Here is the morning update from New Jersey's arts newswire. We regularly publish between 8-15 new articles and news reports each day. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!
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theatre
Surflight Theatre presents "Elf, The Musical" (BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- The ever popular holiday production of Elf The Musical, back for the first time since 2018, opened at Surflight Theatre on November 29th and runs through December 21, 2025. Elf The Musical is based on a motion picture of the same name with a score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. The book is adapted by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan from the 2003 film.
The Ma'ayanot H.S. Drama Society & Black Box Studios presents "Fiddler On The Roof" (TEANECK, NJ) -- The Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School Drama Society, in ongoing partnership with Black Box Studios, presents three performances of Fiddler On The Roof from December 27-30, 2025 at Ma'ayanot Performing Arts Center. Winner of nine Tony Awards when it debuted in 1964, this musical is the brainchild of Broadway legends, Jerome Robbins and Harold Prince; songwriters, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick; and bookwriter, Joseph Stein. Touching audiences worldwide with its humor, warmth and honesty, this universal show is a staple of the musical theatre canon.
American Theater Group to present "It's A Wonderful Life: From Screen to Stage" post show talkback (UNION, NJ) -- American Theater Group (ATG) will present a talkback following the Sunday, December 14, 2025 matinee performance of Joe Landry's It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at the DMK Black Box Theater at the Union Arts Center in Union. The matinee takes place at 2:00pm.
County College of Morris presents "A Sherlock Carol" (RANDOLPH, NJ) -- Get ready for a delightful holiday mystery as A Sherlock Carol takes the stage at County College of Morris (CCM), presented by the Marielaine Mammon School of Music, Performing Arts, and Music Technologies. Performances will run Thursday through Saturday, December 11-13, 2025 in Dragonetti Auditorium. Showtime is 7:30pm each evening.
music
WXPN Counts Down The 885 Greatest Cover Songs As Voted By Thousands of Listeners (PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- For over 20 years, WXPN (88.5 FM Philadelphia), the nationally-recognized leader in Triple A Radio, has crowdsourced and broadcast 885-song countdown lists, making it one of the most ambitious and longstanding programming events across the entire medium. Last year, they broadcast the "885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century" which was preceded by 2023's "885 Greatest Songs by Women." On December 4, 2025 at 8:00am ET they will kick off the "885 Greatest Cover Songs," counting down the covers that flip the script, turn a classic inside out, or breathe new life into a tune you thought you knew best.
State Theatre New Jersey presents Kenny G - The Miracles Holiday and Hits Tour 2025 (NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Kenny G's The Miracles Holiday and Hits Tour 2025 on Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 7:30pm. Selling over 75 million records worldwide, the King of Smooth Jazz, Kenny G, is bringing his Christmas show to STNJ.
comedy
The October Ensemble presents WTF Is My Line, Santa? An R Rated Holiday Themed Improv Show (OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- The October Ensemble presents WTF Is My Line, Santa? An R Rated Holiday Themed Improv Show at the Jersey Shore Arts Center across three weekends from December 5-19, 2025.
dance
RVCC to Present DanceWorks, Featuring Student, Faculty Performances (BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department will present DanceWorks, an evening of student and faculty dance, on Thursday and Friday, December 11-12, 2025 at 7:00pm each night. The event will be held in the Edward Nash Theatre at the College's Branchburg campus. The concert is being produced by Professor Loretta Fois, Director of RVCC's dance program.
art
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey presents "The Sound of All Things" - A Retro Art Exhibition (MADISON, NJ) -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) presents The Sound of All Things, a new art exhibition by painter Ted Papoulas, on display throughout the run of the Theatre's upcoming production of It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play — playing December 3-28, 2025 at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre in Madison.
Akwaaba Gallery presents: "WOMANHOOD: Woman 'Hood'" - A Solo Exhibition by Stephen Abban Junior (NEWARK, NJ) -- Akwaaba Gallery is honored to present "WOMANHOOD: Woman 'Hood'," a solo exhibition by Ghanaian artist Stephen Abban Junior, from December 6, 2025 through February 27, 2026 at Akwaaba Gallery. This is an exploration of concealment and revelation - the unseen narratives of women's roles in shaping society's economic, cultural, and environmental fabric. Through three distinct bodies of work, Abban unveils the hidden labor, wisdom, and influence of women, illuminating their impact in spaces often overlooked or understated.
Glisson & Lanier: "Of Matter and Light" It is both accurate and misleading to tell you that Brooke Lanier paints pictures of boats. The Philadelphia artist's vessels are never freighted with the fish-story romanticism of classic portraits of tall ships. Nor does she give us the cosmic collisions between surf, sky, and sailor's muscle that we find in the canvases of J.M.W. Turner and other seafaring impressionists. Instead her boats float somewhere beyond the undertow of high drama. They're awfully big, and they're not entirely decommissioned, but it's also not clear if they're moving. Instead, Lanier treats old ships much in the way that an urban explorer treats old factories: as the site of surprise, juxtapositions, and personal and occasionally inscrutable encounters with maritime history. Close observation, her paintings imply, might be all the care and refurbishment they need.
community
Grunin Foundation President Named to New Jersey Coalition (TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Grunin Foundation is thrilled to announce that its president, Jeremy Grunin, has been named to the New Jersey Governor-elect's Interdisciplinary Advisory Task Force.
FEATURED EVENTS
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EVENT PREVIEWS
The Legendary Wailers featuring Julian Junior Marvin come to the Scottish Rite Auditorium
January 23, 2026
RVCC Holocaust Institute to Present Online Discussion with Author Julie Brill
January 23, 2026
Lighthouse International Film Society presents a screening of "VESELKA: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World"
January 23, 2026
Lee Brice: Acoustic with special guest Deltona at State Theatre on January 23rd
January 23, 2026
Lizzie Rose Music Room presents the Matt O'Ree Band on January 23rd
January 23, 2026
New Jersey Film Festival Filmmaker Video Interview with B.F. Skinner Plays Himself Director Ted Kennedy
January 23, 2026
The Eye-opening Documentary B.F. Skinner Plays Himself Opens the 2026 New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, January 23!
January 23, 2026
The Lords of 52nd Street return to Newton
January 23, 2026
WXPN presents Jillith Fair - Loving Jill Sobule at The Fallser Club
January 24, 2026
Borgata Event Center presents comedian Andrew Santino
January 24, 2026
