Graphic by Yolanda Fundora
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage will bring a fresh format of theatre to the community on Friday, February 27, 2026. Crossroads on the Canvas is a Pop-Up show that will appear at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey in Summit for one night only. This unscripted story will be improvised by the Vivid company of actors while the audience joins them in one of the center's art studios.
Crossroads on the Canvas is created by playwright Phoebe Farber (Montclair). Welcome to the adult school beginner’s art class, where paintings may begin with oils and charcoal before entering a magical realm far beyond the canvas. In Crossroads on the Canvas, a diverse group of individuals gather to paint pivotal moments in their lives. Through the magic of theater, the artwork comes to life in improvised scenes that explore memory, choice, identity, and change—blending deep emotion, bold ideas, and subtle humor.
This is not improv comedy, but improv theater: a rich, vibrant, and immersive experience that reimagines what improvisation can be.
Directed by Dave Maulbeck (South Orange), the cast includes Vivid Stage ensemble members Harry Patrick Christian (Montclair), Laura Ekstrand (Livingston), Noreen Farley (Clinton), Dave Maulbeck (South Orange), Daria M. Sullivan (Lyndhurst) and Emaline Williams (Hackettstown). It also features guests Ciara Chanel (East Orange) and Eli Ganias (New York).
Crossroads on the Canvas will appear at the Visual Arts Center of NJ (68 Elm Street) in Summit, New Jersey on February 27 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $25 and are available for purchase online. The Visual Arts Center is wheelchair accessible.
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 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.
For 90 years, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey has been recognized as a leading arts institution in the tristate region, serving over 30,000 individuals each year. Comprised of a Studio School serving children, teens, and adults; a contemporary art museum; educational in-community programs serving K-12 schools; and art & healing programs in conjunction with health and social service organizations, the Art Center engages the community in visual learning, interpretive programs, and art-making experiences. Our facilities are easily accessible by car or train. Parking is available on site.
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.
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. We 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.
Vivid Stage, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey.
