Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 05/12/2026
(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage presents PLAYFEST across two weekends from May 14-24, 2026. PLAYFEST contains staged readings, works-in-progress, workshop performances, and magic! Best of all, tickets are FREE!
The first weekend includes a reading and conversation with Red Wine in a Whiskey Glass; a solo performance of Hold These Truths; and the opening of a visual art installation.
Red Wine in a Whiskey Glass by Matt Monaco - In a bar at the edge of nowhere, two strangers are drawn into an inescapable reckoning. The new play and talkback takes place Thursday, May 14 at 7:30pm and Sunday, May 17 at 5:00pm. It will be performed by Matt Monaco, Kat Tyler, and Drew Hirshfield.
Hold These Truths by Jeanne Sakata - In Seattle during World War II, University of Washington student Gordon Hirabayashi agonizes over US government orders to forcibly remove and mass incarcerate all people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast without due process of law. As he fights to reconcile his country's betrayal with his passionate belief in the U.S. Constitution, Gordon journeys toward a greater understanding of America's triumps - and a confrontation with its failure. Hold These Truths will be performed on Friday, May 15 at 8:00pm; Saturday, May 16 at 5:00pm; and Sunday, May 17 at 3:00pm. It is a solo performance by Joel de la Fuente.
And on Saturday, May 16 at 3:00pm, the official opening of an art exhibition by Jane Sayer will take place. She is Luna's resident graphic designer.
The second weekend includes scenes from Pyretown and a process conversation plus performances of The Unwitting Magician.
Scenes from Pyretown by John Belluso - After exploring in rehearsal over several months, two actors and a director share scenes from the first act of Pyretown and reflect on their process. This is a workshop performance and conversation with actors Byron Hagan and Monica Ross, and director Nathan Darrow. Performances take place Thursday, May 21 at 7:30pm; Saturday, May 23 at 5:00pm; and Sunday, May 24 at 3:00pm.
The Unwitting Magician by Jeremy Dobrish - An actor opens a sealed envelope, reads a script they have never seen before, and discovers, alongside the audience, that they are somehow performing impossible magic. It will be performed by Adrian Baidoo on Friday, May 22 at 8:00pm; by Lucas Pinner on Saturday, May 23 at 3:00pm; and by Lisa VillaMil on Sunday, May 24 at 5:00pm.
Tickets may be reserved online. The theater is located at 555 Valley Road in West Orange, New Jersey.
Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences. This summer, Luna’s commissioned world premiere RIFT by Gabriel Jason Dean made its international debut at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre where it was honored with the 2025 Scotsman Fringe First Award. Other Luna world premieres include Tony Award-winner Matthew Lopez’s breakout play The Whipping Man, which became one of the most widely-produced plays in the United States; Jenny Lyn Bader’s Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, which had two extended runs Off-Broadway in the 2024-2025 season; three premieres by Obie-winner Nikkole Salter; and the Luna-commissioned The Ground On Which We Stand, which received the 2024 Giles R. Wright Designation for Excellence in African American History.
The company has served as an arts anchor of New Jersey’s Valley Arts neighborhood, a traditionally-underserved region bridging the townships of Orange and West Orange. Luna received the JerseyArts People’s Choice Award for Favorite Small Theatre in New Jersey, and is dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation and nurturing the next generation of audiences and artists.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Middlesex County Plays-in-the-Park to Host Auditions for "Curious George: The Golden Meatball" on August 12th
(EDISON, NJ) -- Middlesex County's Plays-in-the-Park is holding auditions for its fall 2026 children's production of Curious George: The Golden Meatball on Wednesday, August 12, at 6:00pm at the Stephen J. Capestro Theatre located inside Roosevelt Park in Edison. Everyone's favorite mischievous monkey and his friend in the yellow hat sing and dance up a storm in this adventure-filled musical.
Music Mountain Theatre presents "Alice By Heart"
(LAMBERTVILLE, NJ) -- Music Mountain Theatre presents Alice By Heart with three performances from August 12-13, 2026. From the Tony and Grammy Award-winning creators of Spring Awakening (Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik) and co-written by Jessie Nelson (Waitress) this is a touching musical inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Chimera Productions presents "Job" at Paul Robeson Center for the Arts
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- New Jersey-based theater company Chimera Productions will present its 17th production, Job by Max Wolf Friedlich, from August 13-15, 2026 at 8:00pm each night. The play, presented in the intimate 60-seat theater inside Princeton's Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, is a psychological thriller that offers a sharp, darkly funny, and unsettling examination of our addiction to work, the internet, the cost of modern life, and what we're willing to sacrifice to belong.
Masquerade Theatre presents "Myths, Legends & Folklore Showcase"
(RIVERSIDE, NJ) -- Masquerade Theatre presents Myths, Legends & Folklore Showcase with performances on Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 8:00pm each night.
Asbury Park Theater Company to Hold Open Auditions for "The Wolves" by Sarah DeLappe
(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Asbury Park Theater Company (APTCo) has announced that its first mainstage production under newly appointed Producing Artistic Director Nate Patten will be The Wolves, Sarah DeLappe's Pulitzer Prize finalist play that has captivated audiences across the country with its sharp wit, emotional honesty, and unforgettable portrait of young women finding their voices.
Ferrell Studios Community Theatre presents "Merrily We Roll Along"
(METUCHEN, NJ) -- Ferrell Studios Community Theatre, a nonprofit theatre organization serving Central New Jersey, announces its upcoming production of Merrily We Roll Along, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The production will close the company's 2025-26 season, themed "Our Time," with five performances at St. Luke's Episcopal Church Auditorium in Metuchen, NJ from August 20-23, 2026.
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey presents Rogue Shakespeare with "The Merry Wives of Windsor"
(MADISON, NJ) -- This August, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) invites audiences to experience Shakespeare the way it was meant to be — immediate and gloriously bold — with Rogue Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor, running August 14-23, 2026 at the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre on the campus of Drew University.
Main Street Theatre Company presents "Pippin"
(OLD BRIDGE, NJ) -- Main Street Theatre Company presents the musical, Pippin, across two weekends from August 15-23, 2026. There's magic to do when a prince learns the true meaning of glory, love and war in Stephen Schwartz's iconic and unforgettable musical masterpiece.
Center Drama presents "Grease"
(DEAL, NJ) -- Center Drama presents the classic musical, Grease, from August 13-23, 2026 at the JCC Performing Arts Center in Deal. With a hip-shaking rock 'n' roll score featuring hits like "Summer Nights" and "We Go Together," Grease celebrates Rydell High's class of 1959 in all their duck-tailed, bobby-soxed, gum-snapping glory.
Spring Lake Theatre presents "Bye Bye Birdie"
(SPRING LAKE, NJ) -- Spring Lake Theatre presents Bye Bye Birdie from August 12-16, August 20-23, 2026. Teenagers, rock & roll and national television – this musical captures the energy and excitement of the late 1950s with warmth, hilarity and an exuberant score.
FEATURED EVENTS
