Here's a look at the top 15 most read articles published on New Jersey Stage from April 12-18, 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 9 counties in New Jersey (Atlantic, Bergen, Cumberland, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, and Union).
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) McCarter Theatre Center presents "Mrs. Christie" - a new comedy-mystery by Heidi Armbruster. (PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center presents Mrs. Christie, a witty new comedy-mystery by Heidi Armbruster, from May 6–31, 2026. The production is directed by BOLD Associate Artistic Director Donya K. Washington in her McCarter directorial debut.
2) Rock the Foundation Returns to the Westfield Armory April 18th to Support Housing for Veterans in Need. (WESTFIELD, NJ) -- On Saturday, April 18, 2026, the Foundation for Sustainable Veteran Housing (FSVH) will host its annual Rock the Foundation benefit concert at the Westfield Armory from 6:00pm to 10:30pm. This signature event brings together music, community, and purpose to support veterans in need of safe, stable housing.
3) McCarter Theatre Center presents performances by John Malkovich in "The Music Critic" and The Improvised Shakespeare Company. (PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center presents a weekend of comedy and theatrical invention with John Malkovich in The Music Critic on Saturday, April 17 in the Matthews Theatre, and The Improvised Shakespeare Company® for three performances April 16–17, 2026 in the Berlind Theatre.
4) Landis Rock Fest 2026 to Take Place Saturday. (VINELAND, NJ) -- The Landis Rock Fest 2026 takes place Saturday, April 18th at The Landis Theater in Vineland. Get ready for a full night of original music, hard-hitting rock, and nonstop energy. Showtime is 7:00pm.
5) "Petals, Dust, & Distant Eyes" - Works by Tafy LaPlanche on Display in Englewood. (ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- Petals, Dust, & Distant Eyes is a series of portraits by Tafy LaPlanche inspired by fleeting encounters during her travels. They will be on display at buds & blooms in Englewood from May 2-29, 2026.
6) Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival to Take Place April 19th. (MANAYUNK, PA) -- The largest food event in Philadelphia - and one of the largest food truck festivals in America - is back and bigger than ever! StrEAT Food Festival returns to Manayunk on Sunday, April 19, 2026, from 11:00am to 5:00pm. Over 85+ of the region's top food trucks and food vendors will line historic Main Street for the day, serving up menus that range from savory BBQ and global street food to decadent desserts and sweet treats.
7) The 17th annual Elephant Talk Indie Music festival Takes Place This Weekend in AC. (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- The 17th annual Elephant Talk Indie Music Festival will take place at Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City from April 17-19, 2026. The festival features performances from over 70 acts.
8) 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.
9) Events This Week in New Jersey from April 14-20, 2026. Here is a look at upcoming events taking place from April 14-20, 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.
10) The Growing Stage presents their 2026 New Play-Reading Festival. (NETCONG, NJ) -- The Growing Stage presents their 2026 New Play-Reading Festival from April 23-25, 2026 at The Historic Palace Theatre. The festival presents four unpublished and unproduced Theatre for Young Audiences scripts. This year features works by Samara Siskind, Martin Follose, Grace Ward & Elke Myers, and Jeff Jenkins.
11) Jam-Packed Lineup Revealed for the 10th Montclair Literary Festival. (MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- The Montclair Literary Festival has unveiled an exciting, jam-packed lineup of authors for its 10th anniversary, taking place from May 2-11, 2026. Spanning 10 days, the festival will feature more than 60 authors in over 30 events, with the majority free for all attendees.
12) Lighty's Corner: April 13, 2026. A DJ-run radio program/column spotlighting new rock music by mostly indie artists. I’m one of those guys who hates it when people say that rock and roll is dead... I disagree when people say that there's no good new music being released today. I actually think there may be more good music now than ever, but it can be harder to find due to corporate radio stations and online algorithms. Since we get a ton of new music sent to us at New Jersey Stage each week, I decided to try something new - a recorded DJ hosted radio show and a column spotlighting new works. The plan is to have a new one every two weeks.
13) New Jersey Symphony presents Star Wars: The Last Jedi in Concert. (NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Symphony presents Star Wars: The Last Jedi in Concert with legendary composer John Williams' GRAMMY®-nominated score performed live to the film. Led by conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos, performances take place May 29-31 in Red Bank, Newark, and New Brunswick.
14) New Jersey Youth Symphony Presents "Voices of the North: Nordic & Baltic Soundscapes" featuring 2026 Concerto Competition Winner Mason Chu. (NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), a program of Wharton Arts, presents its signature spring concert, Voices of the North: Nordic & Baltic Soundscapes, on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at the Nicholas Music Center at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Showtime is 7:00pm.
15) "1776" at Paper Mill Playhouse is Outstanding. There are many celebrations setting up to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse joins in as they present the Tony Award winning show 1776. This is a perfect pick for the occasion because the show takes us back to the days of the Second Continental Congress as they write and approve the Declaration of Independence. Our school textbooks rarely went into any depth about what was going on inside the meeting room. This musical gives you an idea of what might have occurred as the human side of the events are presented.
