(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center, is celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a special community event. On Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:00pm, Vivid will co-sponsor a reading of Charlayne Woodard's play Pretty Fire with Interweave and Saint John’s Lutheran Church of Summit. The reading will take place at the church. No tickets are necessary; all are welcome.

Charlayne Woodard’s autobiographical play chronicles her African-American family's experiences through three generations. The reading of this NAACP award-winning play provides an opportunity to reflect on the challenges that still exist in our society while celebrating one woman’s personal triumphs.

The lyrical, lifting words of Charlayne Woodard begin weaving stories of two young sisters in the small world of Albany, New York; of Ku Klux Klan riders burning a cross—the ironic “pretty fire” of the title—in the hilltop black town of Rosignol Hill, Georgia; of three generations of family love, struggle and triumph. Pretty Fire is an enthralling celebration of life that takes the audience on a universal journey through a world in which the family bond is as strong as steel.

This reading is produced by Vivid Stage, Summit’s own professional theater company, features Nicole Callender and is directed by Daria M. Sullivan. Discussion and refreshments will follow this 75-minute reading. They invite attendees to make a good will offering to benefit The Summit Interfaith Council Anti-Racism Committee and the NAACP. The ARC works to dismantle racism by bringing people together to learn, engage, and transform.

Saint John's Lutheran Church of Summit is located at 587 Springfield Avenue in Summit, New Jersey. The church is wheelchair accessible.

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.