(left to right) Victoria Pollack, Susan Ferrara, Jennifer Leigh Houston. Photo by Mike Peters

(UNION, NJ) -- Premiere Stages' production of Vincent Delaney's play The Mallard begins performances this week in Kean University's Bauer Boucher Theatre Center. The Mallard was the winner of the 2024 Premiere Play Festival. Directed by John J. Wooten, the production features actors Eddie Gouveia Blackman, Susan Ferrara, Jennifer Leigh Houston, Victoria Pollack, and Woodrow Proctor.

In this new comedic play, Freya and Gillian are teachers who have offended their school board and lost their jobs. Davis and Reagan are yard sale fanatics in search of a priceless antique duck decoy, the Horace Crandall Mallard. What follows is a fierce, funny and escalating battle over a symbol that has wildly different meanings- intersecting the couples in a journey that far surpasses the quest for treasure.

The professional design team includes Scenic Designer Bethanie Wampol Watson, Costume Designer Karen Lee Hart, Lighting Designer Zack Gage, Sound Designer Tyler Sautner and Props Master and Scenic Artist Michael Brinskele. Casting is by Stephanie Klapper, CSA. Dale Smallwood is the Production Stage Manager. Roe Manzo is the Assistant Stage Manager.

(left to right) Jennifer Leigh Houston, Susan Ferrara. Photo by Mike Peters

The Mallard performance schedule is Thursday, July 17 at 7:30pm, Thursdays, July 24 and 31 at 1:00pm, Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm & 7:30pm, and Sundays at 3:00pm.

Tickets are $40.50 for standard admission, $30.50 for senior citizens and Kean alumni and staff, $25.50 for patrons with disabilities and $18 for students, inclusive of any fees. Significant discounts for groups of ten or more apply. Tickets are available for purchase online or by calling the box office at 908-737-7469.

Audience members are invited to engage more deeply with Mr. Delaney’s play in free Community Connections following select matinee (3pm) performances. Stephanie Mills, Director of Youth Services at The Hudson Pride Center, will lead a talkback on Sunday, July 27. Patrons can learn more about the creative process with featured post-show speakers Playwright Vincent Delaney (Saturday, July 19) and Props Master Michael Brinskele (Sunday, July 20) and the cast of The Mallard (Saturday, August 2). Dates and speakers are subject to change; please call 908-737-4077 or visit premierestagesatkean.com for an updated schedule of post-show events and speakers.

Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available at all times; publications in alternate formats are available with advance notice. Sign-interpreted and audio described performances are available by request, at least three weeks in advance. Please call 908-737-4077 or email [email protected] to request these services.

Premiere Stages is made possible in part through funding from W. John Bauer and Nancy Boucher, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Shubert Foundation, Carole Shaffer-Koros and Robert Koros and ExxonMobil Foundation, The Northfield Bank Foundation, Blue Foundry Charitable Foundation, Union County Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Union Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, The Union County HEART Grant and through the generous support of individual patrons and local organizations. Discover Jersey Arts is our marketing partner. Visit JerseyArts.com for more information about other arts programming happening around the Garden State.

Premiere Stages is committed to producing topical plays and interactive programs that reflect people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, national origins, nationalities, ancestry, religious groups, gender expression or identities, sexual orientation, political beliefs, ages, abilities and disabilities.

Created in 2004, Premiere Stages is the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University. Through its unique partnership with Kean, Premiere’s play development programs, educational initiatives, and professional development opportunities actively embrace the university's academic curriculum while expanding the scope, accessibility, and prestige of the professional programming on campus.

Kean University, New Jersey’s urban research university, is a national institution of higher education recognized for its diversity, innovation and the social mobility of its graduates. Designated an R2 research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Kean ranks among the top eight percent of U.S. universities for research and doctorate production. Founded in 1855 as a teachers college, Kean has evolved into a thriving research university that supports students as they persist to graduation, give back to their communities and launch successful careers. Kean’s six colleges offer more than 50 undergraduate programs, six doctoral degree programs and more than 70 options leading to master’s degrees, professional diplomas or certifications, across a full range of academic subjects. With campuses in Union, Toms River and Manahawkin, New Jersey, and Wenzhou, China, as well as Kean Online, the University provides students of all backgrounds an affordable and accessible world-class education.