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NENAproductions Theater Project presents "Evita"

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- NENAproductions Theater Project presents Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita across two weekends from October 16-25, 2026. Performances take place at the Jersey Shore Arts Center. Evita brings to life the rags-to-riches rise of Eva Peron, the First Lady of Argentina.


 

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The MAC Players at the Middletown Arts Center present "Gypsy, a Musical Fable"

(MIDDLETOWN, NJ) -- The MAC Players at the Middletown Arts Center present Gypsy, a Musical Fable across two weekends from October 16-25, 2026. The Mother of All Musicals! The jewel of Broadway's Golden Age, Gypsy boasts an incomparable score, a brilliantly conceived book, and one of the greatest leading roles ever to grace the Broadway stage.



Center Players presents "It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play"

(FREEHOLD, NJ) -- Center Players presents It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play with four performances across two Sundays (November 8 and November 15, 2026). Performances are split between the American Hotel and Mattison Crossing.



Axelrod Performing Arts Center presents "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"

(DEAL PARK, NJ) -- Axelrod Performing Arts Center presents Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's beloved musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from November 6–22, 2026. The irresistible family musical about the trials and triumphs of Joseph, Israel’s favorite son.



A Book In Hand Reading of "Twelve Incompetent Jurors" to take place October 17-18

(OLD BRIDGE, NJ) -- The Middlesex Bar Foundation in collaboration with Main Street Theatre Company presents a book in hand reading of Twelve Incompetent Jurors with two performances from October 17-18, 2026. The play by Ian McWethy is about a man accused of abducting half a dozen cats. He admits it. It's an open-and-shut case, even for a jury filled with oddballs – with the exception of one sane juror.









FEATURED EVENTS

Written by and Starring Kathryn Grody  
Directed by Timothy Near  
 
A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive 

 

From the Tony Award-winning producers of Hadestown comes A Beat of Our Own — a brand-new musical comedy that pulls you straight into the pulsating rhythms, kaleidoscopic colors and raw energy of competitive bhangra dance. 

 

Written by and Starring Kathryn Grody  
Directed by Timothy Near  
 
A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive 

 

References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot is an Obie Award-winning surrealist play by José Rivera that follows Gabriela, a lonely housewife in Barstow, California, awaiting her soldier-husband Benito’s return from the Gulf War in 1991. In the poetic fantasy world she creates as she drifts through her days in the Mojave desert, her housecat and a local coyote strike up a romance, while the celestial man-in-the-moon and her very real teenage neighbor Martín vie for her affection.

 

From the Tony Award-winning producers of Hadestown comes A Beat of Our Own — a brand-new musical comedy that pulls you straight into the pulsating rhythms, kaleidoscopic colors and raw energy of competitive bhangra dance. 

 

Effa Manley manages the Newark Eagles, a team she wants to take all the way to the Negro League World Series. Effa battles the press, coaching staff, segregation, and sometimes herself to win at the business of the game she loves most of all. She doesn’t worry about what it will cost her, even if it’s everything. Effa Loves Baseball is about the first woman inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

Written by and Starring Kathryn Grody  
Directed by Timothy Near  
 
A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive 

 

Barb desperately needs friends. That’s why she moved to this 55+ community in the first place. So what better way to meet new people than to join a good old fashioned Bingo Night? When Bingo Night turns into a full-blown orgy, Barb must decide: does she stay in her safe, predictable world? Or does she play a new game of chance and truly live before it’s too late?

 

References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot is an Obie Award-winning surrealist play by José Rivera that follows Gabriela, a lonely housewife in Barstow, California, awaiting her soldier-husband Benito’s return from the Gulf War in 1991. In the poetic fantasy world she creates as she drifts through her days in the Mojave desert, her housecat and a local coyote strike up a romance, while the celestial man-in-the-moon and her very real teenage neighbor Martín vie for her affection.

 

Step into an outrageous adventure of arts: Artrageous – Sensory Friendly Theater. This is the only show where you can witness the fusion of live art, rock concert, imaginative movement, vocal performance, comedy, blacklight Bunraku, Artpunk wear, and inclusion in one magical experience!

