Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 12/24/2023
(NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- NextGen Acting presents the Rising Star Resilience Project, an initiative designed to empower students ages 12-17 through weekly performing arts and story telling classes and performing arts masterclasses, culminating in a showcase of their work at the end of the program. This program will be free for the 25 students selected. Nominations are due January 17, 2024.
This is a journey curated by industry professionals, designed to inspire, uplift, and champion positive childhood experiences! This six-month experience (from Jan-June) aims to magnify PCEs (positive childhood experiences) in the lives of young teenagers, through a performing arts curriculum, infused with creativity and inspiration.
With involvement from renowned professionals in TV, film, voice over, Broadway, and more, students will immerse themselves in a unique journey spanning acting, writing, directing, and other performing arts.
The Rising Star Resilience Project will take place between January and June 2024. Selected students will attend weekly acting and story-telling classes on Tuesdays, split up by age. Students ages 12-14 will meet from 5:30pm-7:00pm and students ages 15-17 will meet from 7:30pm-9:00pm. Students will also participate in at least 8 masterclasses spread throughout the programs, mostly on select Saturdays. These masterclasses will be taught by professional actors from Broadway, Hollywood, video games and more! Students will be creating and performing in a showcase. They are expected to be at tech rehearsals, leading up to the performance in June.
You can nominate a student by going to the nominations form here.
This is a free performing arts program for selected students (age 12-17)!
* Weekly acting classes on Tuesdays from January to June!
* Eight Masterclasses with professional actors, directors, producers, writers, and more!
* Final Showcase for family, friends, and the community!
* Social Worker on staff to magnify positive experiences and growth!
* Enrollment limited to 25 students ONLY.
Nominations are due January 17, 2024. Nominations can be submitted online, by clicking here.
Weekly classes will be conducted in-person at NextGen Acting Studios located at 1210 Cozzen's Lane, 2nd Floor, in North Brunswick, New Jersey.
This program is being run by NextGen Acting, a performing arts school in NJ for kids and teens, and funded by the RAC community Innovation Micro Grant, awarded by the NJ DCF Office of Resilience and stewarded by NORWESCAP.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Cape May Stage presents a Staged Reading of "Appendage" by Derek Murphy
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Cape May Stage presents a staged reading of Appendage by Derek Murphy on Monday, August 10, 2026 at 7:00pm. A darkly comic and psychologically sharp two-hander, Appendage by Derek Murphy explores grief, masculinity, and the messy ways we cope with loss. Admission is free.
South Camden Theatre Company's New Play Reading Series presents a reading of "The Ocean Deep" by Katherine Vondy
(CAMDEN, NJ) -- South Camden Theatre Company's New Play Reading Series presents a reading of The Ocean Deep by Katherine Vondy on Monday, August 10, 2026. Admission is free with live music at 6:00pm and the reading & discussion at 7:00pm.
Gateway Playhouse to Hold Open Auditions for "9 to 5: The Musical"
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse of Somers Point is holding open auditions for their third MainStage production of the year, the incredibly fun 9 to 5: The Musical. Auditions will take place from 6:00pm-8:00pm Monday and Tuesday, August 10 and 11, 2026. All roles are open and any performance experience is welcomed (must be 16 or older).
Middlesex County Plays-in-the-Park to Host Auditions for "Curious George: The Golden Meatball" on August 12th
(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
(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, 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"
(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"
(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.
FEATURED EVENTS
