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"Home Here"

by Tris McCall

There is never a good time to learn that your town is facing a budget shortfall of a quarter billion dollars. But getting the bad news in the winter of 2026 is particularly dispiriting. Jersey City has very little latitude for error. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been operating on these streets. As we've seen our neighbors taken away in unmarked cars, we know we're looking at the possibility of a long, combative summer. Pushing back against a force as overwhelming as the federal government is going to require more than coordination and compassion. We're going to need resources. And the town, as JCAST curator Atim Oton warned us before Studio Tour 2025, is broke.



 

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"With Love from Linda" Linda Eder LIVE! at MPAC

Spotlight Central and Love Imagery have photos and a recap of a special performance by Linda Eder on Valentine's Day 2026 at Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) in Morristown.



Chatham Hickory Cinema Chosen to Host Arthouse Film Festival

(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 March 16, 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.



"The Startup" to have Workshop Production at The Flea Theater

(NEW YORK, NY) -- The Flea Theater hosts workshop productions of The Startup from April 1-19, 2026. The Startup is a comedic new musical that follows Chip Cooper, the optimistic CEO of a rising tech company, and his idealistic team as they scramble to save their business when funding runs dry. The show is in previews from April 1-4.



America's Failed Response to the Opioid Crisis with Author Shoshana Walter

(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Join award-winning journalist Shoshana Walter and award-winning author Barbara Kingsolver as they chat about Walter's book Rehab: An American Scandal on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 during a virtual discussion presented by the Ocean County Library. The event begins at 2:00pm.



Chain Theatre presents the World Premiere of "The Pushover" by John Patrick Shanley

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Chain Theatre presents the world premiere production of ​John Patrick Shanley's The Pushover, directed by Kirk Gostkowski, from April 6-26, 2026. The Pushover is a play about three bad-ass women who collide and collude at a spa in New Mexico, and a bare-bones Asian restaurant in Queens.



Carteret wins $300,000 Community Development Block Grant to rehab Blazing Star Cultural Arts Center

(CARTERET, NJ) -- The Borough has received a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant from the Middlesex County Division of Housing, Community Development and Social Services through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Carteret Mayor Daniel J. Reiman recently announced.



Daily Edition 02-25-26

Here is the morning update from New Jersey's arts newswire. We regularly publish between 8-15 new articles and news reports each day. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!










EVENT PREVIEWS

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or region of New Jersey click here.

Liberty Arts Theatre presents a Staged Reading of "The Last Victim of the Holocaust"

(LEONIA, NJ) -- Liberty Arts Theatre, a new and emerging, non-profit, arts organization based in Bergen County, presents a stage reading of The Last Victim of the Holocaust on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at The American Legion - Post #1. This is a new play and a discussion with the playwright will follow the performance. The event begins at 7:30pm.


Black History Month events at MPAC

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Legendary Motown singers...West African acrobatics...a joyful youth chorus. From the Temptations and The Four Tops to Mayo Performing Arts Center's visual art exhibit by Art in the Atrium, MPAC has a variety of events celebrating excellence in black artistic achievement during Black History Month.


Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Celebrates Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company celebrates Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse with a lineup of performances in NYC, New Jersey, and beyond! In honor of the Year of the Horse, the Company, with artistic director Greta Campo at the helm, will present two world premieres by choreographers Lawrence Jin and Zhongmei Li.


NJPAC presents a Spring Season of Jazz

(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents a Spring Season of Jazz with free monthly jazz jams at Clement's Place and two special concert events inside the Victoria Theater. This series, running from September through June, is co-presented by NJPAC's Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers University–Newark's Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS). Immerse yourself in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the players’ and listeners' minds.


Arden Theatre Company presents the Philadelphia Premiere of "Good Bones"

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- Arden Theatre Company presents the Philadelphia premiere of Good Bones, the newest play by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright James Ijames (Fat Ham), about gentrification and the consequences of change in a neighborhood and in a family. Directed by Philadelphia-based award-winning actor Akeem Davis, the production begins performances January 22, opens January 28, and runs through March 8, 2026.


Paper Mill Playhouse presents "Come From Away"

(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse presents Come From Away from February 4 to March 1, 2026. The play deals with September 11, 2001 - the day the world stopped - and September 12, when a small Newfoundland town started bringing people together. Come From Away tells the true story of 7,000 stranded airplane passengers welcomed by a community that turned fear into friendship and strangers into family.







LATEST FEATURES

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY | KIDS

New Release Review - "Cold Storage"
Blockbuster screenwriter David Koepp adapts his own 2019 novel Cold Storage for the screen. Koepp's involvement can surely be the only reason the movie has attracted actors of the calibre of Liam Neeson, Lesley Manville and Vanessa Redgrave, as it's a rather uninspired throwback to '80s b-movies, one sorely lacking the raucousness and innovative practical effects work that made those flicks so popular.



