(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- What happens when we look through a window? Do we see the world as it really is, the world as we wish it could be, or something we never expected? New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) invites audiences to discover the unexpected with NJ Rep presents Theatre Brut Short Play Festival 2026: "Through The Window" a festival of eight original short plays presented over two weekends, November 13–15 and November 20–22, 2026 at the West End Arts Center in Long Branch.
From dark fantasy and unexpected romance to family revelations, fractured relationships, and the fragile line between imagination and reality, THEATRE BRUT brings together eight distinctive playwrights for an exploration of the human experience that is by turns funny, provocative, unsettling, and deeply moving.
Each playwright was challenged to interpret the theme "Through the Window" in an original 15-to-30-minute one-act play, resulting in eight unique theatrical worlds and eight very different perspectives on what happens when we look beyond the familiar.
Known for championing adventurous new voices and bold storytelling, NJ Rep's Theatre Brut festival embraces theatrical experimentation and creativity unrestrained by convention. The festival offers audiences an opportunity to experience new work in an intimate setting, where the distance between artist and audience disappears, and anything can happen.
Bringing these eight distinctive theatrical worlds to life is a creative team whose artistry and imagination are at the heart of NJ Rep's Theatre Brut Festival. The festival is led by Festival Director SuzAnne Barabas, Gail Winar Festival Producer and Festival Literary Manager Joel Stone The creative and production team includes Janey Huber (Assistant Director / Assistant Lighting Designer), Jordan Ryder (Intimacy Director for A Glass Darkly), Jessica Parks (Production Manager/Resident Set Designer), Jill Nagle (Resident Lighting Designer), Pat Doherty (Costume Designer), Nick Simone (Resident Sound Designer), Brian Snyder (Technical Director), Blake Robinson (Projection Design Assistant), and Marisa Procopio (Properties Designer), Production Stage Managers Kristin Pfeifer and Rose Riccardi, with Assistant Stage Manager Ian Duhart.
PROGRAM A — NOVEMBER 13–15 | The first weekend features four plays exploring imagination, ambition, memory, and the sometimes dangerous collision between fantasy and reality.
A Glass Darkly by Shanti Reinhardt. Cast: Christa Collier and Michael Irvin Pollard; Directed by Suzanne Barbaras, Assistant Directed by Janey Huber. When Faye, a successful young romantasy writer, meets a blind date in an underground bar in the Los Angeles Metro, she discovers that the power of her imagination may have created a dangerous new reality. A provocative journey into the unexpected consequences of the stories we tell ourselves.
Ground Floor, Park View by James Hindman. Cast: Lukas Jarvi and Lisa VillaMil; Directed by Joel Stone. Full of hope, a young couple purchases their dream apartment in a changing New York City neighborhood, only to discover that the future they imagined—and the beliefs upon which they built it—may be more fragile than they ever expected.
Lot's Wife by Neil LaBute. Cast: Gia Crovatin; Directed by Neil LaBute. A woman reflects on her romantic experiences dating back to high school and a 20-year reunion that delivers surprising results. From a playwright known for his unflinching examinations of human behavior comes a revealing look at memory, desire, and the complicated relationships that shape our lives.
One Hundred Windows by Alexis Kozak. Cast: Andrea Gallo and Sandy Clancy; Directed by Gail Winar. When an aging scenic designer clashes with her young protégé over a new theatrical production, imagination and reality collide. Can fantasy set reality on fire? A theatrical exploration of artistry, generational conflict, and the creative impulse.
PROGRAM B — NOVEMBER 20–22 | The festival's second weekend turns its attention to relationships, secrets, unexpected discoveries, and the universal search for connection.
Look by Michael Griffo. Cast: Nancy McKeon and Joelle Zazz; Directed by Gail Winar. An ordinary visit takes an extraordinary turn when Melanie learns of a surprising discovery made by her mother—one that will forever change the way she sees her. A revealing exploration of family, perception, and the things we never truly know about those closest to us.
Love Thy Neighbor by Joel Stone. Cast: Jonathan Randell Silver and Sandy Clancy; Directed by Joel Stone. Liam and Mia are enjoying a passionate, secret affair as "neighbors with benefits" in a small West Hollywood apartment building. Half the fun is keeping their relationship under wraps. But tonight, their carefully guarded secret may be exposed.
