Art House Productions Announces In-Person And Virtual Programming Through February 2021

Art House Productions has announced a hybrid of visual and performing arts programming through February 2021. The mini-season includes in-person gallery shows, online artist talks, a radio play, Virtual Drag Queen Bingo, and virtual editions of Jersey City's favorite festivals-including Your Move: New Jersey's Modern Dance Festival and JC Fridays. The season includes both free and ticketed events. All ticket information can be found at www.arthouseproductions.org.

"Art House is truly pumped to continue our mission virtually. Join our online community for some unforgettable experiences featuring a diverse group of artists in theater, visual arts, dance, comedy, music, and more," says Art House Executive Director, Meredith Burns.

The season kicks off with the return of Virtual Drag Bingo, a weekly bingo game hosted by Jersey City Drag Queen Vanity Ray. Starting October 16, every Friday night at 8:00pm EST / 5:00pm PST, Vanity Ray will host 4 virtual rounds of online bingo using Zoom. Each round's winner gets a prize. Prizes include gift certificates to Jersey Social and the West Side Partnership, bingo boards, and cash for the final round! Bingo boards cost $12 each. To register online, please visit: https://bit.ly/3aOpkSK.

Upcoming game themes include:

October 30 at 8:00pm EST - Halloween Spooktacular - Calling all our bad witches, celebrate Halloween with us at bingo this week. Attend if you dare!

November 6 at 8:00pm EST - Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice - Got a sweet tooth, or do you like it hot? Show your allegiance by dressing Sweet or Spicy for Bingo this week.

November 13 at 8:00pm EST - The Cat's Meow - MEOW! Show that you are the king or queen of the jungle by dressing as your favorite animal for Bingo this week! (furry friends are invited too)

November 20 at 8:00pm EST - Diva's Week - Donna or Diana? Madonna or Gaga? Get camera ready and dress like your favorite diva for Bingo this week.

In November, the Art House Gallery is excited to present: "Attachment", a solo exhibition of new paintings, drawings and installations by Lisa Ficarelli-Halpern from November 7 - 29, 2020. The in-person artist's reception is scheduled for Saturday, November 7th from 2pm to 4pm at the Art House Gallery in the Cast Iron Lofts, 262 17th Street, Jersey City, NJ

07310. Eight guests at a time and masks required; contact information will be collected for

contract tracing. Additional gallery hours are November 22 & November 29 from 12pm to 3pm. Private appointments are also available; please email Andrea McKenna at gallery@arthouseproductions.org to schedule. A free, virtual artist talk hosted by Andrea McKenna taking place on Zoom will be announced at a later date.

Also in November, Art House will produce a radio play of Martin Casella's Black Tom Island. Based on an actual incident that took place in Jersey City in 1916, Black Tom Island explores the first documented terrorist attack on American soil through the lens of a fictionalized Slovak immigrant and his wife who may or may not be involved in the attack. Funded in part through the Hudson County Historical Partnership Grant, the original project was imagined to include in-person readings on location in Jersey City, however, to adapt the project to the current safety guidelines, Casella's play will be adapted as a radio play and distributed as a podcast directed by Alan Muraoka. Additionally, a free virtual panel discussion about the historical event featuring local historians and the play's creative team will take place on Zoom following the release of the podcast. The radio play will be distributed and the virtual panel discussion will take place in January 2021.

In December, Art House will present Virtual JC Fridays on December 4 at 7pm on Zoom. Now in its third iteration, Virtual JC Fridays is an online version of JC Fridays, a free, quarterly arts festival spotlighting performing and visual arts in Jersey City. Presentations include studio visits, art tutorials, music performances, and more. This event will feature ASL interpreters and closed captions. Admission is free, advance registration is required to receive the Zoom link. To register, please visit www.jcfridays.com.

Also in December, the Art House Gallery will present "The Very Affordable Art Show," curated by Andrea McKenna. For the past three years, the Art House Gallery has hosted the "The Affordable Art Show" with works $500 and under. This year, understanding the financial strain the pandemic has had on so many individuals and families, all works will be priced at $250 and under, hence "The Very Affordable Art Show!" The group exhibit will feature local artists from Jersey City and Hudson County. A free, virtual tour of the exhibit will be part of Virtual JC Fridays on Friday, December 4 at 7pm on Zoom. The in-person artist's reception is scheduled for Saturday, December 5th from 12pm to 5pm, and Sunday December 6th from 12pm to 5pm at the Art House Gallery in the Cast Iron Lofts, 262 17th Street, Jersey City, NJ 07310. Eight guests at a time and masks required; contact information will be collected for contract tracing. Private appointments are also available; please email Andrea McKenna at gallery@arthouseproductions.org to schedule.

In early 2021, Art House will produce the 11th Annual Your Move: New Jersey's Modern Dance Festival, the jete award-winning festival designed to support inventive choreographers from New Jersey and beyond. For the first time in the festival's history, the events will be presented virtually. This program is supported by a Masterwork Arts Community Grant. The festival will include online dance performances and artist talks. The festival will take place in January or February 2021.

In October, Art House also welcomed six playwrights as the 2020-2021 INKubator Cohort. INKubator is a year-long generative process for a select group of 6 playwrights in residence at Art House Productions. This year's playwrights are Andrea Coleman, Izzi D'Esposito, Madeline Dennis-Yates, Nathaniel Foster, Aja Nisenson, and SMJ. Playwrights will meet on a monthly basis alongside program director Alex Tobey to share new work, receive feedback, and develop a first draft of a new play. Meetings will begin virtually, but are expected to transition to in-person when it's safe to do so. In the spring, each writer will team up with a director and actors to present a public reading in May as a part of the annual INKubator New Play Festival. A few of the selected playwrights will incorporate virtual options for audiences, expanding the program for the first time to support new, traditional, and hybrid forms of theater simultaneously.

Art House Productions also provides private bingo parties for corporate events and personal celebrations. Previous parties have been held for company happy hours, college student groups and birthday parties. "My friends surprised me with [Virtual Drag Bingo] and the moment I joined the zoom call, I knew it was going to be amazing. The music was spot on to my taste, the jokes had me dying of laughter and the little roasts were hilarious. Everyone who joined the call had a great time. I truly enjoyed Drag Bingo and recommend it to anyone celebrating a birthday, bachelorette/bachelor party or need a way to stay connected with friends," says Samantha of Los Angeles, California. To book a private party, please visit: https://www.arthouseproductions.org/pages/onlineeventrentals

Zoom is an online video conferencing software that allows you to virtually interact when in-person meetings and events aren't possible. Participants must have wifi, download the application on a computer or smartphone, and sign up for a free Zoom account to participate. Make sure you've updated to the most recent version, 5.3.1. (You can check your version by following these steps.) The Art House staff are available to help troubleshoot registration and download; please email info@arthouseproductions.org for assistance.

Art House Productions is generously supported by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, MACK-CALI Realty, SILVERMAN, Manhattan Building Company, CoolVines, Masterwork Arts, and Genova Burns.

Art House Productions is committed to accessibility and inclusivity in all the public programming presented by our organization at our newly constructed performance venue. Art House Productions produces work with a shrewd sense of social responsibility and challenges the idea of "universal" mind and "universal" body in each artistic endeavor.

To post a comment, you must register and login.