Candace Bushnell
(GALLOWAY, NJ) -- From tales of Sex in the City to tributes to music legends, the 2024-25 schedule for Stockton University's Performing Arts Center (PAC) has something for everybody. According to PAC Director Anjanette Christy, this season is filled with "iconic music, cutting-edge dance and powerful storytelling."
“This season’s richness lies in its variety and extraordinary talent,” Christy said. "At the PAC, we celebrate the power of live theater and the magic it brings into our lives. Our audiences breathe life into our performances, making every show a memorable adventure. I believe this year’s lineup will engage, entertain and inspire our patrons.”
Here’s a detailed look at some of the schedule’s highlights:
Saturday, October 26, 2024 - Candace Bushnell: True Tales of Sex, Success and ‘Sex and the City’. In a new one-woman show that is equal parts dramedy and memoir, Candace Bushnell — the international best-selling novelist and creator of “Sex and the City” — will grace the mainstage at 7:30pm. Bushnell will take the audience on a storied journey to finding herself and her voice that was documented in her own 1996 anthology and eventually serialized in the iconic television show featuring six-time Golden Globe-winning actress Sarah Jessica Parker.
Audience members are encouraged to dress to impress in their best couture! A cocktail reception in the Art Gallery with free appetizers and a cash bar stocked with cosmos will be available for those 21 years old and up.
Friday, November 8, 2024 - ‘So Good! The Neil Diamond Experience’ Starring Robert Neary. Broadway, television and motion picture actor Robert Neary will perform Neil Diamond’s biggest hits — including “Sweet Caroline” and “I’m a Believer” — at 7:30pm. In addition to performing hit songs for “So Good! The Neil Diamond Experience,” Neary will tell the audience the stories behind the songs and the 83-year-old singer-songwriter who originally performed them.
Saturday, November 16, 2024 - Step Afrika! The first professional company in the world dedicated to the dance tradition of “stepping” will perform at 7:30pm. Step Afrika! Blends percussive dance styles popularized by historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional West and Southern African dances and various contemporary dance and art forms. Performances integrate songs, storytelling, humor and audience participation for a cohesive and compelling artistic experience.
Saturday, February 1, 2025 - The Blind Boys of Alabama. Six-time Grammy-winning gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama will perform at 7:30pm. The Blind Boys of Alabama have a career that spans over 70 years. They have been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Grammys with lifetime achievement awards and inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. The living legends are known for “crossing multiple musical boundaries” with their performances that encompass both traditional and contemporary gospel music.
Sunday, March 23, 2025 - ‘Moon Mouse: A Space Odyssey’ by Lightwire Theater. Lightwire Theatre will bring a classic story of a triumphant underdog (or mouse) to life through electroluminescent artistry at 2:00pm. Marvin the Mouse, on a quest to become popular, goes on an adventure through space and finds himself on the surface of the moon. Audiences will join him and his homemade rocket as he meets “a strange cast of misfit creatures, learns of infinite peril and views awesome beauty.”
Saturday, April 5, 2025 - Tito Puente Jr. & His Jazz Ensemble. Inspired by his father’s profound impact on Latin music, Tito Puente Jr. and his jazz ensemble will perform at 7:30pm. Rather than shy away from his father’s legacy, Puente Jr. embraces it, saying, “There was magic in the music my father made. It made people happy all over the world.”
Full List of Mainstage Shows
Selected Shorts on Tour (October 5); Limón Dance Company (October 11); Candace Bushnell: True Tales of Sex, Success and ‘Sex in the City’ (October 26); So Good! The Neil Diamond Experience Starring Robert Neary (November 8); Step Afrika! (November 16); Junwen Liang, Pianist (November 24); A Maccabeats Hanukkah (December 8); “The Nutcracker” by the Atlantic City Ballet (December 13-14); Blind Boys of Alabama (February 1); “Madama Butterfly” by the NJ Association of Verismo Opera (February 7); Celtic Angels Ireland (March 8); Forever Young (March 21); “Moon Mouse: A Space Odyssey” by Lightwire Theater (March 23); Giordano Dance Chicago (March 28); “Carmina Burana” by the Atlantic City Ballet, Greater South Jersey Chorus and the Ocean City Pops (March 29); Tito Puente Jr. & His Jazz Ensemble (April 5); and The Drifters: Rock & Roll Hall of Famers (April 12).
School of Arts & Humanities Performances
Dance-Company-in-Residence: Limón Dance Company (October 11); Stockton Theatre Project* (November 21-23); Fall Choreography Project (December 5-7); 40th Anniversary Performance of Handel’s “Messiah”*** (December 8); Ed Vezinho & the Jim Ward Big Band** (December 16); Spring Dance Concert (February 27-March 1); Stockton Chamber Players** (March 2); Emerging Choreographers Showcase* (April 24-26); and Combined Choir Concert** (May 4).
* These performances will be in the Experimental Theatre, next to the PAC.
** These performances will be in the Campus Center Theatre.
*** Handel’s “Messiah” will be performed at Borgata Hotel & Casino.
Stockton University is ranked among the top public universities in the nation. Our more than 9,000 students can choose to live and learn on the 1,600-acre wooded main campus in the Pinelands National Reserve in South Jersey and at our coastal residential campus just steps from the beach and Boardwalk in Atlantic City. The university offers more than 160 undergraduate and graduate programs.
