New Comedy About WAR OF THE WORLDS Broadcast to Open at River Street Theatre

If you heard today on CNN that Martians were invading a small town in New Jersey, would you believe it? Seventy-eight years ago, Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre theatrical group made such a broadcast on CBS radio on Halloween Eve 1938. Welles took H.G. Wells' epic novel "The War of The Worlds" and made the story feel like a real news broadcast. The hoax created panic and fear in many towns around the nation as millions believed that Martians had invaded America.

Writer/director Jody Lambert has brought that panic back again in a new comedy film, Brave New Jersey that opens exclusively at the River Street Theatre (RST) in Jaffrey on Thursday, August 24 and plays through Saturday, August 26th. There is a 7 pm showing each evening.

The citizens of Brave, New Jersey face what they think is their last night on Earth. The over-worked town's mayor Clark (Tony Hale, "Veep") will take a chance on love. The neglected housewife, Lorraine (Heather Burns, "Manchester By The Sea") will break free from her big-cheese husband (Sam Jaeger, "Parenthood"). The demure schoolteacher Peg (Anna Camp, "Pitch Perfect") will become a warrior. The aimless Reverend (Dan Bakkedahl, "Life in Pieces") will rediscover his faith. The scared Sheriff (Mel Rodriguez, "The Last Man on Earth") will find his courage. And the reclusive war veteran (Raymond J. Barry, "Training Day") will become a hero as he convinces the town to fight the aliens. All these characters join forces for a final "battle" that leads to a surprising and hilarious outcome.

Tickets for Brave New Jersey (not rated) are $8.00 (seniors, military, students, teachers $7.00). More program and schedule information, as well as ticket purchases, can be found at riverst.org or by calling the RST Box Office (603) 532-8888. The after-hours box office can be reached by calling OvationTix at (866) 811-4111.

The River Street Theatre is located in downtown Jaffrey, New Hampshire at 6 River Street. The River Street Theatre is sponsored by Grove Street Fiduciary, Coca-Cola, the Board of Trustees of the Park Theatre, Janet S. Grant, Betty Locke, Owen Houghton and the James F. & Fernande Kelly Charitable Trust.

The Park Theatre first opened in Jaffrey in 1922 and was the center of community life as a movie and vaudeville house for 54 years until it closed in 1976. Purchased by The Park Theatre, Inc. in 2006, it will be rebuilt as a state-of-the-art film and performing arts center, featuring two auditoriums seating 485, presenting movies, live theatre, including children's productions, concerts, and lectures as well as offering a place for business and community gatherings for the Monadnock Region and its 100,000 residents, school districts and dynamic artistic community. The new Park Theatre is scheduled to open in 2018.

The Park Theatre currently operates the River Street Theatre (RST), a small live entertainment and cinema venue, located adjacent to the construction site as an interim theatre until the new Park Theatre opens. Opened in January of 2017, the RST holds the title of "smallest theatre in New England."

Visit www.theparktheatre.org for more information.

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