George Street Playhouse presents "The Unexpected 3rd"

Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 09/02/2026

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- George Street Playhouse presents The Unexpected 3rd, written by and starring Kathryn Grody (A Mom's Life), and directed by Timothy Near (A Doll's House, Part 2). Previews begin October 13, 2026, at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center with opening night set for October 16, for a run through November 1, 2026.

Deep into her 3rd and final act of being a person, award-winning actor Kathryn Grody investigates an eclectic, devastating and hilarious potpourri of shocking discoveries as she finds herself at 79 becoming…not quite old, but elder.

Another boomer that didn’t think the aging process would apply to them, Grody enters elderhood with equal parts empowerment and utter bewilderment. Marching onward through crumbling democracy, a boiling planet and an increasingly dead roster of friends and colleagues, she is buoyed by discovering parts of herself she didn’t know were hiding, perhaps waiting for this period to bloom.

Mother, artist, wife, grandmother, friend and accidental influencer, Kathryn is astonished with her life, your life, and the stunning, deeply funny, heart-breaking impermanence of it all.

“It's a genuine thrill to welcome Kathryn Grody to George Street Playhouse,” said Artistic Producer Scott Goldman. “Few artists capture how life can surprise us as vividly as she does, and I can't wait for our audiences to experience that alongside her."

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The performance schedule for The Unexpected 3rd is as follows: Wednesday – Saturday at 7:30pm; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm. Exceptions: there will be an additional performance on Tuesday October 13 at 7:30pm. The performance Friday October 30 will be at 2:00pm instead of 7:30pm. Tickets begin at $35 and full season subscriptions begin at $188. Groups of 10 or more can save 20% on tickets. Tickets are available for purchase online.

The Unexpected 3rd will feature set design by Nina Ball (||: Girls :||: Chance :||: Music :||), costume design by Naomi Wolff Lachter (Alternative Methods), lighting design by Cat Tate Starmer (The Emporium), and sound design by Frederick Kennedy (Welcome to Thebes). Samantha Flint (My Lord, What A Night) serves as the Production Stage Manager.

For more than 50 years, George Street Playhouse has produced groundbreaking new works, inspiring productions of the classics, and hit Broadway plays and musicals that speak to the heart and mind, with an unwavering commitment to producing new work. As New Brunswick’s first producing theatre, George Street Playhouse became the cornerstone of the revitalization of the City’s arts and cultural landscape. Entering its 52nd season, the organization has a rich history of producing nationally renowned theatre.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint (1997-2025) the Playhouse filled a unique theatre and arts education role in the city, state, and greater metropolitan region. George Street Playhouse appointed Edgar Herrera from Managing Director to Executive Director in January 2025.

Beginning with the 2019-20 Season, George Street Playhouse moved to the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in downtown New Brunswick. Featuring two state-of-the-art theatres—The Arthur Laurents Theater with 253 seats and The Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater which seats 465—and myriad amenities, the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center marks a new era in the esteemed history of George Street Playhouse. Founded by Eric Krebs, George Street Playhouse, originally located in an abandoned supermarket on the corner of George and Albany Streets, was the first professional theatre in New Brunswick. In 1984, the Playhouse moved to a renovated YMCA on Livingston Avenue, and in 2017 took temporary residence in the former Agricultural Museum at Rutgers University during construction of its new home.

The Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway. In 2018, George Street Playhouse was represented on Broadway with Gettin’ the Band Back Together which premiered on the Playhouse mainstage in 2013. American Son, produced by George Street Playhouse in 2017, opened on Broadway in 2018 starring Kerry Washington and Stephen Pasquale, and was seen on Netflix. Other productions include the Outer Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award-winner The Toxic Avenger. In 2015, It Shoulda Been You opened on Broadway and Joe DiPietro’s Clever Little Lies opened off-Broadway. Both shows received their premieres at the Playhouse. Other productions include the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League Award-nominated production of The Spitfire Grill; and the Broadway hit and Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at the Playhouse during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays.

George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.