(UNION, NJ) -- Ashley Nicole Baptiste, Jersey City Theater Center’s (JCTC) associate artistic director, will join Kean University’s Premiere Stages professional theatre company in the New Jersey debut of Mud Row, a Tony Award-nominated play penned by Dominique Morisseau. The production, which was initially staged for a live audience in 2019, will run from July 14-31, 2022 at the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center at Kean University.

In response to the controversial themes of race, class, and gender that are tackled within the play, Baptiste will host a special installment of “Black Space,” her online talk series sponsored by JCTC, featuring the show’s perennial stage director, Marshall Jones, III. The candid conversation with Jones– who is also the current president of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s Board of Trustees and former producing artistic director of the Tony Award-winning Crossroads Theatre Company– will take place on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 at 5:00pm (ET). Participants can register for a virtual ticket for the complimentary talk-back event at the link here. 

An accomplished actor, teaching artist, and MFA graduate of Rutgers University’s prestigious Mason Gross School of the Arts, Baptiste is honored to share the stage with fellow actors Lakethia Dalcoe, Alinca Hamilton, Malik Reed, Stacey Sherrell, and Landon Woodson. “I’m overjoyed to collaborate with Premiere Stages in such a timely, inspiring production exploring complex dynamics among Black women, family members, and class differences,” said Baptiste. “Mud Row is one of those rare productions making a statement about what it meant to be part of the Talented Tenth during the 1920’s, and I cannot begin to express my appreciation for being part of a cast committed to working together in bringing such overlooked and undervalued images to life on stage.”  

The play delves into the relationships among two generations of sisters while they navigate racial and familial challenges on Mud Row, a region in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The character Elsie hopes to advance her social stature by marrying into “The Talented Tenth,” while her sister Frances is passionate about joining The Civil Rights Movement. Decades later, estranged sisters Toshi and Regine are forced to grapple with each other, and their lineage, once Regine inherits her grandmother Elsie’s home. 

“I hope that Jersey residents and theater lovers come out and support the show. Not everyday do we have the opportunity to witness a period in our nation’s history play out in living color before our eyes, so I’m hoping that we can provide an invaluable education through our performances,” said Baptiste. 

Mud Row is presented in conjunction with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. A Tickets for the production can be purchased in person from the Kean University Box Office, online at www.premierestagesatkean.com, or by calling (908) 737-7469. 

Ashley Nicole Baptiste is a proud graduate from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts with her MFA in Acting. She received her BFA in Acting from California State University, Fullerton. She is the associate artistic director of Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC), where she runs her online talk series, ‘Black Space.’ Professional acting credits include the following: When Day Comes; Crossroads Theatre Company, How We Got On, Portland Playhouse; In The Next Room, or the Vibrator Play, Profile Theater; Seven Guitars, Artists Repertory Theater; Jitney, Portland Playhouse; Hands Up, Red Door Projects; Showboat, and Portland Opera. Television: New Amsterdam;  NBC, Grimm, NBC and Notes From The Field, HBO. Play Readings/Workshops: Strange Courtesies; African American Shakespeare Company; Shady Acres, Rutgers Theater Company. She also has a passion for teaching, and telling impactful stories that reflect what is truly happening in the world. She wants to lay a foundation for her work as an artist to tell social justice messages through the arts and education.  

Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization committed to inspiring conversations about important issues of our times through the arts. Co-founded by Executive Producer Olga Levina, an immigrant from Belarus, Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) produces and presents universal yet locally relevant works, emphasizing social justice and human rights. 

Since 2006, JCTC has provided a platform for all artistic voices to be heard. When we share stories through the arts, we spark meaningful dialogue that leads to our ability to build a greater understanding of each other, mutual respect, and better communities together. 

Marshall Jones, III is excited to return to Premiere Stages at Kean University for another year. He previously worked with the theater company in October 2020 by directing a live, critically acclaimed show about civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer starring veteran Broadway actress Rema Webb.

A 20-year veteran theater faculty member for Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts– his alma mater– Professor Jones is currently transitioning to an administrative role as the Associate Dean of Equity for the Mason Gross School of the Arts. 

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.  Additional directing credits include the world premiere of Walter Mosley’s Lift, which later played Off Broadway; and Nikkole Salter’s Repairing a Nation, which was recorded for TV broadcast on WNET’s Theater Close-Up Series.  

In the spring of 2018, Marshall served as the Creative Consultant (replacement director) for the Off Broadway production of Little Rock, about the famed Little Rock Nine of 1957, which received The New York Times’ Critic Pick.  

Marshall enjoys serving the community and the theater world as president of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s Board of Trustees. Marshall is also a proud 2020 Inductee in the Rutgers University African-American Hall of Fame.