originally published: 03/30/2026
Artwork by Erin Sabat
(NUTLEY, NJ) -- Nutley Little Theatre presents True West by Sam Shepard across three weekends from April 10-25, 2026. This American classic explores alternatives that might spring from the demented terrain of the California landscape.
Sons of a desert-dwelling alcoholic and a suburban wanderer clash over a film script. Austin, the achiever, is working on a script he has sold to producer Sal Kimmer when Lee, a demented petty thief, drops in. He pitches his own idea for a movie to Kimmer, who then wants Austin to junk his bleak, modern love story and write Lee's trashy Western tale.
Directed by John Fraissinet, the cast includes Dalton Gorden (Lee), Nick Westemeyer (Austin), Joe Paul (Saul), and Donna Fraissinet (Mom). The Stage Manager is Jennifer Elizabeth-Cooper.
Performances take place April 10, 11, 17, 18, 23, 24 & 25 at 8:00pm; and April 12, 19 & 25th at 2:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase online. The theater is located at 47 Erie Place in Nutley, New Jersey.
Please note, this show is not suitable for children.
Tickets will also be available at the Box Office. The Box office opens 30 minutes before show time. Note: They only accept cash, Venmo and PayPal at the Box Office.
Doors open a half hour before show time. Please note, seating is not assigned. Seating is on a first come first serve basis.
Refunds: If you purchased tickets ahead of time online, but are looking for a refund or exchange, please refer to your email confirmation from CUR8 and follow those instructions. If you cannot locate that email, please call CUR8 customer service as NLT cannot issue the refund or exchange. CUR8 can issue exchanges and refunds up until 1 hour before showtime as per their policy.
Please note, the theater is NOT handicap accessible.
No outside food or drinks will be permitted.
Parking: There is a small parking lot right outside of the theater. Our traffic volunteers will hold these parking spots for elderly or pregnant patrons. There is a parking lot located at the school across the street. You may also park on either side of Brookfield Ave. Please note, parking is NOT permitted on Erie Place.
True West premiered at the Magic Theatre in San Franciso on July 10, 1980. Directed by Robert Woodruff, this initial production starred Peter Coyote as Austin, Jim Haynie as Lee, Tom Dahlgren as Saul Kimmer and Carol McElheney as Mom. It later premiered off-Broadway at The Public Theater on December 23, 1980. Directed again by Woodruff, this version featured Tommy Lee Jones and Peter Boyle. The show would go on to many more off-Broadway, Broadway and West End productions over the decades, with star-studded runs as Gary Sinise with John Malkovich, Philip Seymour Hoffman with John C. Reilly, and Ethan Hawk with Paul Dano.
Sam Shepard (1943-2017)’s first New York plays, Cowboys and The Rock Garden, were produced by Theatre Genesis in 1964. For several seasons, he worked with off-off-Broadway theatre groups including La MaMa and Caffe Cino. Eleven of his plays won Obie Awards, including Chicago, The Tooth of the Crime and Curse of the Starving Class. Other award-winning plays include Fool for Love, True West, A Lie of the Mind, and Buried Child, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1979.
In 1986, Shepard was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters and he received the Gold Medal for Drama from the Academy in 1992. He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame two years later. As a writer and director, he filmed Far North and Silent Tongue. As an actor, he appeared in numerous films, including The Right Stuff, Days of Heaven and Resurrection. His final works of prose, The One Inside and Spy of the First Person, were published in 2017, the year of his death.
For 90 years, Nutley Little Theatre has been producing high quality theatrical entertainment for the enjoyment of Nutley residents and surrounding communities. Started in 1934, NLT prides itself on providing a range of live theater: the all-volunteer organization presents six mainstage shows per year, showcasing a range of genres including musicals, comedies, and drama. It also offers free Readers’ Theatre performances, special events, and creative workshops that bring people together from all walks of life from in and around Nutley.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Be Amazed by the Golden Age of Radio at the Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Return to the era when families gathered around the wireless set for "theater of the imagination." The Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library will host a live presentation by WREP: When Radio Entertained People on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. A trivia game will take place before the show at 6:30pm. The performance will begin at 7:00pm. Join them for an evening "broadcast" of skits from the Golden Age of radio, performed live by WREP's veteran actors.
Centenary Stage Company's Women Playwrights Series presents "Not It!" by Kathleen Coudle-King
(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company brings its acclaimed Women Playwrights Series to a powerful close on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 7:00pm with a staged reading of Not It! by playwright Kathleen Coudle-King. The performance will take place in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the campus of Centenary University. Admission is free, with donations welcomed.
RVCC to Present Student Theatre Production of "The Wolves"
(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department will present The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, April 15-17, 2026 at 7:00pm each night The performances, which are free of charge and open to the public, will be held in the Welpe Theatre at the College's Branchburg campus.
Bridgewater-Raritan High School Theatre Arts presents "Little Shop of Horrors"
(BRIDGEWATER, NJ) -- Bridgewater-Raritan High School Theatre Arts presents Little Shop of Horrors from April 16–18, 2026, in the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Auditorium. This cult-favorite musical comedy features a book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken, and tells the delightfully dark story of a shy flower shop assistant who discovers a mysterious plant with an insatiable appetite.
Kean University Theatre Department presents "The Bald Soprano" by Eugène Ionesco
(UNION, NJ) -- Kean University Theatre Department presents The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco from April 10-18, 2026 in the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center. Has your day-to-day life begun to feel like some surreal hallucination?
NJIT's Theatre Arts and Technology Program presents "Curtains"
(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Institute of Technology's Theatre Arts and Technology Program presents the musical comedy, Curtains, from April 16-18, 2026 in the Jim Wise Theater.
County College of Morris presents "Yankee Doodle Dandy"
(RANDOLPH, NJ) -- As the nation commemorates the Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, County College of Morris (CCM) invites theatergoers to be entertained and experience the life of American composer, playwright, actor, producer and showman George M. Cohan, in the high-energy musical Yankee Doodle Dandy. Presented by the Marielaine Mammon School of Music, Performing Arts, and Music Technologies, performances will take place on Wednesday through Saturday, April 15–18, 2026 at 7:30pm in Dragonetti Auditorium.
Villagers Theatre presents "The Cottage" by Sandy Rustin
(SOMERSET, NJ) -- Villagers Theatre presents The Cottage by Sandy Rustin across two weekends from April 10-19, 2026. This a romantic and (not quite) murderous comedy of manners. Fate, identity and marriage are called into question as a surprising, hilarious web of secrets unravels.
Gateway Playhouse To Hold Auditions For The Classic Musical Comedy "Guys And Dolls" on April 18th and April 22nd
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse will hold auditions for Frank Loesser's Tony Award-winning musical comedy Guys and Dolls on April 18 and April 22, 2026. Anyone age 16 and older, with any theatrical background or experience, is welcome to try out for this much-adored show. No appointments are necessary; all roles are open. Phil Pallitto, artistic director of the Gateway, will direct the musical.
Literature to Life Announces Second Series of Books Unite, Free Community Events in Paterson Supported by NJEDA A.R.T. Phase II Grant
(PATERSON, NJ) -- Literature to Life (LTL) has announced their second series of Books Unite: Literature to Life in Paterson, consisting of a book club, two live performances, and an interactive workshop all centered around The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Crossroads Theatre Company: Genesis Festival - "The Gypsy Code: A Love Letter to New York"Friday, April 10, 2026 @ 7:00pmNew Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) New Brunswick, NJ
