(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center in Summit, is excited to announce a season of new works and unique experiences in 2026-2027. The mainstage productions are all comedies that include a world premiere, a New Jersey premiere, and a workshop production. All of the plays are written by women, and explore life from birth to the golden years and everything in between with humor and heart. The rest of the season is alive with improv, variety, readings, and always some surprises.
At the same time, a full season of Improv classes for adults is offered all year long. Vivid also offers improv training for corporations and non-profit organizations in such subjects as teambuilding, creativity and communication.
VIVID STAGE 2026-2027 SEASON:
THE FLIP SIDE @ THE MADISON COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER (Improv Comedy) September 5 & November 7, 2026; January 2, March 6, May 8, July 10, 2027. Based on improv techniques created by The Groundlings, Upright Citizens' Brigade and The Magnet, The Flip Side offers a unique spin on short-form improv, taking audience input to create instant scenes that are both unexpected and hilarious. No two shows are alike, and the most important ingredient in every show is the audience.
B.I.N.G.O., or BRITTNEY ISLE’S NICE GERIATRIC ORGY by Erin Mallon @ OAKES CENTER (A Workshop Production) from October 8-18, 2026. Barb desperately needs friends. That’s why she moved to this 55+ community in the first place. So what better way to meet new people than to join a good old-fashioned Bingo Night? When Bingo Night turns into a full-blown orgy, Barb must decide: does she stay in her safe, predictable world? Or does she play a new game of chance and truly live before it’s too late?
A VERY SPECIAL SPECIAL @ OAKES CENTER (Holiday Variety Show) on December 12, 2026. The least serious - but most special - way to celebrate the holidays is back, and better than ever! The Vivid Company and their friends will entertain with holiday songs, comic sketches and improv, and lots of good old-fashioned fun.
LIFE EXPECTANCY by Catherine Butterfield @ OAKES CENTER (A New Jersey Premiere) from February 18-28, 2027. A not-so-young couple, after extraordinary measures involving turkey basters, hormones, meditation and in vitro insemination, finally become pregnant. In this six-actor, 40-character whirlwind, we experience the couple’s dreams, their doctors, their friends, their fears, and their fantasies as they navigate those nine crazy months.
IT’S YOU by Laura Ekstrand @ OAKES CENTER (A World Premiere Production) from April 8 -18, 2027. Lily and Greg are living a demanding life in the city, coping with expenses, jobs and raising their two kids. What they’ve forgotten is how to make each other happy. As they bump into other people on their own paths to happiness, they find clues that lead them to remember how to truly connect. Two actors play all the roles in this odyssey about destiny, love and finding your soulmate.
MEET THE ARTIST @ SUMMIT COMMUNITY CENTER (New Play Readings) May 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2027. The new play reading series is a chance for the audience to participate in the development of new works, both to hear the plays read by professional actors and also to discuss the projects with the playwright, director and actors afterward. There will be an opportunity for the audience to provide feedback to the team after every performance.
SUMMER SOLOS @ VISUAL ARTS CENTER OF NEW JERSEY (Weekly Play Readings) July 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2027. In its fourteenth year, the series provides audiences with an opportunity for entertainment at an affordable price, while also introducing them to highly personal works performed in an intimate setting by professional actors.
OTHER PROGRAMS: Vivid Studio provides a variety of classes for adults, from a full improv comedy training program to classes in script analysis, creativity and storytelling. These classes are a way for grownups to return to the curiosity and playfulness of childhood, while freeing the full range of their creative abilities.
Throughout the year, Vivid Stage offers internships for high school and college students and many volunteer opportunities. In addition, the theatre provides a menu of outreach programs for students and seniors that travel to other venues. All of Vivid’s activities center on the collaborative nature of theatre and creating a comfortable environment for artists and audiences of all ages to explore and grow together.
The company’s work is supported by grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Summit Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, the Union County HEART program, and several other private, corporate and individual donors that believe in the power of the arts to bring people together and promote understanding between them.
TICKET INFORMATION: Season passes may be purchased that provide substantial discounts to all events, and special rates for groups are also available. The theatre at Oakes Center is wheelchair accessible, and such access services as large print scripts, assistive listening devices, and audio description will be available by prior arrangement throughout the season. Unless otherwise specified, performances will be held at Oakes Center, 120 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901. For more information and tickets for any of Vivid Stage’s programs, please call 908-514-9654, and visit www.vividstage.org.
Vivid Stage was founded in 1994 as Dreamcatcher Rep, and is a non-profit professional ensemble of actors who build community with the audience by sharing contemporary, life-affirming stories that challenge, energize and entertain. Their work has at its heart a belief in the essential goodness of people and the power of live performance to connect people through our shared humanity. They expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their own with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. They deepen the experience of all their patrons with personal contact through receptions, talkbacks, and interactive programs.
The company’s activities include mainstage productions, improvisational comedy and cabarets, new play readings, works in a variety of media, and a menu of educational and senior outreach programs.
Vivid Stage’s programs are funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, the Shubert and Summit Foundations and many other corporations, foundations and individuals. Vivid Stage is an Equity Producing member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
Vivid Stage, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey
