(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Jersey City Theater Center has an exciting lineup of four captivating shows taking place throughout the last half of March, showcasing a variety of artistic expressions and cultural influences. The diverse program includes a staged reading of Bipolar Brunch by Molly Kirschner, the film Talks with Myself, the Global Music Series event E.T.E. from Quebec, The Last Hour of Njegos from Montenegro and My Heart's in the Highlands, a play by William Saroyan.
Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 7:00pm | Staged Reading of Bipolar Brunch by Molly Kirschner. Join them for a thought-provoking staged reading of Bipolar Brunch by the talented playwright Molly Kirschner and directed by Hamutal Posklinsky-Shehory. This powerful exploration of mental health promises to engage audiences with its raw honesty and compelling narrative.
The cast includes; Emily Cordes, Tom Stilwell, Debora Oster, Rick Benson, Adi Israel and Aaron Profumo. In this comedy about bipolar disorder, a weekly brunch event brings together an eruptive sixteen-year-old obsessed with photosynthesis, a young life coach/drug dealer, a 73-year-old choreographer, a man who introduces himself as a famous fue flutist, and the 35-year-old botanist who organized the event and is trying desperately to hold everyone together. In spite of the obvious point of connection (they all have bipolar disorder), the characters struggle to remain civil to one another, let alone find common ground.
Molly Kirschner, poet, dramatist, performer, and teacher, is a resident playwright of Rising SunPerformance Company. Recently, she debuted her original solo “Double Dose of Molly” as part of the inaugural SNAP Festival at The Flynn Center in Burlington, VT. Kirschner’s play L’appel du Vide was a finalist for Think Tank Theatre’s 2021 TYA Playwrights Festival. It had a workshop production at UNDER St. Marks Theater in NYC in 2017, and a monologue was included in Best Men’s Stage Monologues 2018. Kirschner’s full-length play Woman With A Parasol had a staged reading at Jersey City Theater Center in May of 2022. Two monologues appear respectively in Best Women’s Stage Monologues 2023 and Best Men’s Stage Monologues 2023.Molly Kirschner’s poems have appeared in journals including The Southern Review, The New OhioReview, and One Magazine. Her new manuscript was a finalist for the 2021 Four Way Books Levis Prize in Poetry.
Director Hamutal Posklinsky-Shehory is a local New Jersey resident practicing drama therapy and a theater director. Hamutal grew up in Israel, where she engaged in community building and created professional theater for many years. Hamutal aspires to utilize the strong connection between theater and individual growth to create social transformations. In her theatrical work, she utilizes her clinical techniques and reveals the beautiful human complexity through aesthetic choices of movement, doubling technique, colors, and sound.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 8:00pm | Film Screening: Talks with Myself. A visually stunning film that delves into the complexities of introspection and self-discovery. When you find yourself single, alone, and in a new city, the temptation to want to do something you’ve never done before becomes that much more desirable. Morris is at this exact point in his life. Navigating through a shrinking world of many choices can be tough to get through without any scrapes and bruises along the way. Talking to yourself becomes more of a survival guide rather than a sign of going crazy, and Morris learns that he will need his mental check-ins more than he realizes. Directed by an emerging filmmaker, this cinematic experience promises to captivate audiences and ignite meaningful conversations.
Sunday, March 24, 2024 at 6:30pm | Global Music Series: É.T.É from Quebec. Immerse yourself in the enchanting melodies of E.T.E. as they bring their unique Quebecois sound to Jersey City. This event is part of our Global Music Series, celebrating the rich diversity of musical traditions from around the world. Awarded the OPUS prize for “Discovery of the Year 2017-2018”, among many other accolades since their first album release in 2017, this trio quickly won over the hearts of listeners worldwide, young and old alike. É.T.É is Élisabeth (fiddle, step-dancing, vocals), Thierry (bouzouki, podorythmie, vocals), and Élisabeth (cello, vocals). The word été in French means summer–a fitting tribute to how their original, lively take on Québec traditional music is infused with a new vitality.
With lovely vocal harmonies, deep groove, and rich instrumentation, É.T.É are an explosive trio on stage, transforming the nostalgia of a kitchen party into an unforgettable show experience that celebrates the joie de vivre of Québec’s culture.
Élisabeth Moquin is originally from Saint-Majorique-de-Grantham, where she had her first contact with traditional arts. Élisabeth Moquin now has a degree in violin from the traditional music program of the Cégep de Joliette. Co-founder of the group, this young musician, with her dynamism and stage presence will captivate you. Step-dancing is also an integral part of her passions--onstage and at home.The pursuit of learning and development is at the heart of her quest. Active in the traditional dance and music scene, and passionate about the music, she travels throughout Quebec to meet new acquaintances to share and keep active her living heritage.
