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Premiere Stages at Kean University Announces Spring Program Schedule

originally published: 03/02/2022 

(UNION, NJ) -- Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, has announced its spring schedule of community engagement and new play development programs. They have events for March and April including the 17th annual Play Festival Spring Reading Series with in-person readings.

Produced in partnership with Matheny Arts Access and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, Premiere Stages presents Plays by People on Saturday, March 26 at 4:00pm EST on Zoom. Plays by People will feature short plays by Arts Access contributors Christopher Saglimbene, Michael Cornely, Luis Rodriguez, and Paul Santo. The virtual presentation will also showcase pieces of visual art by Arts Access creators.

Plays by People will benefit Matheny Arts Access which empowers individuals with disabilities to create art without boundaries. Matheny Arts Access empowers individuals with disabilities to create art without boundaries. Through the use of innovative systems and techniques, participants can take part in the visual, performing and literary arts. Regardless of their disability, clients are provided with the tools and materials needed to produce complete pieces of work.  To make a donation, visit https://artsaccessprogram.org/.

Next up is Healing Voices: Caregivers’ Stories on Sunday, April 3 at 3:00pm at Enlow Recital Hall (215 North Avenue, Hillside, NJ). Now in its sixth year, Healing Voices: Caregivers’ Stories weaves together short works of prose, poetry, and theatre about personal caregiving experiences into an intimate theatrical performance. This year’s presentation will feature work from five writers: Nancy Burke, Darin Earl, Jessica Garbe, Jiaoyang Li and Annie Meek Montgomery.

Healing Voices: Caregivers’ Stories is produced in partnership with the New Jersey Theatre Alliance. Every year, the New Jersey Theatre Alliance invites caregivers to submit short original works for inclusion in a theatrical piece about caregiving. Caregivers are not restricted to medical personnel; anyone who has provided care to someone in need is encouraged to submit a story about the experience.

 

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Save the date! Premiere Stages 17th annual Play Festival Spring Reading Series returns to in-person readings April 21-24 under the tent at the Liberty Hall Museum (1003 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ). The outdoor readings will be held Thursday - Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 5:00 p.m. The four Play Festival finalists, selected from 655 submissions, will be announced in early April.

All spring programs are free, but advance registration is required. Register online here.

These events are part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2022 Stages Festival, made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Foundation; New Jersey Historical Commission.  

Premiere Stages wishes to express gratitude to the following Performers’ Unions: ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION, AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS, AMERICAN GUILD OF VARIETY ARTISTS, SAG-AFTRA through Theatre Authority, Inc. for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear in Plays by People.

Premiere Stages offers affordable prices, air-conditioned facilities and free parking close to the theatre. Premiere Stages also provides free or discounted tickets to patrons with disabilities. All Premiere Stages facilities are fully accessible spaces, and companion seating is available for patrons with disabilities. Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available at all times; publications in alternate formats are available with advance notice. Please call 908-737-4077 for a list of sign-interpreted, audio-described or open-captioned performances. 

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, The Dubose and Dorothy Heyward Foundation, The Northfield Bank Foundation, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Union Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, Carol Shaffer-Koros and Robert Koros, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, Investors Foundation, The Union County HEART Grant and through the generous support of individual patrons and local organizations. Discover Jersey Arts is our marketing partner. Visit www.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 a diverse group of individuals from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, national origins, nationalities, ancestry, religious groups, gender expression or identities, sexual orientation, political beliefs, ages, abilities and disabilities.

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Founded in 1855, Kean University is one of the largest metropolitan institutions of higher education in the region, with a richly diverse student, faculty and staff population. Kean continues to play a key role in the training of teachers and is a hub of educational, technological and cultural enrichment serving more than 16,000 students. The University’s six undergraduate colleges offer more than 50 undergraduate degrees over a full range of academic subjects. The Nathan Weiss Graduate College offers six doctoral degree programs and more than 80 options for graduate study leading to master’s degrees, professional diplomas or certifications. With campuses in Union, Toms River, Jefferson and Manahawkin, New Jersey, and Wenzhou, China, Kean University furthers its mission by providing an affordable and accessible world-class education.