Here's a look at the top 10 most read articles published at New Jersey Stage during the week of February 20-26, 2022.  Each week, we publish about 70 articles, including several original columns and features, along with news releases for events happening throughout the state and nearby areas like Philadelphia and New York City. This week Top Ten includes articles covering six counties in New Jersey (Atlantic, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, and Monmouth).

1) Plays-in-the-Park returns for their 60th season to Middlesex County this summer with three popular Broadway musicals - (EDISON, NJ) -- Middlesex County’s Plays-in-the-Park is returning to the stage this summer, with performances of Something Rotten!, The SpongeBob Musical, and A Chorus Line at the Stephen J. Capestro Theatre in Edison, part of Plays-in-the-Park’s 60th season.

2) Lisa Marie Is One Funny Wife & Mom - Staten Island-based, Brooklyn-bred Lisa Marie is one funny wife and mom. And her family gives her plenty to make folks laugh. 

3) New Jersey Film Festival Spring 2022 Winners Announced - All the works that were part of the Spring 2022 New Jersey Film Festival Competition were selected by a panel of judges including media professionals, journalists, students, and academics. These judges selected the 27 finalists which were publicly screened at our Festival. The finalists were selected from 633 works submitted by filmmakers from around the world. In addition, the judges chose the Prize Winners in conjunction with the Festival Director.

4) 10 Basin Studios Becomes Newest Film Studio In NJ - (NEWARK, NJ) -- Kearny is fast becoming a studio hub. 10 Basin Studios, the second soundstage to open at the popular Kearny Point Business Center in the past year, is now available to serve the production needs of New Jersey’s rapidly growing film and television industry. 

5) The Matt O'Ree Band Hits The Road In Support Of New Album - (ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- The Matt O'Ree Band will be hitting the road in support of Hand In Glove, a new album expected to be released in the Spring.  Highlights include include Daytona Bike Week from March 6th-13th and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally from August 5th – 12th. Shows in thirteen states have been announced so far with one local date - July 31st in Long Branch.

6) Mother's Day Good Music Festival at Prudential Center features The Isley Brothers, Keith Sweat, Monica, and SWV - (NEWARK, NJ) -- SJ Presents The Mother’s Day Good Music Festival with multi-platinum and Grammy Award-Winning iconic performers The Isley Brothers, Keith Sweat, Monica, and SWV at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Friday, May 6 at 8:00pm. 

7) IFC Films’s Arianna Bocco and Nationwide’s Heidi Sirota Join Cinema Lab’s Newest Venture - (BRADLEY BEACH, NJ) -- Arianna Bocco, President of IFC Films, and Heidi Sirota, Chief Pet Officer of Nationwide, have joined Bradley Lab, a subsidary of the movie theatre development and management company, Cinema Lab, in their reopening of The Bradley (formerly The Showroom), it was announced by Luke Parker Bowles, Cinema Lab’s CEO. Bocco, a Bradley Beach resident, and Sirota, a Bradley Beach native, have joined the team to update the venue to create a community focused, technology-first movie going experience, featuring a slate of the latest studio films along with a thoughtfully curated selection of independent releases, film series and conversations with filmmakers that celebrate the diverse and proud culture of the Jersey Shore. The Bradley is expected to be open for business in late 2022.

8) Chris Stapleton To Perform Two Nights In Atlantic City - (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- Chris Stapleton's "All-American Road Show" comes to Atlantic City with performances April 8-9 at 8:00 in the Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena. His current single, "You Should Probably Leave," reached #1 on both the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase/Country Aircheck charts — his third #1 as an artist following 2021's "Starting Over" and 2018's "Broken Halos." Stapleton also earned Best Country Tour at the 33rd Annual Pollstar Awards and was recently the subject of an in-depth profile at CBS' "60 Minutes." 

9) State Arts Council Grants Nearly $1 Million to NJ Artists & welcomes Jeremy Grunin To Council Board - (TRENTON, NJ) -- The New Jersey State Council on the Arts held its first public meeting of 2022 on February 22nd, where nearly $1 million was awarded to 85 New Jersey artists through the Council’s Individual Artist Fellowship program.

10) Prudential Center Presents TOOL In February - (NEWARK, NJ) -- Metropolitan Entertainment welcomes TOOL in concert as part of a mammoth 2022 international tour.  The Los Angeles-based band will play at Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday, February 26, 2022 at 7:30pm. 

Event previews are always one of the most popular areas of the website. Event previews get noticed when we first publish them and then get noticed again when they are brought back to the main area of the site the week the event takes place - sometimes even several months later.  Make sure your events get previewed by sending press releases to us at [email protected] - for even more promotion, check out our ad rates which run $50-$100 for an entire month of advertising. It's the best deal around!