Thierry Clouette holds a bachelor’s degree in musicology at University of Montreal, Thierry Clouette also studied Irish bouzouki and Québec traditional music at Cégep de Joliette. Multi-instrumentalist, he founded É.T.É. with his colleagues in 2015 and works on varied musical projects such as Saligaude and Innerspace.
Élisabeth Giroux graduated from the Montreal Conservatory of Music in cello performance. Upon completion of her studies, she took part in the amjad world tour with the dance company La La La Human Steps. She also collaborated with Angèle Dubeau and La Pietà during the 2010-2011 season. Elisabeth regularly plays as a supernumerary with various symphony orchestras in Quebec, as well as devoting herself to her creative projects and teaching. She has participated in the recording of more than twenty albums with various projects and artists. Her talent, her love for the cello and her attraction to other musical styles have allowed her to become a very versatile musician. In recent years, Elisabeth has become more active in the traditional Quebec music scene. She has recently collaborated with composer and multi-instrumentalist Jean-François Bélanger. In 2015, she co-founded the É.T.É. trio with her two acolytes.
This event is sponsored by Delegation generale du Quebec in NY, Visit Hudson and Jersey City Arts+Culture Trust Fund
Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:30pm | The Last Hour of Njegos from Montenegro. Experience the rich cultural heritage of Montenegro with a captivating performance of The Last Hour of Njegos. This theatrical presentation promises to transport audiences to the heart of Montenegrin history and storytelling. This production is in collaboration with the Brooklyn Bridge International Festival (Montenegrin National Theatre, Montenegro, Podgorica), featuring Slobodan Marunovic and directed by Blagota Erakovic.
The Last Hour of Njegos contains clear and universal messages that concern every man on this planet. The monodrama is about essential issues of human existence: God and Destiny, life and death, basic postulates of life and lifespan, therefore it is close to people. Njegos possessed a vision of the law of good and evil that cycles over time: once in favor of one, then in favor of the other.
Slobodan Marunovic is a famous actor from Montenegro. Since 1982 has created a whole gallery of characters in approximately 100 performances as a member of the Montenegrin National Theatre and also in the Royal Theatre and others. He has performed The Last Hour of Njegos over 1500 times in various cities and countries on all continents of the world, among them Paris, New York City, Rome, Vienna, Zurich, London, Moscow, Belgrade, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Ljubljana, Stockholm, Tashkent, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Sydney, Athens, Cologne, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, etc.
Blagota Erakovic graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. Since 1969, I have been working at the Montenegrin National Theatre. He was the artistic director of the first Montenegrin theatre festival, Igrejuga in Budva. Has directed over a hundred theater shows. In addition, the Montenegrin National Theatre has been directed at other theatres in Belgrade, Skopje, Mostar, Zenica, and Rijeka.
The Montenegrin National Theatre is located in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica. It was founded in 1953. Initially, it assembled all prominent actors and was the only professional theatre. It aims to cherish the national spirit, stage high-quality performances, and represent Montenegro worldwide.
Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 4:00pm | My Heart's in the Highlands, a play by William Saroyan. My Heart's in the Highlands is a play by William Saroyan, hailed as one of America's Greatest Playwrights with Armenian roots. The plot is about a struggling poet and his son who have no source of income and aren't too worried about it. Johnny and his father are removed from their home due to their failure to pay rent. Just as Saroyan left us with his works, so too does Johnny's father leave behind a collection of poems with the local grocer. Both men allow a select few to marvel at their visions of the world. In Armenian with English subtitles.
My Heart's in the Highlands features actor/director Aram Hovhannisyan and actor William Hovhannisyan. Produced by Marianna Frunjyan.
Aram Hovhannisyan is a stage and film actor, theatre director, author, and People’s Artist of Armenia who lives in Yerevan, Republic of Armenia. Professional Training and Higher Education 1991-1997 Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinema, BA degree, Diploma in acting, directing 2009-2011 Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinema, master’s degree. Diploma work Hamlet Professional experience.
All performances take place at Jersey City Theater Center (165 Newark Ave) in Jersey City, New Jersey. Use the entrance from Barrow Street. Tickets/Reservations are available at www.JCTCenter.org.
"March at Jersey City Theater Center promises to be a celebration of artistic diversity and cultural richness,” stated Olga Levina, Executive Director at JCTC. “We are excited to present a curated lineup of performances that span the realms of theater, film, and music. Each show is a unique exploration of human experiences, and we invite our community to join us on this journey of discovery and connection. These performances reflect our commitment to fostering a vibrant cultural hub in Jersey City, where stories from around the world come to life.”
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 in Jersey City, with the aim of sparking meaningful cross-cultural dialogue that helps build a greater understanding, mutual respect and better communities in New Jersey.
Programming made possible by numerous supporters, including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development, Hudson County, the City of Jersey City, and the Office of Cultural Affairs. For those who are interested in attending any of the performances, sponsoring any of the upcoming productions, or purchasing tickets for large groups, please email [email protected].
