New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



Premiere Stages presents "Still" by Benjamin V. Marshall

Friday, July 19, 2024 @ 8:00pm



Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083

Premiere Stages at Kean University will present  the premiere production of Still by Benjamin V. Marshall, the recipient of the 2023/24 Liberty Live Commission, July 11-28 in Kean University's Bauer Boucher Theatre Center. Directed by Marshall Jones III,  Still will feature actors Ashley Nicole Baptiste, D. Malik Beckford, Brian D. Coats, Perri Gaffney, Carl Hendrick Louis, and Nafeesa Monroe.

In this new play based on true events in 1850s New Jersey, Peter has arrived at an abolitionist office seeking help from its director, William, an African American leader in the Underground Railroad. As the two men learn more about each other’s lives, they realize their vastly different pasts will lead them to a deeply connected future.

“When I first read about the life of William Still, I was not only struck by the power of his story but also the deeply dramatic encounter with a man coming to him for help ” stated John J. Wooten, Premiere Stages Producing Artistic Director. “Ben’s moving and thought-provoking play provides an important study about one of New Jersey’s most consequential figures.”

Benjamin V. Marshall’s plays include Absolutions and ParadiseBoom BoxBuenas Smooches Piscataway NJCarlos and LaVonneCorn Bread with Raisins and AlmondsFive HusbandsHenry’s BridgeDad’s VisionGalilee HouseA Goat on the BalconyPurchasing PowerThe Red Train Café, and Homestar. His work has been performed and developed at the HBO New Writers Workshop, WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, Theatre for the New City in NYC, Luna Stage, Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, Interact Theatre in Philadelphia, The Warner’s International Playwrights, The Berrie Center, The National Playwrights Symposium at Cape May and the Kennedy Center.

Director Marshall Jones III directed the developmental workshop of Still in November 2023. Prior to the workshop, he directed the New Jersey premiere of Dominique Morriseau’s Mud Row in Premiere Stages’ 2022 season. Marshall Jones serves as the Associate Dean for Equity at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. For 13 years (2007-2019), he was the Producing Artistic Director for the Tony® Award-winning Crossroads Theatre Company where he directed several shows including the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center’s inaugural production – Paul Robeson. He was also the replacement director for the 2018 play with music Little Rock, which was a NY Times Critic Pick. Marshall proudly serves as the president of the NJ Theatre Alliance and is a 2020 Inductee in the Rutgers African-American Hall of Fame.

The accomplished cast includes Ashley Nicole Baptiste, whose theatre credits include Chicken & Biscuits (Crossroads Theatre Company) and Mud Row (Premiere Stages); D. Malik Beckford, an educator and director whose acting credits include Blue Bloods (CBS);  Brian D. Coats, whose theatre credits include Gem of the Ocean (currently running at Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ) and Jitney (Manhattan Theatre Club / US Tour); Perri Gaffney, whose theatre credits include STAFF MEAL (Playwrights Horizons) and Shadow/Land (The Public Theater); Carl Hendrick Louis, whose theatre credits include Broadway’s 1984 and The Cherry Orchard; and Nafeesa Monroe whose acting credits include Manifest (Netflix) and Madam Secretary (CBS).

Understudies for the production are Kean Theatre Conservatory alum Lucien Edme and current Kean Theatre Conservatory student Nijah Muhammad.

The professional design team includes Set Designer David Barber, Costume Designer Ali Turns, Lighting Designer Zack Gage, Projection Designer Taj Rauch, Sound Designer David Wright, Hair and Make-up Designer Rachelle Dorce, Mask Designer Marlon Campbell and Props Master Jennifer Bonilla. Casting is by Stephanie Klapper, CSA. Dale Smallwood is the Production Stage Manager.

Still runs July 11-July 28 in the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center on the Kean University main campus in Union, N.J. The performance schedule is Thursday, July 11 at 7:30pm, Thursdays, July 18 and 25 at 1:30pm,  Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm & 8:00pm and Sundays at 3:00pm. Bauer Boucher Theatre Center. is located at Vaughn Eames Hall, 1000 Morris Avenue in Union, New Jersey.




For information on how your event can be listed, click here



 

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

FEATURED EVENTS

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


The

The Waiting Room – Free Play Reading Series

Monday, February 10, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Hamilton Stage at Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC)
360 Hamilton Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

The

The Vagina Monologues

Thursday, February 13, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Grunin Center - Black Box Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

A

A Bronx Tale: The One Man Show Starring Chazz Palminteri

Thursday, February 13, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

Dunbar

Dunbar Repertory Company Presents "Two Trains Running"

Friday, February 14, 2025 @ 8:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

Catching

Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream

Friday, February 14, 2025 @ 7:30pm
The Historic Palace Theatre
7 Ledgewood Avenue, Netcong, NJ 07857
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

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


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Dover

Dover Little Theatre presents "Misery" – A Thrilling Stage Adaptation of Stephen King's Classic Novel

(DOVER, NJ) -- Dover Little Theatre is thrilled to present Misery. Directed by Angel Fajardo, this production will captivate audiences with its intense performances, twisting plot, and psychological tension. Performances run weekends from February 21 to March 2, 2025.



PHOTOS

PHOTOS from "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" at Music Mountain Theatre

(LAMBERTVILLE, NJ) -- Music Mountain Theatre is presenting Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike weekends from February 7-23, 2025. Family rivalry, outrageous costumes, and a sassy maid bring big laughs in this Tony-winning comedy by local playwright Christopher Durang. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.



Ocean

Ocean County College Presents Limited Engagement of 'The Vagina Monologues'

(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Ocean County College Repertory Theatre Company will present "The Vagina Monologues" for a limited engagement on February 13-14, 2025 at the Grunin Center for the Arts. This is the powerful and provocative stage show by Eve Ensler (now V), explores women's sexuality and the social stigma around rape and abuse through a series of candid and often humorous monologues.



The

The MAC Players at the Middletown Arts Center presents "The Drowsy Chaperone"

(MIDDLETOWN, NJ) -- The MAC Players at the Middletown Arts Center presents the musical within a comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone, over two weekends, February 28 – March 9, 2025. An accomplished, live orchestra will accompany The MAC Players, led by Director Kate Cordaro, Musical Director Eric Sayre and Choreographer Samantha Amaral.



"Angels

"Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches" opens 2025 at CDC Theatre

(CRANFORD, NJ) -- CDC Theatre is excited to announce that Tony Kushner's acclaimed play, "Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches," will be in performance at the CDC Theatre in Cranford from February 14 to March 1, 2025. This monumental production is a significant event in the cultural calendar and promises to be a significant moment for theatre enthusiasts.




 

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