Pioneer Productions is proud to present a bold and captivating production of the beloved musical Godspell across two weekends (June 14-16 and June 21-23, 2024) in Morristown. This masterful retelling of the original sensation Godspell from three-time Grammy and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz, the 2012 revival is injected with contemporary references and dazzling new arrangements.
A small group of people helps Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a wide variety of storytelling techniques and a hefty dose of comic timing. The show features an eclectic blend of songs, ranging in style from pop to vaudeville, including “Day by Dy," “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord,” “Learn Your Lessons Well,” “All for the Best,” “All Good Gifts,” “Turn Back, O Man,” and “By My Side.”
Pioneer Productions co-founder Shanna Levine-Phelps is directing this production. “At its core, the show is about building community,” said Levine-Phelps. “There is a greater energy than what we can see and feel, and it connects us all. I hope our audiences will embrace that energy and leave inspired to live life to the fullest.”
Leading the cast on this journey and making her Pioneer Productions debut is Luana Cook Scott, whose “day” job happens to be as the Senior Pastor of Morristown United Methodist Church, where the show will be performed.
“Playing the role of Jesus is a gift and a privilege,” said Cook Scott. “I applaud Pioneer for having a vision that goes beyond gender and for giving me the creative space to bring compassion and joy to the role. Whether you meet Jesus as a historical figure or as Christ (as I do in my life and vocation), I promise you will leave feeling that we can indeed build a “Beautiful City.”
Rounding out the cast is an array of talented performers and storytellers, including Tiffany Bizub, Sean Coyle, Patrick Comey, Lauren Mangine, Sarah Emaline Melton, Robert Stevens, Margaret Summer, and Jade Virginia. Hannah Comia provides musical direction, and Jon Mantes choreographs. Pioneer co-founder and Artistic Director Dan Visser is producing.
The show runs for six performances: June 14, 15, 21, and 22 at 8:00pm and June 16 and 23 at 3:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase online. Performances take place at Fellowship Hall at Morristown United Methodist Church (50 S Park Place) in Morristown, New Jersey.
Funding for this show has been made possible in part by funds from Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Pioneer Productions was incorporated in 2003 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company by founding members Dan Vissers, Shanna Levine-Phelps, and Jon Mantes.
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.
