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Final Weekend for Three Sam Shepard Plays at The Black Box

Published by New Jersey Stage

originally published: 10/04/2023


MacMath, O'Sullivan, Schimmel in Shepard's Little Ocean

(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- In association with the Estate, The Black Box - NJ's incubator for new and under-produced works by world-class artists - presents one final weekend of Sam Shepard's groundbreaking plays Action, The Unseen Hand, and the U.S. premiere of the unpublished Little Ocean. The final four performances are this coming Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (October 5-8) at 8:00pm sharp, with limited tickets for performances on the 2nd floor of 8 East Palisade Avenue, Englewood, NJ.

Sam Shepard’s first New York plays, Cowboys and The Rock Garden, were produced by Theatre Genesis in 1964. For several seasons, he worked with Off-Off-Broadway theatre groups including La MaMa and Caffe Cino. Eleven of his plays won Obie Awards, including ChicagoThe Tooth of the Crime, and Curse of the Starving Class. Other award-winning plays include Fool for LoveTrue WestA Lie of the Mind, and Buried Child, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1979.  In 1986, Shepard was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters and received the Gold Medal for Drama from the Academy in 1992. He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame two years later. As a writer and director, he filmed Far North and Silent Tongue. As an actor, he appeared in numerous films, including The Right StuffDays of Heaven and Resurrection. His final works of prose, The One Inside and Spy of the First Person, were published in 2017, the year of his death.

Tickets are available for purchase online.

Since Fall 2021, The Black Box continues to incubate new and under-produced plays by world-class artists such as Eric Bogosian, Paul Schrader, Beth Henley, Craig Lucas, Neil Labute, and most recently John Patrick Shanley. Collaborations are now underway with The Estates of Edward Albee and IB Singer as well as with artists including Craig Lucas & Craig Carnelia, Migdalia Cruz, John Lahr, Daniel Handler, Ken Levine, Ishmael Reed, Halley Feiffer, and Billy Martin.

In addition to the Estate of Sam Shepard, Action and The Unseen Hand are presented in special arrangement with Concord Theatricals Inc. on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

Mike Gardiner in Sam Shepard's Action




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EVENT PREVIEWS

(EDISON, NJ) -- Middlesex County's Plays-in-the-Park is holding auditions for its fall 2026 children's production of Curious George: The Golden Meatball on Wednesday, August 12, at 6:00pm at the Stephen J. Capestro Theatre located inside Roosevelt Park in Edison. Everyone's favorite mischievous monkey and his friend in the yellow hat sing and dance up a storm in this adventure-filled musical.

Music Mountain Theatre presents "Alice By Heart"

(LAMBERTVILLE, NJ) -- Music Mountain Theatre presents Alice By Heart with three performances from August 12-13, 2026. From the Tony and Grammy Award-winning creators of Spring Awakening (Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik) and co-written by Jessie Nelson (Waitress) this is a touching musical inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Chimera Productions presents "Job" at Paul Robeson Center for the Arts

Chimera Productions presents "Job" at Paul Robeson Center for the Arts

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- New Jersey-based theater company Chimera Productions will present its 17th production, Job by Max Wolf Friedlich, from August 13-15, 2026 at 8:00pm each night. The play, presented in the intimate 60-seat theater inside Princeton's Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, is a psychological thriller that offers a sharp, darkly funny, and unsettling examination of our addiction to work, the internet, the cost of modern life, and what we're willing to sacrifice to belong.

Masquerade Theatre presents "Myths, Legends & Folklore Showcase"

(RIVERSIDE, NJ) -- Masquerade Theatre presents Myths, Legends & Folklore Showcase with performances on Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 8:00pm each night.
Asbury Park Theater Company to Hold Open Auditions for "The Wolves" by Sarah DeLappe

Asbury Park Theater Company to Hold Open Auditions for "The Wolves" by Sarah DeLappe

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Asbury Park Theater Company (APTCo) has announced that its first mainstage production under newly appointed Producing Artistic Director Nate Patten will be The Wolves, Sarah DeLappe's Pulitzer Prize finalist play that has captivated audiences across the country with its sharp wit, emotional honesty, and unforgettable portrait of young women finding their voices.
Ferrell Studios Community Theatre presents "Merrily We Roll Along"

Ferrell Studios Community Theatre presents "Merrily We Roll Along"

(METUCHEN, NJ) -- Ferrell Studios Community Theatre, a nonprofit theatre organization serving Central New Jersey, announces its upcoming production of Merrily We Roll Along, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The production will close the company's 2025-26 season, themed "Our Time," with five performances at St. Luke's Episcopal Church Auditorium in Metuchen, NJ from August 20-23, 2026.
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey presents Rogue Shakespeare with "The Merry Wives of Windsor"

Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey presents Rogue Shakespeare with "The Merry Wives of Windsor"

(MADISON, NJ) -- This August, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) invites audiences to experience Shakespeare the way it was meant to be — immediate and gloriously bold — with Rogue Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor, running August 14-23, 2026 at the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre on the campus of Drew University.

Main Street Theatre Company presents "Pippin"

(OLD BRIDGE, NJ) -- Main Street Theatre Company presents the musical, Pippin, across two weekends from August 15-23, 2026. There's magic to do when a prince learns the true meaning of glory, love and war in Stephen Schwartz's iconic and unforgettable musical masterpiece.

Center Drama presents "Grease"

(DEAL, NJ) -- Center Drama presents the classic musical, Grease, from August 13-23, 2026 at the JCC Performing Arts Center in Deal. With a hip-shaking rock 'n' roll score featuring hits like "Summer Nights" and "We Go Together," Grease celebrates Rydell High's class of 1959 in all their duck-tailed, bobby-soxed, gum-snapping glory.

Spring Lake Theatre presents "Bye Bye Birdie"

(SPRING LAKE, NJ) -- Spring Lake Theatre presents Bye Bye Birdie from August 12-16, August 20-23, 2026. Teenagers, rock & roll and national television – this musical captures the energy and excitement of the late 1950s with warmth, hilarity and an exuberant score.
 

FEATURED EVENTS


Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical

Friday, August 14, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees Drive, Manasquan, NJ


Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical

Saturday, August 15, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees Drive, Manasquan, NJ


Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical

Saturday, August 15, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees Drive, Manasquan, NJ


Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical

Sunday, August 16, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees Drive, Manasquan, NJ


Premiere Stages to present a Staged Reading of "At Liberty Hall"

Sunday, August 16, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Liberty Hall Museum
1003 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ



 

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