Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 07/03/2026
(UNION, NJ) -- Kaleidoscope Kabaret (that's Kabaret with a K), The Theater Project's annual festival of live music and short comedic plays, will liven up the stage of DMK Black Box Theatre in Union Township's new Arts Center from July 24-26, 2026.
Members of The Theater Project’s Playwrights Workshop and a winner of its Young Playwrights Competition will put their skills on display for three performances in the company’s new summer home, located at 1980 Morris Avenue.
“We lovingly call Kaleidoscope Kabaret a vaudeville of new work,” said Mark Spina, artistic director of The Theater Project. “But it’s really a showcase for our community’s incredible theatrical talent. Our workshop members have produced their plays throughout the country, and our young playwrights are guiding us into the future.”
There will be two evening performances, at 7:30pm on Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25, and one matinee, at 2:00pm on Sunday, July 26. Tickets are $35 for general admission, $28 for senior citizens, and $20 for students. A discounted rate of $20 per tickets is available for groups of 10 or more. For further information and to order tickets, click here.
The following playwrights will take part in this year’s Kaleidoscope Kabaret:
* Natalie Boyd, Young Playwrights Competition winner, and a 2026 graduate of Park Ridge High School;
* Thomas M. Copeland, writer, actor, and producer based in Edgewater, currently working on a feature film in Michigan;
* Lynn Marie Macy, playwright-in-residence at Theater 2000 in Brooklyn, and contributor to the On Her Shoulders project which highlights the 1,000-year history and value of women's contribution to the theatrical canon;
* Rosemary Parrillo, a playwright and journalist, whose works have been staged at festivals and community theaters in the United States and Canada;
* Joseph Vitale, the author of many plays, including The Interpreter, produced by The Theater Project in 2024.
Kaleidoscope Kabaret 2026 is made possible in part by funds from the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and by the generosity of many sponsors and donors, especially Ms. Stephanie Fein.
Founded in 1994 and based in Union, The Theater Project introduces New Jersey audiences to new plays and supports rising playwrights and theater artists. It develops new audiences for theater by service to the community, providing programs for children, and using theater as a forum to address current issues.
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