Here are previews of plays taking place from September 5-11, 2023 including a look at productions starting this week, those continuing this week, and those closing this week. Click on the title to go to the full preview. New Jersey Stage covers Equity, community, college, and high school theatre. Check back every week for the weekly theatre preview. Be sure to check out our new Advanced Search areas for previews and events that let you search within a period of time, region of the state, and within one genre or multiple genres of your choice.
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FEATURED
Thursday, September 7, 2023 - Premiere Stages at Kean presents "Selling Kabul" (UNION, NJ) -- Premiere Stages at Kean University will present the New Jersey Premiere of Sylvia Khoury's Selling Kabul September 7-24 in Kean University's Bauer Boucher Theatre Center (Vaughn Eames Hall, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ). Directed by Taylor Reynolds, Selling Kabul will feature actors Atra Asdou, Anat Cogan, Afsheen Misaghi, and Zaven Ovian.
Sunday, September 10, 2023 - The Strollers to Hold Auditions for "Children of Eden" (MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Strollers will hold auditions at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts for "Children of Eden" on Sunday, September 10th from 2:00pm-5:00pm and Monday, September 11th from 7:00pm-10:00pm; callbacks will take place Wednesday, September 13th from 7:00pm-10:00pm. This is a musical by Stephen Schwartz that will be directed by Carol Cornicelli with musical direction by Michael Nuzzo.
Plays opening this week
Wednesday, September 6, 2023 - East Lynne Theater Company presents "Love Letters" with a Rotating Cast of Couples with a Connection (CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Before East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC) revs up its fall lineup, the curtain prepares to close on its summer 2023 Mainstage Season with a six-week run of A. R. Gurney's "Love Letters"– but with a twist. From September 6 to October 14, the play will be performed by a real-life couple with a connection each of the six weeks: three married couples, an engaged duo, and two pairs who share a romantic past.
Friday, September 8, 2023 - Howell PAL Theater Company presents "Peter Pan": Broadway's Timeless Musical (LAKEWOOD, NJ) -- Howell PAL Theater Company's second summer musical, Peter Pan, Broadway's Timeless Musical whisks audiences away to a place where dreams are born and no one ever grows up. Performances take place at The Strand Theater in Lakewood on Friday, September 8, 2023 at 7:30pm and Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 2:00pm.
Saturday, September 9, 2023 - Bergen County Players to Open Season with "Rent" (ORADELL, NJ) -- Bergen County Players (BCP), one of America's longest-running little theater companies, will open its 91st season on September 9 with Jonathan Larson's RENT, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning rock musical that shaped a generation of audiences. Performances begin Saturday, September 9 and will run weekends through Saturday, October 14 at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell with shows on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm.
Saturday, September 9, 2023 - The Shawnee Playhouse presents "A Good Day" by Eric B. Sirota (DELAWARE, PA) -- A Good Day, an original and uplifting musical, by NJ-based playwright/composer, Eric B. Sirota, will be presented by The Shawnee Playhouse from September 9th through September 24th. Directed by Midge McClosky, this authentic musical illuminates the therapeutic and healing powers of music, art and movement on the splintered and fragmented lives of two families that are intertwined through past loves and tragic losses. Each unforgettable scene, song and dance highlights the importance of creative expression on the human experience, as the characters attempt to navigate their fractured existences through the incessant ripple effects and impact that Alzheimer's Disease and the loss of a loved one have on those around them.
Plays ending this week
PHOTOS from "All Shook Up" at Music Mountain Theatre (LAMBERTVILLE, NJ) -- Music Mountain Theatre is presenting All Shook Up weekends from August 25 through September 10, 2023. The musical features a Book by Joe Dipietro and was inspired by and features the songs of Elvis Presley. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.
FEATURED
Thursday, September 7, 2023 @ 8:00pm - Selling Kabul at Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
Friday, September 8, 2023 @ 8:00pm - Selling Kabul at Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
Saturday, September 9, 2023 @ 3:00pm - Selling Kabul at Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
Saturday, September 9, 2023 @ 8:00pm - Selling Kabul at Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
Sunday, September 10, 2023 @ 2:00pm - The Strollers Present: Auditions for "Children of Eden" at Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Road, Maplewood, NJ 07040
Sunday, September 10, 2023 @ 3:00pm - Selling Kabul at Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
Monday, September 11, 2023 @ 7:00pm - The Strollers Present: Auditions for "Children of Eden" at Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Road, Maplewood, NJ 07040
Plays coming soon
Bergen County Players to Hold Auditions for "A Christmas Carol: The Musical" (ORADELL, NJ) -- What do you get when you combine Disney's greatest composer with Dicken's classic A Christmas Carol? You get the longest-running family holiday spectacular in Broadway history! Bergen County Players (BCP) is pleased to announce open auditions for A Christmas Carol: The Musical at the little Firehouse Theatre, 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, NJ on Tuesday and Thursday, September 12th, and 14th at 7:30pm and on Monday, September 18th at 7:30pm.
