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
Stony Hill Players presents "Rehearsal for Murder" 
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Stony Hill Players presents Rehearsal for Murder from March 5-8, 2026 at The Oakes Center. This is an exhilarating mystery by the creators and writers of Murder She Wrote and Columbo which will leave you guessing who did it all the way through to the end!
music
Music at Bunker Hill presents David Kim on March 15th 
(SEWELL, NJ) -- Music at Bunker Hill presents David Kim for his third appearance on the 18 year old concert series. Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, is joined by Burchard Tang, viola, and Priscilla Lee, cello, also members of the orchestra, in a concert on Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 3:00pm. Concert selections include Serenade for String Trio by Dohnanyi, Passacaglia by Handel (Halvorsen) with Kim and Tang, and String Trio in C minor, Op. 9, No. 3 by Beethoven. The concert will be presented without intermission.
Laptop releases "Xanadu" from Upcoming Album "On This Planet" 
NYC alternative pop outfit Laptop has released "Xanadu", the latest offering from their forthcoming album "On This Planet", which starts out sounding like a love song, but slowly reveals itself as something darker.
comedy
Comedian Nate Bargatze to Perform at the Prudential Center on August 8th 
(NEWARK, NJ) -- Coming off record setting tours in 2024 and 2025, comedian Nate Bargatze is bringing his 2026 Big Dumb Eyes World Tour across North America. The tour comes to the Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday, August 8, 2026.
film
New Release Review - "Send Help" 
With Send Help, screenwriters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift have taken the basic setup of Lina Wertmuller's Swept Away (and its awful Madonna-starring, Guy Ritchie directed remake) and given it a gender swap. Here it's a lowly female employee who finds herself stranded on a desert island with her male boss. Much of Send Help explores the same class and sexual tensions as Wertmuller's film, but with Sam Raimi in the director's chair we know things are going to get a little crazy at some point. And, boy, do they!
By popular demand Freeing Juanita returns to the 2026 New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, February 20! 
Freeing Juanita, directed by Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers, is not the kind of documentary you watch and walk away from unchanged. It stays with you long after the credits roll. At its heart, this is a film about one woman, wrongfully imprisoned. But as you watch it unfold, you realize it’s also about so much more: a broken immigration system, the erasure of Indigenous voices, and the extraordinary strength of family and community.
New Release Review - "The Secret Agent" 
With Summer of Sam, Spike Lee suggested that in 1977 there was nowhere crazier than New York. With The Secret Agent, Kleber Mendonça Filho asks Lee to hold his beer. If you thought '77 NYC was something, wait till you experience the Brazil of that year. In opening text, Mendonça Filho describes that era in his nation's troubled history as "a time of great mischief," and The Secret Agent is a gleefully mischievous movie. Like several recent high profile South American films, including last year's Brazilian drama I'm Still Here, it is concerned with the corruption that was rife under the military dictatorship. But just as Lee did for the bankruptcy era Big Apple, Mendonça Filho displays a fond nostalgia for the energy that can be created by dangerous times. There is much in The Secret Agent that is shocking, and it reminds us of the evil that is allowed to flourish in corrupt societies, but it's also heart-poundingly thrilling.
dance
Pilobolus Returns to NJPAC with a Groundbreaking New Performance on February 28th 
(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents a mesmerizing evening of dance and artistry as the world-renowned Pilobolus returns to its stage with their latest creation, Other Worlds Collection. The performance takes place on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 8:00pm, promising an unforgettable journey into the extraordinary.
art
Pro Arts Jersey City presents Stepping Up 3 
(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Pro Arts Jersey City presents Stepping Up 3 from February 15 through March 6, 2026 in the ART150 Gallery. The exhibition is curated by Guillermo Bublik. Pro Arts is showing gratitude to its wonderful volunteers by putting on an exhibition of their art!
community
Monmouth County Park System to Release Summer Camps Edition of its "Parks & Programs Guide" 
(LINCROFT, NJ) -- Summer camp season is closer than you think! Want to make it one that your children will always remember? Send them to camp with the Monmouth County Park System for an unforgettable experience! Accredited by the American Camp Association, the Park System offers numerous summer camps tailored to different ages and interests including nature, sports, art, theater and more.
Ocean County College and Kean Ocean to Host 4th Annual Environmental Science Technical Conference on March 26th 
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Ocean County College and Kean Ocean will host the 4th annual Environmental Science Technical Conference on Thursday, March 26, 2026, bringing students together with industry professionals to learn about educational and career opportunities in the field of environmental science.
Top 15 Most Read Stories At New Jersey Stage from February 8-15, 2026 
Here's a look at the top 15 most read articles published on New Jersey Stage from Febuary 8-15, 2026. Each week we publish at least 70 articles, including original columns and features, promoting events and covering arts news taking place throughout the state and nearby areas like Philadelphia and New York City. This week's top 15 includes articles from 8 counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Cumberland, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean).