State Theatre New Jersey and The Bowery Presents Blackberry Smoke

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey and The Bowery Presents Blackberry Smoke – Rattle, Ramble and Roll Tour 2026 on Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 7:00pm. Throughout their career, Blackberry Smoke have embodied Georgia's rich musical legacy, honoring the people, places, and sounds of their home state.




New Release Review - "Crime 101"

With his documentary The Imposter and his narrative feature debut American Animals, writer/director Bart Layton displayed an impressive knack for spinning true crime tales into riveting viewing experiences. His new film, Crime 101, isn't inspired by any real life criminal shenanigans. It's adapted from a novella by Don Winslow, but Layton draws influence from a century of American crime cinema. There is much of Michael Mann here, with stoic male professionals staring out into the ocean from the balconies of their barely furnished beachfront homes, while Layton's ability to make flirtatious doublespeak as erotic as the most explicit sex scene suggests he's studied the classics of film noir. Characters flirt through laying out their material ambitions here in a manner that is far sexier than the unconvincing romping of Emerald Fennell's "Wuthering Heights" or the 50 Shades movies.




The Four Tops and The Temptations LIVE! at MPAC

Spotlight Central and Love Imagery have photos and a recap of The Four Tops and The Temptations at Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on February 12, 2026.




Vivid Stage Offers Two Chances to See The Flip Side: Live Unscripted Comedy in March

(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Looking for a night out to escape the Netflix doom scroll? Something beyond movies at the megaplex or a typical bar crawl? The Flip Side, a completely improvised theatrical comedy experience, offers two live shows in March — and it's anything but predictable. The Flip Side is the house team of Vivid Stage, a professional theatre company based in Summit, NJ.




State Theatre New Jersey presents Brit Floyd - The Moon, The Wall and Beyond 2026

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Brit Floyd – The Moon, The Wall and Beyond 2026 on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 7:30pm. This monumental new production celebrates two of the most iconic and influential albums in rock history—Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall—with a breathtaking show that captures the spirit, sound, and spectacle of the legendary band.




Jersey Arts Podcast: Theresa Rebeck, Marisa Smith, and NJ Rep's Theatrical Sandbox by the Jersey Shore

Theater aficionado's will likely be familiar with the plays of Theresa Rebeck—the most Broadway-produced female playwright of our time and creator of the hit TV show, Smash. For the upcoming show, Samantha Inside Out at New Jersey Repertory Company, though, Rebeck is not the writer, but the director— a role she has increasingly enjoyed over the last several years.




2026 United States Super 8 Film + Digital Video Festival Line-up

The 2026 United States Super 8 Film & Digital Video Festival, which is part of the Spring 2026 New Jersey Film Festival, takes place online and in-person on Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22. Check out the Festival schedule and more info at this link: https://watch.eventive.org/newjerseyfilmfestivalspring2026 View the winning films and digital videos of the International United States Super 8 Film & Digital Video Festival, selected by a jury of filmmakers, Rutgers University student interns, and media professionals. The festival--now in its 38th year—will feature finalist works by independent filmmakers from the United States and around the world. Co-sponsored by Pro 8mm!










FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY | KIDS

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.

The

The Phil Collins Story

 Wednesday, February 25, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960



Urinetown

Urinetown

 Wednesday, February 25, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Kean Stage - Wilkins Theatre
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083



Urinetown

Urinetown

 Thursday, February 26, 2026 @ 5:30pm
Kean Stage - Wilkins Theatre
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083



World

World Cinema Series - "Chile ’76"

 Thursday, February 26, 2026 @ 6:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764



New

New Jersey Symphony: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony

 Thursday, February 26, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960







LATEST COLUMNS
Hot off the heels of his acclaimed 2025 debut LP, "Out There," and its immediate follow-up single, "Inner City Lullaby," young but prolific Central Jersey singer-songwriter Sam Tunkel is keeping the momentum going with an EP, "The Parade Man."


"I appreciate that, that means a lot," smiled the very excited, extremely talented and current contestant of this season's "American Idol," Jake Thistle. 


Lazlo, founder of BlowUpRadio.com (an online radio station based around New Jersey artists), shines a light on some of the many new releases from NJ based musicians each week with this column. This week Lazlo takes a look at new releases by Above The Moon, Teen Idle, Jason Didner and the GSP's, Brian Erickson, and Kay Roman. Plus a look back at "All Very Well In The End" by The Baby Seal Club.



DAILY EDITION

Here is a look at the articles published yesterday. The Daily Edition comes out Monday through Friday with a recap of articles published Friday through Sunday on Mondays.


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