 

A beloved musical based on Charles Dickens' timeless novel, Oliver! tells the story of a young boy searching for home and belonging. Featuring unforgettable songs like "Food, Glorious Food," "Consider Yourself," and "As Long As He Needs Me," this classic remains a moving and uplifting theatrical experience.

 

Bronx-born and raised Chazz Palminteri wrote A Bronx Tale in 1988. The powerful one-man stage play depicted his bruising childhood which included witnessing a gangland killing when he was nine years old.

 

From the Tony Award-winning producers of Hadestown comes A Beat of Our Own — a brand-new musical comedy that pulls you straight into the pulsating rhythms, kaleidoscopic colors and raw energy of competitive bhangra dance. 

 

The original Broadway sensation returns to STNJ! Celebrating 20 years—Jersey style!

 

There’s trouble in River City when a fast-talking salesman gets his heart stolen by the town librarian. Meredith Willson’s six-time, Tony Award-winning musical comedy THE MUSIC MAN follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize – this, despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian, the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain’s fall.  Featuring songs such as “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “Ya Got Trouble,” “‘Till There Was You,” “Pick-a-Little” and “Gary, Indiana,” THE MUSIC MAN is a family-friendly story to be shared with every generation.

 

Effa Manley manages the Newark Eagles, a team she wants to take all the way to the Negro League World Series. Effa battles the press, coaching staff, segregation, and sometimes herself to win at the business of the game she loves most of all. She doesn’t worry about what it will cost her, even if it’s everything. Effa Loves Baseball is about the first woman inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

Written by and Starring Kathryn Grody  
Directed by Timothy Near  
 
A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive 

 

Barb desperately needs friends. That’s why she moved to this 55+ community in the first place. So what better way to meet new people than to join a good old fashioned Bingo Night? When Bingo Night turns into a full-blown orgy, Barb must decide: does she stay in her safe, predictable world? Or does she play a new game of chance and truly live before it’s too late?

 

References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot is an Obie Award-winning surrealist play by José Rivera that follows Gabriela, a lonely housewife in Barstow, California, awaiting her soldier-husband Benito’s return from the Gulf War in 1991. In the poetic fantasy world she creates as she drifts through her days in the Mojave desert, her housecat and a local coyote strike up a romance, while the celestial man-in-the-moon and her very real teenage neighbor Martín vie for her affection.

 

References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot is an Obie Award-winning surrealist play by José Rivera that follows Gabriela, a lonely housewife in Barstow, California, awaiting her soldier-husband Benito’s return from the Gulf War in 1991. In the poetic fantasy world she creates as she drifts through her days in the Mojave desert, her housecat and a local coyote strike up a romance, while the celestial man-in-the-moon and her very real teenage neighbor Martín vie for her affection.

 

This special co-production between Maurer Productions OnStage and Maurer TheaterWorks Presents reunites an acclaimed, Perry Award–winning creative team for the world premiere of an original new comedy. Inspired by stage legends like Neil Simon and Noël Coward — and fueled by the delightful chaos of internet-age relationships — this sparkling ensemble play is a recipe for laughter. It’s New Year’s Eve. The coffee is hot and the clock is ticking at the New Dawn Diner, where the lives of several couples converge. As midnight approaches, old loves are tested, new sparks fly, and everyone must decide who they’re bringing into the new year, and who they’re leaving behind. Funny, tender, and full of heart, Midnight at the New Dawn is a romantic comedy about risk, resilience, and the hope that comes with every fresh start.

 

Inspired by the twisted genius of Roald Dahl, the Tony Award-winning Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical is the captivating masterpiece from the Royal Shakespeare anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination and the inspiring story of a girl who dreams of a better life.

 

Regarded by many theatre professionals as the finest musical ever created, Gypsy is the ultimate tale of an ambitious stage mother fighting for her daughters’ success – while secretly yearning for her own. Set all across America in the 1920s and 30s, when vaudeville was dying and burlesque was born, Arthur Laurents’ landmark show explores the world of two-bit show business with brass, humor, heart and sophistication.

