(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department will present a student theatre production of The Whole Shebang, a one-act play by Rich Orloff, March 25-27, 2026. Directed by Adjunct Professor Emerita Danielle Barry of Bridgewater, the play will be staged in the Welpe Theatre at the College's Branchburg campus. Showtime is 7:00pm each night.
Orloff's The Whole Shebang is a charming, whimsical comedy that offers a delightful exploration of the universe and our place in it. It centers around a very sincere, very nervous graduate student who is defending his thesis to a faculty panel. Through the use of comedy, the playwright tackles humanity's greatest questions and mysteries—from the miracle of life itself on Earth to why humans simply refuse to quit.
Orloff's one-act piece won the Alexandria National One-Act Play Contest and subsequently played at Manhattan's Punchline Repertory, The New York Ensemble Theatre, and Circle Players. It aired on The General Motors Playwright's Theatre, where it was introduced by Lauren Bacall and starred Mark Linn-Baker, Teri Garr, Martin Mull, and Broadway legend Marian Seldes.
Technical direction of the RVCC student theatre production is by Dave Porter (Clinton) and Kenny Savoy (Piscataway), with stage management handled by director's assistant Kelly Deo (Califon). The cast includes theatre production students Said Belfield (North Plainfield), Jeremy Betros (Basking Ridge), Tyler Isherwood (Green Brook), Asher Lindsey (Hillsborough), Eva Toye (Pittstown), and Nazar Turchyn (North Plainfield).
Admission is free of charge, and the 45-minute performance features open seating. There is no intermission. For information, contact the RVCC Theatre Box Office, Monday-Friday, from 11:00am-4:00pm, or call 908-724-3420. The theater is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, New Jersey.
