In an intimate evening, Academy award-, BAFTA- and Golden Globe-winning actor, Richard Dreyfuss, shares his stories of a 40-year career in Hollywood. He covers all topics, from acting to civic engagement, courage and seeking understanding.
Richard also gives you a rare glimpse into the creative process and cinematic experiences of some of his most iconic movies including Jaws, Stand By Me, Close Encounters of The Third Kind, American Graffiti and The Goodbye Girl.
ABOUT RICHARD DREYFUSS
In 1967, Richard Dreyfuss appeared in his first film role, a small uncredited appearance in The Graduate starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. He had one line in that film, but in 1973, his big break came when legendary Director George Lucas cast Richard in a lead role in the iconic film, American Graffiti. He followed that role in a movie which he thought would end his career, starring in the comedy, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. His career took a major turn though in 1975, when Steven Spielberg offered him the lead alongside Robert Shaw and Roy Scheider in one of AFI’s top 100 films of all time, Jaws. He reunited with Spielberg two years later in another iconic film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
In 1977, Richard Dreyfuss won the coveted “BEST ACTOR” Academy Award in Neil Simon’s film adaptation, The Goodbye Girl, becoming the youngest actor to ever win that award. This award stood for 25 years until it was broken in 2003 by Adrien Brody for the film The Pianist.
After several years of problems in his personal life, he returned to the screen in 1986 in Down and Out in Beverly Hills, followed by such films as Stakeout, Stand By Me, and the political farce Moon Over Parador, one of his personal favorites.
In 1989, he reunited one more time with Spielberg for Audrey Hepburn’s final onscreen role in the film Always, and then followed that film up with Bill Murray in What About Bob, and in 1995 he received another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in Mr. Hollands Opus.
He has regularly appeared in Television dramas including his much-acclaimed role as Dick Cheney in Oliver Stone's 2008 George W. Bush bio-pic W, and the lead role of Bernie Madoff in another rave reviewed mini-series, Madoff in 2016.
New Jersey's jazz legacy takes center stage in A Tribute to Count Basie: The Kid from Red Bank. Performed by James Langton's New York All-Star Big Band, this high-energy concert celebrates the unmistakable sound and driving swing of Count Basie - music that still thrills and moves audiences today.
Rick Steves host
New Jersey Symphony
Blue-eyed soul pioneers The Righteous Brothers are back! With a string of #1 clas-sics, including the most played song in radio history, You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Fee/in’, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield topped the charts in four decades. After Bobby’s death in 2003, Bill Medley con-tinued to perform to sold-out crowds around the world, but fans and friends pleaded with him to keep The Righteous Brothers alive.
Between 1925 and 1928, Louis Armstrong made a series of influential recordings with a studio group, the Hot Five, that changed the shape of jazz to come. To pay tribute to these legendary sessions, Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon will welcome the dynamic trumpeter and recent Juilliard graduate Andrew Stephens, along with a small group made up of some of New York’s finest traditional jazz musicians.
Rick Steves host
Nicholas Hersh conductor
New Jersey Symphony
"Ale Pak" is a popular, clean, and family-friendly Marathi stand-up comedy special by well-known comedian Mandar Bhide. The show features relatable everyday observations, nostalgia, and lighthearted humor rooted in Maharashtrian culture.
Dunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange’s FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, the groundbreaking “choreopoem” – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. Directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, SR.
Amidst the chaos of the Iraq War, the Khachaturian family is trapped in a firefight between U.S. Marines and insurgents, and one Marine’s split-second decision devastates the family. Years later, haunted by his time in Iraq and aided by a New Yorker journalist, the Marine seeks to reconcile with the Khachaturian matriarch. Anchored by unforgettable performances from Boyd Holbrook (A Complete Unknown, Narcos, The Morning Show), Hiam Abbass (Succession), and Kenneth Branagh, Atonement is a powerfully human true story about the immeasurable costs of war, exploring universal questions about guilt, redemption, and the nature of forgiveness.
A group of dads building a movement to support their trans and gender expansive kids are forced to make an impossible choice amid a shifting political landscape: stay and fight or flee the country.
A haunting yet life-affirming film about reframing pain and the radical power of choice. It follows grieving mother Iris Haim as she mourns the loss of her son in the aftermath of October 7th and forms an unexpected bond with Dr. Edith Eger—a renowned psychologist, author, and Auschwitz survivor—whose hard-won wisdom guides her toward transformation.
(NEWTON, NJ) -- The Newton Theatre presents Puss N Boots featuring Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, and Catherine Popper on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 7:00pm.
(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) has named filmmaker Luchina Fisher the first recipient of the Sandi Klein Creative Woman in Film Award, a new annual honor celebrating an exceptional woman whose work reflects the creativity, curiosity, integrity and commitment to social impact that defined Klein's life and her nearly two decades with the festival. The award includes a $1,000 grant. Fisher will receive the inaugural award at the TIFF screening of her film, The Dads, on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 2:30 pm at Teaneck Cinemas (503 Cedar Lane).
(EDISON, NJ) -- With a new dance studio year now underway for many dancers and families, registration is officially open for the LIT Tap Dance Experience, coming to Edison VFW Post 3117 on Sunday, November 8, 2026. Presented by Taplife Hero Foundation, LIT is a focused one-day tap dance experience built around technique, musicality, artistry, mentorship and community.
(FREEHOLD, NJ) -- Center Players presents It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play with four performances across two Sundays (November 8 and November 15, 2026). Performances are split between the American Hotel and Mattison Crossing.
(ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ) -- After its world premiere at Dances With Films LA (DWFLA), one of the nation's leading indie film festivals, Directors' Commentary will have its New Jersey Premiere at SModcastle Film Festival, hosted by filmmaker Kevin Smith. The film will screen on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 12:00pm.
