Here's a look at the top 15 most read articles published on New Jersey Stage from August 23-29, 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 10 counties in New Jersey (Bergen, Camden, Cape May, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Middlesex, Morris, Ocean, and Passaic).
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1) Todd Rundgren LIVE! at Ocean City Music Pier - Spotlight Central and Love Imagery have photos and a recap of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Todd Rundgren performing at Ocean City Music Pier on August 11, 2026.
2) 2 Free Filmmaking Workshops at the Fall 2026 New Jersey Film Festival! - The New Jersey Film Festival will be offering two filmmaking workshops this Fall. These workshops are FREE and open to the public, but they have limited seating and require advance registration. To register email the Festival at [email protected]. Registration is first come first served. LOCATION: Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
3) Haddon Township presents the Summer of Love Music Festival on August 29th - (HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- Haddon Township invites residents and visitors to celebrate the sounds of three unforgettable decades at the Summer of Love 60's-70's-80's Music Festival on Saturday, August 29, 2026 from 2:00pm to 10:00pm. The festival will take place along Haddon Avenue between Strawbridge Avenue and Cooper Street.
4) Amazing animation Spheres screens at the New Jersey Film Festival on September 6th! - Connecting the past with the future, Spheres forces you to exist in the now. Director Martin Gerigk is considered to be one of Germany’s greatest symphonists, with many of his compositions being performed and critically acclaimed all over the globe. Over the past decade, he has been exploring and creating through an audio-visual medium. Starting in 2016 with the film adaptation of Gerigk’s Structures of Nature ensemble piece, Gergik has released several more films including Haiku (2022) and Night Ride from LA (2023).
5) Newark Symphony Hall Announces Africa on Stage, a Month-Long Celebration of African Arts and Culture - (NEWARK, NJ) -- Newark Symphony Hall presents Africa on Stage, a month-long celebration of African and diaspora arts, culture, and education throughout October 2026 as a centerpiece of the venue's Centennial programming. Spanning four weeks, the festival transforms the Hall's campus into a gathering place for film, fashion, beauty, live music, and community learning, culminating in FELA! The Concert, a one-night-only performance in the historic Sarah Vaughan Concert Hall on Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 7:00pm.
6) Passaic County Board of County Commissioners Awards Nearly $100,000 in America 250 Mini-Grants to Support Community Celebrations - (PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ) -- The Passaic County Board of County Commissioners has awarded $97,400 in 250th Mini-Grants to 10 organizations across the county. Funding a slate of festivals, exhibitions, research and public educational programs that will mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.
7) Jersey City Theater Company Announces 2026-27 Season at White Eagle Hall - (JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) has announced the fall lineup of its 2026–27 Season at historic White Eagle Hall, bringing cutting-edge theatre, dance and music from Jersey City and around the world together on one stage.
8) Indie Mystery-Thriller Your Lips Never Left Mine opens the New Jersey Film Festival! - There is an unsettling feeling throughout Your Lips Never Left Mine that makes almost everything happening onscreen feel questionable. Written and directed by Matthew Kozlark, the indie mystery-thriller follows Lara, played by Cassandra Due, a young woman who takes a job tutoring Connor, played by Theodore Dalton, the son of a wealthy finance couple at their secluded summer lake house. What begins as a seemingly normal summer job quickly becomes more complicated as Lara realizes there is much more to this family than they are willing to reveal. The film slowly uncovers pieces of their past, creating a mystery filled with unexpected twists that keep the audience questioning who can actually be trusted.
9) NJPAC presents comedian Justin Silva on November 7th - (NEWARK, NJ) -- Get ready for a night of big laughs when rising comedy star Justin Silva brings his high-energy storytelling and viral comedy to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) on Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 7:00pm. The performance will take place in the Victoria Theater on the Lizzie & Jonathan Tisch Stage.
10) Events This Week in New Jersey from August 25-31, 2026 - Here is a look at upcoming events taking place from August 25-31, 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.
11) Olympic Champion Laurie Hernandez Kicks Off 2026-27 Blauvelt Speaker Series at OCC's Grunin Center for the Arts - (TOMS RIVER, NJ) — The Ocean County College Foundation's Blauvelt Speaker Series kicks off its 2026-27 season with "A Conversation with Laurie Hernandez" on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts on the Ocean County College campus in Toms River. The event begins at 6:00pm.
12) Rowan University Museum of Contemporary Art presents Diane Burko: Extraction, A Dialogue of Extremes - (GLASSBORO, NJ) -- The Rowan University Museum of Contemporary Art (RUMOCA) presents Diane Burko: Extraction, A Dialogue of Extremes, a multimedia exhibition on view from August 24 through October 17, 2026 at RUMOCA's 301 High Street W. Gallery.
13) Italian experimental short Under The Skin screens at the New Jersey Film Festival on September 6! - Trauma always has a tendency to stick, or for some, stay under their skin. The past can be brought up in ways we may not expect it to. For some, love (good or bad) is one of those traumas that linger. Sotto la Pelle(Under The Skin) is a short film that shows how easily, and how simply, trauma can be brought back into someone’s life.
14) ArtHouse Film Festival Returns in September - (CHATHAM, NJ) -- Featuring some of the best soon-to-be-released movies from around the world, Arthouse Film Festival will unspool for ten weeks beginning September 14, 2026 at Chatham Hickory Cinema. The selected films comprise award winners from Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, Telluride, Venice and SXSW film festivals, along with prestige studio films, screened in Chatham before their New York theatrical release dates.
15) Celebrate 27 Years of Oktoberfest in Leonia on September 26th - (LEONIA, NJ) -- The Rotary Club of the Palisades invites the community to celebrate the 27th Annual Leonia Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 3:00pm to 10:00pm at Wood Park in Leonia. Enjoy a fun-filled day of live music, beer, dancing, entertainment, crafts, face painting, Dolly the Clown, and a Beer Stemming Competition. NEW this year: a variety of Food Trucks and Vendor Craft Tables featuring fun crafts, unique items, and more!
A writer and an AI software designer battle to create the next great play in this cautionary tale about the impending intersection of technology and creativity.
From his childhood in St. Louis to the global blues-rock circuit, Mike Zito has always kept it real. He began playing guitar at age five and by his late teens was a fixture on the St. Louis music scene. For Zito, honesty, authenticity, and integrity aren’t just part of the brand, they’re the foundation. “I have nothing to hide; it seems my honesty is what people relate to most,” he once told Vintage Guitar.
The 45th Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place between September 4-October 4, 2026. The Festival will be a hybrid as we will be presenting it online as well as doing select in-person screenings at Rutgers University. Almost all the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VOD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person shows when both are offered. This program is only available Online for 24 hours on this show date!
The Flip Side offers our unique spin on short-form improv, taking audience input to create instant scenes that are both unexpected and hilarious.
The 45th Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place between September 4-October 4, 2026. The Festival will be a hybrid as we will be presenting it online as well as doing select in-person screenings at Rutgers University. Almost all the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VOD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person shows when both are offered. This program is available Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 5PM. This in-person screenings will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ.
