(SOMERSET, NJ) -- Villagers Theatre presents [title of show] across two weekends from September 18-26, 2026. In this play by Hunter Bell, Jeff and Hunter, two struggling writers, hear about a new musical theatre festival. However, the deadline for submissions is a mere three weeks away.
With nothing to lose, the pair decides to try to create something new with the help of their friends Susan, Heidi and Larry on the eighty-eights. With the cast in place, Jeff and Hunter begin a conversation about what to write about. Eventually, Jeff suggests they write about what to write about. They make a pact to write up until the festival’s deadline and dream about the show changing their lives.
[title of show] — taken from the space on the festival’s application form which asks for the “[title of show]” — follows Hunter and Jeff and their friends on their journey through the gauntlet of creative self-expression. In the span of 90 minutes they write and perform their show at the festival and learn lessons about themselves as people, friends and artists.
[title of show] is, above all, a love letter to the musical theatre — a uniquely American art form — and to the joy of collaboration.
Peformances take place Friday, September 18 at 7:30pm; Saturday, September 19 at 7:30pm; Sunday, September 20 at 2:00pm; Thursday, September 24 at 7:30pm; Friday, September 25 at 7:30pm; and Saturday, September 26 at 7:30pm. Tickets are available for purchase online. Content Warning: Some strong language and mature, conversational adult themes. Suggested Age Range: 14+. The theater is located at 515 DeMott Lane in Somerset, New Jersey.
The cast includes Dominic Crisonino (Jeff), Brandon Luckenbaugh (Hunter), Juliana Leonardis (Heidi), and Ranai Jones (Susan).
The Production Team includes Director: Jess Kimberlin; Music Director: Christynn Cardino-Morris; Choreographer: Jaclyn Lenox; Stage Manager: Sarah Johnson; Costume Designer: Anna Espinoza; Sound Designer: Patrick Joyner; and Lighting Designer: Ian Clarke.
What sets Joanna Connor apart from the rest of the pack of guitar-playing female blues singers is her skill on the instrument. Even though Connor has become an accomplished singer over time, her first love was guitar playing, and it shows in her live shows and on her recordings.
Dubbed “The Villain of Broadway” by Playbill, Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winner Patrick Page (Hadestown) steps into the darkness and invites us along. In a tour-de-force performance, “one of America’s finest classical actors”(The Wall Street Journal) turns to the twisted motivations and hidden humanity at the heart of Shakespeare’s greatest villains, embodying Macbeth’s ruthless ambition, Iago’s seductive manipulation, Richard III’s gleeful cunning, Shylock’s fury, and more.
Dubbed “The Villain of Broadway” by Playbill, Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winner Patrick Page (Hadestown) steps into the darkness and invites us along. In a tour-de-force performance, “one of America’s finest classical actors”(The Wall Street Journal) turns to the twisted motivations and hidden humanity at the heart of Shakespeare’s greatest villains, embodying Macbeth’s ruthless ambition, Iago’s seductive manipulation, Richard III’s gleeful cunning, Shylock’s fury, and more.
A Special Event for Veterans & Family Members – The Final Days of Afghanistan
Direct from an acclaimed run at Edinburgh Fringe and two sold-out Off-Broadway engagements comes Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, a one-woman comedy show from the mind of Tony Award® winner Laura Benanti. Known for her dazzling Broadway performances and razor-sharp wit, Benanti takes the stage to share her hilarious, heartfelt, and sometimes brutally honest takes on motherhood, people pleasing and the joys of aging. Blending side-splitting storytelling with original songs, New York Times Critic's Pick Nobody Cares is a love letter to recovering people pleasers, mothers, and anybody working on themselves.
