(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, will present Only Human: Stories of Connection from February 23 through March 5. The evening is made up of seven short plays by the playwrights Barbara Blumenthal-Erlich, Laura Ekstrand, Steve Harper, Stephen Kaplan, Mark Harvey Levine, Matthew Weaver and David Lee White.
Funny and heartfelt, these short plays span settings as varied as a farmers market, a frantic cab ride, a bus stop, a late-night phone call, a manager’s office, a park bench, and a café. The one thing they all have in common is the moment when these characters reveal their humanity and help each other cope with being alive in this crazy world.
Directed by Andrew Binger (Montclair), the cast includes Vivid Stage ensemble members Harry Patrick Christian (Montclair), Noreen Farley (Clinton) and Harriett Trangucci (Summit) and guests Joshua T. Crockett (Nutley), Mitchell Leigh Gordon (West New York) and Serena Marie Smith (South River).
Only Human will appear at Vivid Stage at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit from February 23 through March 5. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2:00pm. Special dates: Thursday, February 23, is a preview performance; all tickets are $25. Sunday, February 26, is Senior Sunday; seniors age 65+ pay $25. Girls Night Out, featuring networking, shopping, buffet dinner and hard beverages from Bull n' Bear Brewery, is at 6:30 on March 2 as a $35 add-on to the ticket. Talkbacks follow the February 26 and March 5 performances.
Tickets range from $25 to $39, with special rates for subscribers and groups. For touchless advance ticket purchases, click here. For more information, call 908-514-9654. The theatre at Oakes Center is wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices are available at all performances. The parking lot is accessible from Ashwood Avenue, behind the theatre.
Vivid Stage was founded in 1994 as Dreamcatcher Rep, and is a non-profit professional ensemble of actors who build community with the audience by sharing contemporary, life-affirming stories that challenge, energize and entertain. Their work has at its heart a belief in the essential goodness of people and the power of live performance to connect people through our shared humanity. They expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their own with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. They deepen the experience of all their patrons with personal contact through receptions, talkbacks, and interactive programs.
The company’s activities include mainstage productions, improvisational comedy and cabarets, new play readings and a variety of educational and senior outreach programs.
Vivid Stage’s programs are funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Union County Department of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, and many other corporations, foundations and individuals. Vivid Stage is an Equity Producing member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
Vivid Stage, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey.
Graphic: Yolanda Fundora