McCarter Theatre presents "Bulrusher" (PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center opens their 2023-2024 Theatre Series with Eisa Davis' Bulrusher, a transformational coming-of-age story filled to the brim with passion, humor, and even a touch of magic; on stage in the Berlind Theatre from September 13 – October 7, 2023. This is a co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where the production will move after its run in Princeton.
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey presents "Waiting for Godot" (MADISON, NJ) -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) continues its 2023 Main Stage season with Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Hailed "one of the true masterpieces of the century" by the New York Times, Godot has fascinated and infuriated audiences since it burst upon the world in 1953. This funny, cruel, moving, enigmatic metaphor is "theatre of the absurd" at its most breathtaking pinnacle. The production runs from September 13 – October 1, 2023.
Pulitzer Prize Finalist Play "Bulrusher" Hits the Stage at McCarter Theatre Music, humor and clairvoyance are soon to thrill audiences at McCarter Theatre Center in the form of Eisa Davis' Pulitzer Prize finalist play, "Bulrusher." A period piece set in 1950s California, "Bulrusher" is the coming-of-age tale of a multiracial young woman bestowed with the gift of clairvoyance as she navigates life in her mostly white town. More than a fish out of water story, Bulrusher highlights the beauty, complexity and compassion that make life the nuanced ride that it is.
South Camden Theatre Company presents "Alabama Story" (CAMDEN, NJ) -- South Camden Theatre Company presents the New Jersey and Regional premiere of Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones, weekends from September 15 through October 1, 2023. This is a play based on a true story about book banning, a librarian, a state senator, and black and white bunnies. The production is directed by Connie Norwood.
Dragonfly Multicultural Arts presents "India Pale Ale" - a play about family, pirates, and beer (PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center, a community theater in residence at duCret Center of Art, located at 1030 Central Ave, Plainfield, New Jersey, will present India Pale Ale, a drama about a Punjabi Indian family in Wisconsin. Directed by Priya Iyer, India Pale Ale will be presented on September 15th at 8:00pm, September 16th at 8:00pm, and September 17th at 3:00pm.
Billy Van Zandt & Friends to Reunite in Musical Celebration Evening to Benefit the Brookdale Performing Arts Center (LINCROFT, NJ) -- The Brookdale Performing Arts Center in Lincroft will present Billy Van Zandt & Friends in a very special musical evening celebrating songs from the library of Van Zandt/Milmore theatrical productions. All proceeds from the Saturday, September 16, 2023, one-night-only performance will benefit the Brookdale Performing Arts Center. The event begins at 8:00pm.
Sieminski Theater presents "Bette Davis Ain't for Sissies" (BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- Prepare to be transported back in time to the golden age of Hollywood as the Sieminski Theater presents Bette Davis Ain't for Sissies, a captivating theatrical experience that chronicles the remarkable journey of Hollywood legend Bette Davis. The show is set to take place on September 17 at 2:30pm, featuring a riveting performance by actress and playwright Jessica Sherr.
The Black Box to present Sam Shepard plays, including U.S. Premiere of "Little Ocean" (ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Black Box - NJ's incubator for new and under-produced works by world-class artists - is proud to present Sam Shepard's groundbreaking plays Action, The Unseen Hand, and the U.S. premiere of the unpublished Little Ocean, running from September 21 through October 8. For this 2023-24 Season opening fundraiser, limited tickets for 10 shows only are now on sale for performances on the 2nd floor of 8 East Palisade Avenue, Englewood, NJ.
WHATCo to present "Othello" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in September (WEST HUDSON, NJ) -- The West Hudson Arts & Theater Company (WHATCo) is bringing the Bard to West Hudson this September! Performances of Othello will take place Saturday and Sunday, September 23-24 at 7:30pm, while performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream will take place Saturday and Sunday, September 29-30 at 8:00pm. All performances take place at the WHATCo The Theater at WHATCo, 15 Frank E Rodgers S, Harrison, NJ.
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