Here's a look at the top 15 most read articles published on New Jersey Stage from April 5-11, 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 7 counties in New Jersey (Bergen, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, and Sussex).
The vast majority of articles at New Jersey Stage are written in-house, but we also accept press releases sent to [email protected]. These event preview articles get noticed when we first publish them and then get noticed again the week the event takes place. Our articles and event calendar web pages are picked up by search engines and resources like Google News. We also offer banner ad advertising prices for the arts. For information on advertising at NewJerseyStage.com, click here.
1) Events This Week in New Jersey from April 7-13, 2026 - Here is a look at upcoming events taking place from April 7-13, 2026 along with our featured listings. New Jersey Stage offers previews of events throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas.
2) Emerging Artists Theatre's Spark Theatre Festival NYC Celebrates 20th Anniversary - (NEW YORK, NY) -- Award-winning Emerging Artists Theatre (EAT) returns with their bi-annual Spark Theatre Festival NYC, on Monday, April 6 and runs until April 26, 2026 at The 28th Street Theatre (TADA). The three-week festival will showcase over 60 new works in progress, including musicals, plays, solo performances, storytelling, and dance. Theatre luminaries such as TV comedy icon Joyce Bulifant, Tony Award nominee Christopher Sieber, and Emmy Award winner Dorothy Lyman will take part in the Spring Spark Theatre Festival NYC.
3) New Jersey's Premier Film Expo Returns to East Rutherford April 30th - (EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ) -- On Thursday, April 30, 2026, the Screen Alliance of New Jersey (SANJ) will host its second NJ Film Expo at Meadowlands Arena in Rutherford. Building on the strong success of its inaugural year, the expo returns on an even larger scale with several panels, hundreds of vendors, live music and food trucks to showcase New Jersey's expanding role in film and television.
4) Algonquin Arts Announces New Concert Series - (MANASQUAN, NJ) -- Algonquin Arts Theatre is proud to announce its newly unveiled Concert Series, an exciting lineup of dynamic live performances spanning summer 2026 through spring 2027. Featuring everything from chart-topping tribute acts and nostalgic throwbacks to immersive theatrical concerts and special event programming, this series invites audiences to experience the power of live music, storytelling, and entertainment in an intimate Jersey Shore setting.
5) The The Band Band presents The Last Walz Celebration 50th Anniversary 2026 Tour at The Newton Theatre - (NEWTON, NJ) -- The The Band Band presents The Last Walz Celebration 50th Anniversary 2026 Tour at The Newton Theatre on Saturday, June 27, 2026. Doors are at 7:00pm; showtime is 8:00pm.
6) Loew's Jersey Theatre Unveils Vision for Revitalized Cultural Landmark, Including Official Renderings and New Venue Logo - (JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- The historic Loew's Jersey Theatre unveiled a first look at its future as a reimagined, multi-purpose cultural destination, releasing new architectural renderings and designs that highlight the venue's transformation into a year-round hub for entertainment.
7) Hitchcock Meets Hilarious: Bergen County Players presents "The 39 Steps" - (ORADELL, NJ) -- Fresh off being named the top live music or theater venue by 201 Magazine's "Best of Bergen" readers, Bergen County Players (BCP) invites audiences to brace themselves for a whirlwind of espionage and outrageous comedy with the Tony Award-winning The 39 Steps, which runs weekends from May 2-31, 2026. Directed by BCP life member Steve Bell, this breakneck adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film classic blends film noir suspense with Monty Python-style absurdity.
8) 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.
9) New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market Spring Fling Returns April 11–12 - (EDISON, NJ) -- The New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market Spring Fling returns to the New Jersey Expo Center in Edison, New Jersey, on Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12, 2026, bringing with it a two-day blowout of punk rock legends, hundreds of artists and makers, food trucks, live entertainment, tattoos, oddities, and community-driven fundraising on a scale that matches the event's outsized reputation.
10) Freehold Jewish Center presents NJ Premiere Reading of "The Silence of Our Friends" by Gary Morgenstein - (FREEHOLD, NJ) — The Freehold Jewish Center (Congregation Agudath Achim) will present the New Jersey premiere reading of award-winning playwright Gary Morgenstein's provocative new play The Silence of Our Friends on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at 2:00pm as a special fundraising event with all ticket proceeds going to the synagogue.
11) Award-Winning Rockland Jazz Composer Takes New Live Album to Paramus - (PARAMUS, NJ) -- Popular local jazz act The Peter Furlan Project host their New Jersey album release party for their freshly revealed Live At Maureen's Jazz Cellar at Bergen Community College's Ciccone Theater on Thursday, April 23, 2026. Showtime is 7:30pm.
12) Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites... 04/09/2026 - "It's not long enough but it's a pretty good run of shows. I haven't done a tour like this in about three years, even though it feels like yesterday, I haven't done a tour like this in a long time," laughed multi instrumentalist Hunter Hayes shortly before his two recent New Jersey shows at the Newton Theatre and The Stone Pony in Asbury Park. "I am thoroughly looking forward to it, I have been looking forward to doing a tour like this since "Evergreen" started coming together, you know, coming to life; "Evergreen" has been an eight to ten year process, depending on where you want to start, it's a pretty good run of shows and I'm really excited about it."
13) Ocean County Library Toms River Branch to Host 2026 Ocean County Children's Festival - (TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Celebrate early childhood with art, music, entertainment, and activities during the 2026 Ocean County Children's Festival, presented by the New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children (NJAEYC). The Ocean County Library Toms River Branch will host the event on Saturday, May 2, 2026 from 11:00am to 3:00pm.
14) Comedy Shows This Weekend: April 9-12, 2026 - Here's a look at comedy shows taking place across the state from April 9-12, 2026. New Jersey Stage compiles this list from comedy clubs, casinos, and performing arts centers. You can send information on shows to [email protected] for consideration in future columns.
15) Two Generations of Jazz: Pianist Caelan Cardello and Bassist Rufus Reid at April Jersey Jazz LIVE! - "I find it wonderfully satisfying and enjoyable to make music with Caelan. The evening will go like the wind, and it is unfortunate we have only one set, but there will be more opportunities. Don't be late!"
