In October 2003, Gary Wien launched Upstage Magazine, a monthly print publication that covered the arts throughout Central New Jersey. The publication ultimately grew to 25,000 copies per month with distribution throughout much of the state. Upstage was well received critically and ultimately earned an Asbury Music Award for Top Music Publication in 2007, becoming the first publication other than The Aquarian to ever win the award. In addition, both the website and Wien picked up multiple Asbury Music Awards (for Top Website and Top Music Journalist) as well. Wien left the publication shortly afterwards, and Upstage ceased publishing a few months later.
In the months that followed, arts groups continued to submit press releases and materials. In 2008, Wien launched NewJerseyStage.com as a hobby to be an online news resource to continue coverage of the arts. Six years later, he decided to return to covering the arts full-time and redesigned the website to become a digital version of the old Upstage Magazine. On May 1, 2014, New Jersey Stage became a full-time resource covering the arts. On July 15, the first issue of New Jersey Stage digital magazine was released.
One year after New Jersey Stage Magazine was launched, Gary Wien was diagnosed with secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis. He uses the website and magazine as a way of fighting the disease each day. Over 35,000 articles have been posted since New Jersey Stage became official and 75 issues of the magazine were published until the pandemic of 2020 forced it to go on hiatus. Over 550,000 unique visitors come to the website each year.
The website is primary run by Wien, but it benefits from the work of writers like Danny Coleman, Bob Makin, Eric Hillis, Karen Nowosad, Al Nigrin, and Spotlight Central. All of the writers on the site are volunteers - a group who love the arts. New Jersey Stage aims to bring artists, organizations, and art councils together. In addition to regularly publishing original feature articles, interviews, and columns, we encourage organizations to send us press releases. New Jersey Stage considers itself the Garden State's Arts Newswire and home of original arts journalism.
You can follow New Jersey Stage on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, BlueSky and via our RSS feed
Mailing Address:
NewJerseyStage.com
P.O. Box 811
Belmar, NJ 07719
Email: [email protected]
Coyote Jack mines the fertile field of American roots-derived music that includes country- and folk-rock, rock, blues, and punk. The band blends the best of these influences in original songs with universal themes: the joys and pains of love (The Best of You), favorite junker cars from our youth (One Bad Chevrolet), landmark events that defined generations (1961), and the plain and simple joys of partying (Love Is Love). The band can deliver hard-driving classic barroom music with relentless bass, drums and scorching guitar, then offer equally authentic softer sounds that spotlight chiming piano and sensitive vocals.
Written by and Starring Kathryn Grody
Directed by Timothy Near
A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive
Written by and Starring Kathryn Grody
Directed by Timothy Near
A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive
7:30pm Pre-Show Festivities/ 8:00pm Show-Time
Now in its 12th year, the #1 Urban Stageplay Man of the House tackles domestic abuse, where the man is the victim as opposed to the abuser. The piece focuses on the verbal and emotional aspects of Domestic Violence. Man of the House is written, produced, directed, and stars award-winning producer Andre Davis. Also starring: R&B Singer Monifah, C. King from MTV's Wildin' Out, and Oshea Russell from Tyler Perry's "All the Queen's Men".
Celebrate 250 years of America through the power of orchestral music. This special concert honors the nation's history and spirit with a program that reflects the many voices, stories, and sounds that have shaped America. A stirring tribute to the American experience.
Hailed by some as a successor to Billie Holiday, Cécile McLorin Salvant is one of the leading voices in jazz today. A winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition at age 21 and a three-time Grammy Award recipient, she brings a singular clarity and curiosity to everything she sings.
"Smashingly Theatrical"—Chicago Sun Times
Treat your family to an evening of mind-blowing magic and comedy that gets the whole audience into the act. You’ll be stunned and amazed as master illusionist David Caserta has people levitating, disappearing, and reappearing right before your eyes. You will witness never-before-seen illusions that have been created just for this show.
Written by and Starring Kathryn Grody
Directed by Timothy Near
A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive
(RED BANK, NJ) -- Two River Theater presents Stir by Melinda Lopez & Joel Perez from October 31 to November 22, 2026. Join them in the kitchen as two siblings piece together their mother's beloved black bean recipe. Secrets simmer and memories are on the menu as they reconnect from across the country.
(ORADELL, NJ) -- As anticipation builds for its upcoming Halloween season production, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Bergen County Players (BCP) is turning Halloween Weekend into Oradell's premiere late-night destination with two special events for adults looking to trade in front-porch frights for bites after twilight. On Saturday, October 31, once the neighborhood trick-or-treating wraps up, BCP will host a special Halloween Night Bash: "Bites, Frights & Prize Night" for those attending the show (doors open at 7:30pm) followed on Sunday, November 1st by an exclusive post-Dracula talkback with the show’s celebrated actor, writer, co-creator Steve Rosen.
(BRADLEY BEACH, NJ) -- The Arts Council of Bradley Beach invites music lovers and community members to a special Sea & Sky Songwriters Acoustic Afternoon on Sunday, November 1, 2026 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. The live acoustic event will be hosted at Erratic Fermentations Brewery (714 Main Street) in Bradley Beach.
(RED BANK, NJ) -- The Vogel hosts a Dia de los Muertos Celebration on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Doors open at 4:00pm, showtime is 5:00pm. Celebrate Día de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead—a vibrant celebration of life and remembrance.
(UNION, NJ) -- American Theater Group (ATG), led by Producing Artistic Director Charlotte Cohn, will present a one-night concert event of WE ARE -- a contemporary musical feature about identity, family, love, and America's complicated Civil Rights legacy — on Monday, November 2, 2026 at the DMK Black Box Theater in Union. The concert will feature Tony Award-winner Lillias White (Hadestown, The Life, Fela!) as well as Tony Award-nominee Christiani Pitts (Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York). Showtime is 7:30pm.
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Women+ on the Edge of Democracy presents a play reading to foster community and conversation on Monday, November 2, 2026 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Summit. The event, which begins at 7:00pm, is co-sponsored by St John’s Lutheran Church, Interweave, and Vivid Stage. Admission is free, but registration is required.
