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!
If your arts organization sends out press releases, make sure you have [email protected] on your media list for coverage.
theatre
Nutley Little Theatre presents "Harvey" by Mary Chase 
(NUTLEY, NJ) -- Nutley Little Theatre presents Harvey by Mary Chase weekends from February 13-28, 2026. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play is one of the longest-running comedies in Broadway and West End history, capturing the magic of amiable Elwood P. Dowd's friendship with his best friend, a tall white rabbit which only he can see.
Bergen County Players presents "Play On!" by Rick Abbott 
(ORADELL, NJ) -- Bergen County Players presents Play On!, the fast-paced, laugh-out-loud comedy by Rick Abbott, weekends from February 7-28, 2026 at Oradell's Little Firehouse Theater. Dubbed a "love letter to community theater," Play On! offers audiences a rare double feature: the play as it’s meant to be performed... and the play as it actually is.
Bordentown Regional High School Thespians Honored At State Festival 
(WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- Members of Bordentown Regional High School International Thespian Society Troupe 6803 spent the weekend of January 17-18, acting, singing, and dancing their way through the 2026 New Jersey State Thespian Festival at Washington Township High School. These students competed, performed, and participated in theatre workshops alongside more than a thousand International Thespian Society members from throughout the state.
PHOTOS from "Same Time, Next Year" at Algonquin Arts Theatre 
(MANASQUAN, NJ) -- Algonquin Arts Theatre is currently presenting one of the most beloved romantic comedies of the American stage, Same Time, Next Year, with six performances from January 17-25, 2026. Relive the charm of the iconic 1978 film starring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn in this heartfelt stage adaptation that has captivated audiences for decades. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.
music
GRAMMY Award Winner Michelle Cann to Perform Grieg Piano Concerto with Princeton Symphony Orchestra 
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Two-time GRAMMY Award winner Michelle Cann, lauded champion of Florence Price's music, displays her versatility performing repertoire of the mid-Romantic period at Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) concerts February 7-8, 2026. She will perform Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16 on a program with 2024 GRAMMY® recipient Jessie Montgomery's Records from a Vanishing City and Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36. Kenneth T. Bean conducts both performances at Richardson Auditorium.
Black History Month Celebration in Madison: Louis Armstrong's Early Life and Music 
"There are 12 seconds that changed the course of jazz -- the opening of Louis Armstrong's 1928 trumpet solo on 'West End Blues'." That's a line from Ricky Riccardi's book, Stomp Off, Let's Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong (Oxford University Press: 2025).
Middletown Arts Center presents the MAC Music Café: Under the Western Sky 
(MIDDLETOWN, NJ) -- The Middletown Arts Center presents the MAC Music Café: Under the Western Sky on Sunday, January 25, 2026 from 4:00pm-6:00pm. Saddle up for a great night of music featuring Shotgun Bill Anania, Rick Dill, and Christian Beach. The event is FREE (with a suggested donation of $5).
The Band Perry LIVE! at bergenPAC 
Spotlight Central and Love Imagery have photos and a recap of The Band Perry at bergenPAC on January 11, 2026.
BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable NJ Music 1/19/26 
Lazlo, founder of BlowUpRadio.com (an online radio station based around New Jersey artists), shines a light on some of the many new releases from NJ based musicians each week with this column. This week Lazlo takes a look at new releases by Tiny Cities, The Melancholy Kings, Jay Ingstrup, Bamberdost, furiousBall, Evil6, Steam Enginess, Jason Didner and the Drive, Jon Caspi & The First Gun, and Bruce Tunkel. Plus a look back at "M.L. King" by Jon Caspi.
film
New Jersey Film Festival Video Interview with Filmmaker Louis Cacchione 
Al Nigrin, Executive Director & Curator of the NJ Film Festival, sits down with Louis Cacchione, director of the short documentary Arrested at Delaney Hall, for a filmmaker interview. Arrested at Delaney Hall will be screened on January 24, 2026.
art
Reeves-Reed Arboretum presents "Chromatic Terrain: Contemporary Landscapes" by Greg Navrat 
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Reeves-Reed Arboretum presents Chromatic Terrain: Contemporary Landscapes by Greg Navratil, an immersive exhibition featuring the work of Oregon-based painter Greg Navratil. The exhibition will be on view in the Wisner House Gallery from January 27 through May 10, 2026, with an opening reception on Sunday, February 8, from 11:00am to 12:30pm.
Alfa Art Gallery presents "Reflections of the Living World" 
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Alfa Art Gallery presents the Winter 2026 Photography Exhibition, Reflections of the Living World. The exhibition is free and open from January 20 through March 21, 2026. Featured artists include: Alan Chimacoff, Arik Gorban, Barry Rosenthal, Brian Hallas, Frederick Doerfler Jr., Gerald Slota, Jacki Dickert, Jeremy Dennis, Joanne Ross, Mark Aizenberg, Patricia Worley, Steven Kushner, and Tuyet Van Truster.
books
Experience 400 Years of Black Women's Magic with Dr. Lindsey Stewart in Virtual Discussion 
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Take part in a virtual discussion featuring author and feminist philosopher Dr. Lindsey Stewart on Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 2:00pm. Her book, The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women's Magic, tells the stories of Negro Mammies of slavery, the Voodoo Queens and Blues Women of Reconstruction, and the Granny Midwives and textile weavers of the Jim Crow era.
kids
Gabby's Dollhouse Live! presented by Walmart comes to State Theatre 
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Gabby's Dollhouse Live! Presented by Walmart on Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 1:00pm & 4:00pm. This is a brand-new stage show inspired by the magical world of the global preschool sensation from DreamWorks Animation.
