in the Dennis Flyer Memorial Theater. The Wildcats are back for an unforgettable summer at Lava Springs Country Club!

---

Mile Square Theatre presents "7th Inning Stretch" with a twist

(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Mile Square Theatre's beloved annual fundraiser, 7th Inning Stretch, returns with a new look for this year inspired by the World Cup coming to New Jersey. This year’s edition takes place on Saturday, June 6, 2026 and trades baseball for soccer, featuring seven original short plays celebrating the passion, humor, intensity, and culture of the game.

---

The Broadway Theatre of Pitman presents "A Century on Stage: 100 Years in the Making"

(PITMAN, NJ) -- The Broadway Theatre of Pitman presents A Century on Stage: 100 Years in the Making from June 5-7, 2026. Join them for a once-in-a-century theatrical event as they celebrate 100 years of music, memories, and moments that have shaped The Broadway Theatre of Pitman, Broadway in New York City, and American culture itself.

---

Premiere Stages at Kean University Announces Semi-Finalists for 2026 Play Festival

(UNION, NJ) -- Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, has announced the 2026 Premiere Play Festival Semi-Finalists. The Play Festival panel and literary staff reviewed 894 submissions, an increase of 89 submissions from the previous year, before choosing the 65 Semi-Finalists. An eclectic mix of plays, the Semi-Finalists explore a wide range of topics in a variety of genres.

---

Maurer Productions to Hold Auditions for "Midnight at the New Dawn" June 6-7

(WEST WINDSOR, NJ) -- Maurer Productions OnStage and the newly formed Maurer TheaterWorks have announced a special co-production partnership — in association with Kelsey Theatre — for the world premiere of Midnight at the New Dawn. The ensemble comedy, written and directed by Dan Maurer, will hold open auditions on June 6-7, 2026.

---

Bergen County Players to present "Kodachrome"

​​​​​​​(ORADELL, NJ) -- Bergen County Players (BCP) will conclude its 93rd season with Kodachrome, a delightful and deeply moving one-act comedy by Adam Szymkowicz. Running as part of BCP's Second Stage for three exclusive performances on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7, 2026, this production invites audiences to find extraordinary magic within ordinary lives.

---

Main Street Theatre Company presents "Legally Blonde, Jr."

(OLD BRIDGE, NJ) -- Main Street Theatre Company presents Legally Blonde, Jr. on Saturday, June 6 at Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 3:30pm each day. Harvard's beloved blonde takes the stage by glittery pink storm in this fun and upbeat adaptation of the hit film and award-winning Broadway musical.

---

Paper Mill Playhouse Announces 2026 Rising Star Awards Nominees

(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse has announced the nominations for adjudicated production categories of the 31st Annual Rising Star Awards for Excellence in New Jersey High School Musical Theater. Often referred to as New Jersey's version of the Tony Awards for high school musical theater, the Rising Star Awards recognize outstanding achievement in performance, direction, design, choreography, music direction, and overall production.

---

Studio Garage presents "Chekhov's People" at HACPAC

(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- Studio Garage presents Chekhov's People at Hackensack Performing Arts Center on June 8-9, 2026 at 8:00pm each night. Performed in Turkish. The play explores the human condition through a blend of Anton Chekhov's The Good Doctor and his short plays The Bear and A Marriage Proposal.

---

The Maplewood Strollers to present a Broadway Karaoke Party on June 12th

(MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Maplewood Strollers present a Broadway Karaoke Party on Friday, June 12, 2026 at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts. The event, which serves as a fundraiser for the theater company, begins at 7:30pm.