 

A beloved musical based on Charles Dickens' timeless novel, Oliver! tells the story of a young boy searching for home and belonging. Featuring unforgettable songs like "Food, Glorious Food," "Consider Yourself," and "As Long As He Needs Me," this classic remains a moving and uplifting theatrical experience.

 

A beloved musical based on Charles Dickens' timeless novel, Oliver! tells the story of a young boy searching for home and belonging. Featuring unforgettable songs like "Food, Glorious Food," "Consider Yourself," and "As Long As He Needs Me," this classic remains a moving and uplifting theatrical experience.

 


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Ritz Theatre Company presents CABARET SERIES: Aged Out! on October 14th

(HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- As part of their 40th Anniversary Season, Ritz Theatre Company is thrilled to unveil a brand-new way to experience the Ritz: an intimate, star-studded Cabaret Series celebrating voices, stories, and songs you love.



Shakespeare 70 presents If You Speak Love - an affair with Shakespeare

(EWING, NJ) -- Shakespeare 70 presents If You Speak Love - an affair with Shakespeare in the Don Evans Black Box Theater at The College of New Jersey from October 14-18, 2026. This is a lively, romantic exploration of some of the Bard's most memorable and iconic moments.



Cumberland Players presents "A Year with Frog and Toad" Kids Version

(VINELAND, NJ) -- Cumberland Players presents A Year with Frog and Toad Kids Version from October 15-18, 2026. The treasured characters from the children’s books and the beautiful Broadway musical hop from page to stage in this story of friendship and adventure.



The West Milford Players presents "The Women"

(WEST MILFORD, NJ) -- The West Milford Players presents The Women - their first show of the 2026-2027 season - from October 15-18, 2026 at the West Milford Presbyterian Church. The production is directed by Debbie Quinlan.



Classic American Tales to present final "Tales at the Dormer House" for 2026

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Classic American Tales (CAT) is having its final Tales at the Dormer House in Cape May for 2026, on Thursday, October 15 at 4:00pm. It features seasoned storytellers Frank Smith, Stephanie Garrett, Gayle Stahlhuth, and newcomer Liberty Ero presenting some of their favorite short stories and monologues by well-known American writers.







FEATURES

It's a Family Affair: A Hilarious Dark Comedy Premieres at Avenel Performing Arts Center Before Heading Off-Off-Broadway

(AVENEL, NJ) -- Retirement was supposed to bring JT Tyler some peace. Instead, the retired fire captain discovers that after 40 years of putting out fires for everyone else, the biggest fire he may ever face is burning right inside his own home.



Algonquin Arts Theatre presents "Oliver!"

(MANASQUAN, NJ) -- Algonquin Arts Theatre presents Oliver! across two weekends from October 16-25, 2026. A beloved musical based on Charles Dickens' timeless novel, Oliver! tells the story of a young boy searching for home and belonging.



Dunbar Repertory Company presents "FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf"

(MIDDLETOWN, NJ) -- Dunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange's FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf at the Middletown Arts Center across two weekends from November 7-15, 2026. This is the groundbreaking "choreopoem" – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. The production is directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, SR.



State Theatre New Jersey presents the 20th Anniversary Tour of "Jersey Boys"

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents the Tony® Award-winning musical Jersey Boys, for three performances from October 16-17, 2026. Jersey Boys is the true behind-the-music story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.



Kean Department of Theatre presents "References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot"

(UNION, NJ) -- The Kean Department of Theatre presents References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot from October 9-17, 2026 in the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center. This is an Obie Award-winning surrealist play by José Rivera that follows Gabriela, a lonely housewife in Barstow, California, awaiting her soldier-husband Benito’s return from the Gulf War in 1991.






 

LINKS

* Community Theaters
* Equity Theater Companies






THIS WEEK IN THEATRE

This Week in Theatre: Previews for Plays Taking Place October 6-12, 2026

Here are previews of plays taking place from October 6-12, 2026 including a look at productions currently being presented and those coming soon. New Jersey Stage covers Equity, community, college, and high school theatre. Check back every week for the weekly theatre preview.








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