Graphic by Yolanda Fundora

(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage will bring a fresh format of theatre to the community on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. Fiona's Café is a Pop-Up show that will happen at Serra Doce Coffee Shop in Summit for one night only. This unscripted story will be improvised by the Vivid company of actors while patrons are treated to sandwiches, desserts and beverages from Serra Doce.

In the show, whose story is created by playwright Phoebe Farber (Montclair), Fiona and her daughter Maggie are celebrating the grand opening of their new café. Guests trickle in, and with them, their hopes, dreams, dramas and foibles. Jason and Cindy try to find happiness while preparing for a dance competition. Mother Carla and daughter Sharon have just ended troubled relationships and are out for the evening, looking for coffee and love. Elliott had a bad day as a birthday entertainer and just needs a martini.

Directed by Laura Ekstrand (Livingston), the cast includes Vivid Stage ensemble members Harry Patrick Christian (Montclair), Laura Ekstrand (Livingston), Noreen Farley (Clinton), Harriett Trangucci (Chatham) and Emaline Williams (Hackettstown). It also features guests Ciara Chanel (East Orange) and Joshua T. Crockett (East Orange).

Fiona's Café will appear at Serra Doce Coffee Shop (21 Union Place) in Summit, New Jersey on Tuesday, November 18. Dinner is at 7:00 pm, and includes sandwiches, a beverage and dessert, and the show is at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $45, including dinner and the show. Tickets are available for purchase online.  Serra Doce is wheelchair accessible.

Serra Doce is a charming coffee shop with friendly staff, quick service, and a great downtown location near the Summit train station. They offer Brazilian and Portuguese dishes, along with delicious gluten-free sweets. The cozy yet elegant ambiance makes it a perfect spot for studying or a casual coffee date.

The pastries at Serra Doce are incredibly delicious, and the shop is nicely decorated with a rustic tone. There is plenty of seating, including a high counter at the window, a long booth against one wall, cozy chairs, and free-standing tables. The shop is also appreciated for its welcoming staff and the generous portions of tea, making it a highly recommended place for a warm and hospitable experience.

Playwright Phoebe Farber’s plays have been seen at Dixon Place, The International Fringe Festival—NYC (Best Bet), Emerging Artists Theatre, Luna Stage, The Depot Theater, The Bickford Theater, Jersey City Theater Center, The Irvington Short Play Festival, Up Theater and Nora’s Playhouse. Playwriting fellowships include The Emerging Women Playwrights of Writers Theatre of New Jersey and The Ground and Field Theater Festival at UC Davis. She was commissioned by Luna Stage to write a play about the city of Orange, New Jersey as part of their Secret Cities project.

Her play Psychodrama was part of the 2019 season at Vivid Stage. She is currently working on a musical (as book writer) about the generational divide between older and younger feminists called Out of the Garden. Phoebe is a cofounder of Swan Dive Theater Collective, a women + theater company based in Montclair, NJ. Phoebe is a practicing psychotherapist (MSW, Ph.D.) who has worked with adolescents and young adults for the past 25 years. She is a co-founder of the organization Expanding Out (www.expandingout.com) and has led workshops domestically and internationally on the psychology of the creative process. Phoebe is an adjunct professor at Montclair State University and a Fulbright Scholar. She is co-author of the upcoming textbook Igniting the Spark: Activating your Creative Mind.

Vivid Stage was founded in 1994 as Dreamcatcher Rep, and is a non-profit professional ensemble of actors who build community with the audience by sharing contemporary, life-affirming stories that challenge, energize and entertain. The company is in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, New Jersey.

Their work has at its heart a belief in the essential goodness of people and the power of live performance to connect people through our shared humanity. They expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their own with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. They deepen the experience of all their patrons with personal contact through receptions, talkbacks, and interactive programs.

The company’s activities include mainstage productions, improvisational comedy and cabarets, new play readings, works in a variety of media, and a menu of educational and senior outreach programs.

Vivid Stage’s programs are funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, the Shubert and Summit Foundations and many other corporations, foundations and individuals. Vivid Stage is an Equity Producing member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.