James Vagias, photo by Michael Messing
(UNION, NJ) -- American Theater Group (ATG) will honor its outgoing co-founder and Producing Artistic Director James Vagias at its bi-annual Gala Benefit on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at the Union Arts Center. Vagias will retire this summer at the end of the 2025-26 Season. A successor will be named shortly.
“Jim is the heart and soul of ATG and no one is more deserving of this recognition,” noted ATG Board President Stephen Schnall. “He created an organization that values both the arts and artists, and created a company where new works were developed, older neglected works were reimagined, and creators and performers were nurtured and respected. He will be missed tremendously but we are confident that the firm foundation he established will allow American Theater Group to grow and flourish going forward.”
The Gala will run from 4:00pm-7:00pm and will feature an open bar, gourmet canapés and appetizers, and a silent auction. Many former ATG performers are returning to honor Vagias in video tributes and in live performances, including numbers from past ATG musicals such as The Bridges of Madison County, A Little Night Music, Parade, The Evolution of (Henry) Mann, Purlie and My Fair Lady.
Gala tickets are $125 each if purchased by March 31st and $150 after and are available for purchase online or by check remitted to: American Theater Group, and sent to: Victoria Duncker, Union Arts Center, 1980 Morris Ave, Union, NJ 07083.
James Vagias has been involved in the entertainment industry since 1983. A former attorney, Vagias founded American Theater Group in 2012 with industry professionals Joe Mancuso and Rick Sordelet. He has produced over 50 new and classic plays and musicals, including 19 world premieres, nine of which successfully transferred to Off-Broadway (such as I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Marry Harry, Himself and Nora and Swingtime Canteen).
In addition to having served on panels of the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshops, he has also served as the magic consultant for two Broadway productions. Vagias has taught courses on Theatre Management and Entertainment Law at Montclair State University, and has also been a guest lecturer at Rutgers, Kean University and the New School.
“Leading ATG has been the highlight of my career,” said Vagias. “Working with and nurturing talented artists has been an indescribable joy. I will also miss seeing our audiences' reactions to our productions and hearing their thoughts in the lobby after the curtain comes down. I have confidence that whomever ATG's dedicated Board chooses will continue to make the company a place where artists feel welcome and inspired to do their best work.”
ATG’s 2025-6 season has included critically acclaimed productions of Our Town, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play and My Fair Lady. Upcoming events include a presentation of a new work, The Unwitting Magician by Jeremy Dobrish, cabarets and community Juneteenth celebrations.
American Theater Group (ATG), founded in 2012, produces new and classic works primarily by American playwrights with an emphasis on the development of new works and the reimagining of undeservedly neglected older ones. It also provides quality arts-in-education initiatives, including its New Works/New Voices playwriting program for high school students and its PlayLab program for BIPOC and queer playwrights. ATG is currently in residence at the DMK Black Box Theater at the Union Arts Center, Hamilton Stage in Rahway and the Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge.
