(RAHWAY, NJ) -- American Theater Group (ATG), in partnership with the New Jersey Creative Arts Collaborative (NJCAC) and Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC), will present Juneteenth: A Celebration of Liberation at Hamilton Stage (360 Hamilton Street) in Rahway, NJ, on June 14, 2024 at 7:30pm.
An inspirational evening of music, dance, poetry, and more, Juneteenth: A Celebration of Liberation will feature Grammy-nominated artist Junior Mack, accompanied by Noe Socha, along with a special performance by the Kingdom Ambassadors Youth Group, and preshow entertainment by the NJCAC Community Chorus under the musical direction of Derek Mosley.
“We are pleased to present what promises to be a rousing and exhilarating evening of outstanding entertainment from both new and established artists,” noted ATG Producing Artistic Director Jim Vagias. “This will be a wonderful opportunity for the community to experience top musicians and local talent and come together to kick-off Juneteenth celebrations.”
Tickets are priced at $25 ($19 for seniors and students) and available for purchase online or by calling the box office at 732-499-8226.
A self-taught blues-rock musician and soulful vocalist, Junior Mack has been playing guitar since 1968. Influenced by countless blues, rock and gospel musicians and singers, he’s combined years of listening and learning into one unique style. Aside from his own band (The Junior Mack Band) and solo efforts, he’s currently the front man for Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band and a founding member of the Grammy Nominated Heritage Blues Orchestra. His style of music has been enthusiastically received by audiences within the United States, Europe and as far away as India. Junior has sat in or worked with numerous artists including The Allman Brothers Band, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, The Marshall Tucker Band, Honeyboy Edwards and Cyndi Lauper among others. Junior was a 2011 inductee into the New York Blues Hall of Fame.
Noé Socha is a Brooklyn-based guitar and harmonica player originally from the small town of Carpi, Italy. He is influenced by folk artists such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young, Delta blues musicians such as Mississippi John Hurt, Muddy Waters, and Lightnin’ Hopkins, with a hint of Hendrix-esque flavor. Noé has created his own signature sound, pairing fiery guitar technique with virtuosic harmonica playing. Noé has toured, performed, and recorded with artists such as Nona Hendrix (Labelle), Vernon Reid (Living Color), and GRAMMY Award-Winners, Javier Limón and Paula Cole.
Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) is a non-profit organization offering quality programming and performances that strive to be educational, affordable, and enrich the arts within our diverse communities. With two venues, the Main Stage, built in 1928 and currently celebrating its 95th anniversary, and the Hamilton Stage, a recently renovated intimate 199-seat theater built by the City of Rahway Redevelopment Agency, UCPAC is the crown jewel of Union County’s burgeoning performing arts scene.
The New Jersey Creative Arts Collaborative (NJCAC) is a non-profit organization whose goal is to inform, inspire and illuminate artists of color by sharing and broadening cultural awareness through the creation of original content and partnership opportunities.
American Theater Group (ATG), founded in 2012, produces new and classic works primarily by American playwrights with an emphasis on the development of new works and the rediscovery of undeservedly neglected older ones. It also provides quality arts-in-education initiatives, including its annual DramaFest for students and its PlayLab program for BIPOC and queer playwrights. ATG is in residence at Hamilton Stage and the Sieminski Theater. ATG programming is made possible in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Made possible by the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
