Published by New Jersey Stage
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
Centenary Stage Company's Young Audience Series presents "Miss Nelson Is Missing" 
Performances will take place in the Little Theatre of the Centenary University campus located at 400 Jefferson St. Hackettstown, NJ, with one performance on Sunday, February 15 at 5:00 pm taking place in the Sitnik Theatre.
music
The Melancholy Kings release "UV" 
New Jersey rockers The Melancholy Kings kicked off 2026 with the single 'UV', a quasi-psychedelic musical journey drawing from Thomas Pynchon's novel "V", a post-modern homage that follows the enigmatic heroine V and the Whole Sick Crew, brought to life through crunchy guitar riffs, psychedelic keyboards, string interludes, a quasi-rap and a bacchanalian finale.
The Newton Theatre presents Lotus Land - American RUSH Tribute 
(NEWTON, NJ) -- With an unparalleled performance, The American RUSH Tribute Lotus Land brings the force of live Rush to life on stage. See for yourself when the band performs at The Newton Theatre on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 8:00pm.
Harmonium Choral Society's Broadway Cabaret Troupe presents "You Know This Song" 
(WHIPPANY, NJ) -- Harmonium Choral Society's Broadway Cabaret Troupe is presenting You Know This Song, a fabulous musical theatre fundraiser featuring songs you *almost certainly* know – and some you know well - on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 6:00pm at the Ukrainian American Cultural Center in Whippany. Snow date is Sunday, February 22nd at 4:00pm at the same location.
Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Anything at All" by Dave Vargo 
Asbury Park hero Dave Vargo will drop his fourth album, "Ghost Towns" on March 27.
The first single, "Anything at All," is the Makin Waves Song of the Week.
dance
NJPAC presents Tango After Dark 
(NEWARK, NJ) -- Tango After Dark is hot, hot, hot! International tango superstars and World Champions Germán Cornejo and Gisela Galeassi, along with a cast of eight dancers, bring the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) debut of Tango After Dark on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 7:30pm.
Ridgewood Student Awarded Performing Arts: Dance Scholarship from National Society of High School Scholars 
(RIDGEWOOD, NJ) -- Isabella Addison Peronne, a classical ballet dancer and member of the Kolotov Youth Ballet Company, was recently named a recipient of the Performing Arts: Dance Scholarship from National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), which recognizes students pursuing advanced studies in the performing arts.
art
Can Creativity Be Automated? Gallery 14C Says No. 
(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Gallery 14C presents Art (Official) Intelligence: The Human Hand in an Algorithmic World from February 19 – April 2, 2026. This is the culminating exhibition of the Project 14C 2025–2026 Artists-in-Residence program. Featuring work by the program's inaugural cohort, the exhibition brings together artists working across painting, sculpture, textiles, digital media, and performance to consider what it means to create at a moment when automation and machine-generated imagery increasingly shape visual culture.
Trenton City Museum presents "Trenton Makes Jazz" Exhibition 
(TRENTON, NJ) -- Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie presents Trenton Makes Jazz, a juried exhibition celebrating Trenton's jazz scene, past and present. The varied array of 80 works by 48 area artists is inspired by jazz music, musicians, venues, and audiences. Janis Purcell and Michael Richardson juried the show. Opening Friday, February 13th, the exhibition will remain on view through March 22, 2026 with several related events planned.
Gallery491 presents "Playing with Light and Color" 
(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Gallery491 presents Playing with Light and Color, a vibrant and imaginative exhibition by artist Bruce Rainier, from February 12 to April 24, 2026. In an age when technology evolves at astonishing speed—and when most of us carry the power of a studio in our pockets—Rainier embraces these tools with curiosity and joy. His work seamlessly blends photography with digital processes, creating images that honor two of art's timeless foundations: light and color.
community
Bergen County Revolutionary War Roundtable Series To Dive Into Naval Warfare Focused On The Hudson River 
(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- Bergen250, the Bergen County Division of Cultural & Historic Affairs, and the County of Bergen along with invite the public and media to attend the second of the Spring 2026 American Revolutionary War Roundtable Series on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 7:00pm at the Bergen County Administration Building's Learning Center (4th Floor, 1 Bergen County Plaza) in Hackensack.