Scene From An Italian (Croatian) Restaurant by David Pierini. Cast: John Adams, Emily Anderson, and Dan Domingues; Directed by John D. FitzGibbon. With the unlikely assistance of a waiter-philosopher, two people from dramatically different walks of life attempt to bridge the distance between them. A thoughtful look at loneliness, life experience, and the human longing to find common ground.
Tunnel Of Love by Chris Phillips. Cast: Ella Kaille and Ephraim Birney; Directed by Suzanne Barbaras, Assistant Directed by Janey Huber. A flirtation blossoms between a guarded film student and his charismatic classmate. But as their relationship deepens, hidden truths and unexpected secrets emerge, threatening the future they have begun to imagine together.
Together, these eight plays invite audiences to consider the windows through which we view the world: the literal windows that frame our surroundings, the emotional windows that reveal our innermost selves, and the unexpected openings that challenge everything we thought we understood.
With two entirely different programs presented on consecutive weekends, THEATRE BRUT offers theatergoers twice the opportunity to experience the excitement of original, boundary-pushing theater.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
PROGRAM A: November 13–15, 2026. Performances take place Friday, November 13 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm; Saturday, November 14 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm; and Sunday, November 15 at 2:00pm
PROGRAM B: November 20–22, 2026. Performances take place Friday, November 20 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm; Saturday, November 21 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm; and Sunday, November 22 at 2:00pm.
Each program features four original short plays, with an approximate running time of two hours, including intermission.
Tickets and additional information are available for purchase online or by calling the NJ Rep Box Office at 732-229-3166. West End Arts Center is located at 132 West End Avenue in Long Branch, New Jersey.
New Jersey Repertory Company (NJRep) was founded in 1997 by SuzAnne and Gabor Barabas. Its current central headquarters is the Lumia Theater, located on lower Broadway in Long Branch. The theater's mission is to develop and produce new plays and to make a lasting contribution to the American Stage. Over two decades, NJ Rep has produced 152 plays, of which 128 have been world premieres. The theater has the additional distinction of having had many of its plays produced by other theaters around the country, totaling over 200 subsequent productions in the US and overseas.
In 2012 and 2018, NJ Rep received a National Theater Company Grant from the American Theater Wing that sponsors the annual Tony Awards for Broadway in recognition of its contribution to the repertoire of the American Stage. Only seven theaters have had this distinction. In addition, the theater has presented over 400 developmental readings as well as introduced 136 new works through its Theatre Brut Short-Play Festivals that focus on visionary and avant-garde works. NJRep acquired a new property, a 28,000 square foot school situated on 2 ½ acres and located just five minutes from its Main Stage Lumia Theater and two blocks from the Jersey Shore. The theater plans on gradually transforming the school in stages into a cultural center that will house additional performance spaces, an art cinema, an art museum, a rooftop café, an arts education wing, and residences for out-of-town actors and playwrights. When completed, the center will present a wide array of programs in acting, playwriting, art, sculpture, poetry, music, and photography and will serve as a catalyst for economic development and as the foundation for the cultural renaissance of the community.
Through its productions, developmental programs, and special events, including THEATRE BRUT, NJ Rep continues its mission of supporting new theatrical voices and bringing compelling contemporary stories to the stage.
Funding for NJRep is provided in part by The Shubert Foundation, The Stone Foundation of New Jersey, NJEDA, and New Jersey State Council on the Arts
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority serves as the state's principal agency for driving economic growth and supporting initiatives that strengthen communities, create jobs, and enhance quality of life throughout New Jersey.
Monday, October 26, 2026
@ 5:00pm
Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) - Main Stage
Rahway, NJ
Senior citizens (55+) are invited to join area teachers and their students for a free play reading of select scenes from “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Christopher Sergel’s adaption of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel.
There are multiple performances including:
Monday, October 26, 2026
@ 8:00pm
NJPAC - Prudential Hall
Newark, NJ
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
@ 7:00pm
Grunin Center - Main Stage
Toms River, NJ
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
@ 7:30pm
Kean Stage - Enlow Recital Hall
Hillside, NJ
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
@ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ
