New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Vivid Stage Presents Summer Solos Every Week in July at the Visual Arts Center of NJ

originally published: 06/17/2024


(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage presents Summer Solos readings every week from July 1-24, 2024 at the Visual Arts Center of NJ at 68 Elm Street in Summit. Performances in the series will take place on the lawn of the Arts Center at 6:30pm. Patrons are invited to bring chairs or blankets and a picnic dinner. The rain and extreme heat location for all performances is the Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ.

On Monday, July 1, 2024 at 6:30pm, Summer Shorts by Laura Ekstrand. A collection of short romantic comedies by Vivid's Artistic Director Laura Ekstrand, showcasing the talents of some outstanding actors. It's not a Solo, but sometimes ya gotta break the rules...

The following Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at 6:30pm, Equally Divine by Jenny Lyn Bader. Told from the point of view of the world's most famous painting, this true-crime whodunit begins with the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in Paris. Police question everyone from J.P Morgan to Pablo Picasso but cannot crack the case. Soon the story travels back in time to 1503, introducing us to the visionary artist Leonardo da Vinci, the apprentice who would become his lover, and the secrets behind the creation of La Gioconda. Along the way, the woman in the portrait solves mysteries that have baffled fans and stumped scholars for centuries: Why Leonardo never delivered the painting to the man who commissioned it. Who she is. And why she's smiling. Equally Divine is a time-hopping, gender-bending drama about art, inspiration, and becoming who we are.

On Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at 6:30pm, Laura Ekstrand will perform What I Thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen. Everything 44-year-old Alice thought she knew is turned upside-down when an emergency CAT scan reveals that she’s six months pregnant. A dark comedy performed by one actress playing forty roles, Alice faces the most wrenching decision a woman can make, in her odyssey through doubt, a broken health-care system, the complexities of reproductive rights, and the infinite unpredictability of parenthood. An O’Neill finalist and Jane Chambers Award Honorable Mention, What I Thought I Knew is adapted from Cohen's acclaimed memoir—winner of Oprah magazine’s 25 Best Books of Summer and Elle Literary Grand Prize for Nonfiction.

On Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 6:30pm, Daria M. Sullivan will perform I F***ing Hate Shakespeare by Gina Femia. Gina Femia is a playwright. William Shakespeare is a playwright, too - maybe you've heard of him? Through the lens of different Shakespeare plays, and juxtaposing him with the abusive relationships that defined her coming of age, Gina discusses how her experience with the Bard has shaped her origin story as a playwright.

Tickets for all Summer Solos are $23 and can be purchased in advance at 2024 Vivid Summer Solos. The Visual Arts Center of NJ is located at 68 Elm Street in Summit, and free parking is available. All shows begin at 6:30pm, and the rain and extreme heat location is the same date and time at Oakes Center.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



Vivid Stage was founded in 1994 as Dreamcatcher Rep, and is a non-profit professional ensemble of actors who build community with the audience by sharing contemporary, life-affirming stories that challenge, energize and entertain. Their work has at its heart a belief in the essential goodness of people and the power of live performance to connect people through our shared humanity. They expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their own with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. They deepen the experience of all their patrons with personal contact through receptions, talkbacks, and interactive programs.

The company’s activities include mainstage productions, improvisational comedy and cabarets, new play readings and a variety of educational and senior outreach programs.

Vivid Stage’s programs are funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and many other corporations, foundations and individuals.  Vivid Stage is an Equity Producing member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

Vivid Stage, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey.

Graphic by Yolanda Fundora




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Music

Music Mountain Theatre presents the monster-hit musical "Young Frankenstein"

(LAMBERTVILLE, NJ) -- From the creators of Broadway's record-breaking musical comedy sensation The Producers comes Young Frankenstein, the monster-hit musical based on the classic film comedy by Mel Brooks. Music Mountain Theatre presents the musical in a limited engagement of 11 weekend performances from June 20 through July 6, 2025.



Surflight

Surflight Theatre presents "9 to 5, The Musical"

(BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre is beyond thrilled to be staging the forever timeless 9 to 5, The Musical from June 18 to July 6, 2025. Based on the book by Patricia Resnick and the 1980 film by Colin Higgins, Kelli Barclay directs and choreographs this staged adaptation following three iconic older women who decide to stick it to their boss once pushed to their breaking points.



Raconteur

Raconteur Radio presents Theatrical Adaptation of "The Hobbit" at Ocean County Library Barnegat Branch

(BARNEGAT,NJ) -- Feel like taking a journey through Middle Earth? Raconteur Radio presents a special theatrical presentation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at the Barnegat Branch of the Ocean County Library. The event begins at 7:00pm.



Cape

Cape May Stage presents "Love, Loss, & What I Wore"

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Cape May Stage presents Love, Loss, & What I Wore from July 5-11, 2025. Based on Ilene Beckerman's bestselling book, this tender and witty play weaves together monologues and ensemble pieces to explore the deep connections between clothing and memory, touching on themes like mothers, prom dresses, bras, purses, and the timeless appeal of black clothing. Showtime is 8:00pm each night.



Classic

Classic American Tales presents "The Specialist" and "The Wizard of Oz" this week

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- This week, Classic American Tales presents two different events in two different Cape May locations: The historic Dormer House B&B and Rea's Farm.



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Vivid

Vivid Summer Solos: Where is Everybody?

Wednesday, July 09, 2025 @ 6:30pm
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ 07901
category: theatre


 

A

A Broadway Tour of America

Thursday, July 10, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Grunin Center - Black Box Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: theatre


 

The

The MAC players at the Middletown Arts Center present "Hairspray"

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748
category: theatre


 

A

A Broadway Tour of America

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Grunin Center - Black Box Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: theatre


 

The

The Wizard of Oz

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees, Manasquan, NJ 08736
category: theatre


 



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info