Justin Giachetti's play Faith in Shackles is to be performed at the New Jersey Fringe Festival in Downtown Hammonton, NJ August 4th thru 6th.
Justin is an active member of the Robbinsville community and attended Robbinsville High School, where he was a part of Select Choir, Drama Club, Literary Magazine, and the Gay Straight Alliance. He recently graduated Rider University with a degree in Theater Performance. "I loved studying under Miriam Mills, who was my acting teacher," reminisces Justin. "She and my boss at Rider, John Mozes, taught me about hard work and the many productive ways I can use my imagination. I was mostly involved in shows and the radio station in college. I wrote a lot of commercials for the station, which ended up getting me two awards at the New Jersey Broadcasters Association's big convention this year." Rider was a big influence on Justin's drive to continue working as a theatre and radio professional in the Robbinsville community. "I think the thing I loved most about Rider is the drive it gave me to do more. My professors at Rider showed me, in many ways, that I didn't have to limit myself as an artist. And from the first summer after freshman year, I was producing student films, plays, and what have you."
Justin's early interest in producing led him to found Breaking Through the Box Theatre Company in 2016. Breaking Through The Box is a new non-profit theater company that strives to cultivate new work, new artists, and new fresh takes on theater. It was founded by Justin to give back to the community one show at a time, through art and education.In addition to Breaking Through the Box, Justin is currently involved with Rider's #1 Radio Station in NJ, 107.7 The Bronc.
Faith in Shackles is a new play by Justin Giachetti, and the first production of Breaking Through the Box's inaugural season. In a world of religious radicalism and terrorism, a young lawyer, Ruth, is pushed to her limits with her new case: defend eight historical women who have each had a special relationship with God. Through discovering the truth of these women's stories, Ruth combats her own biases against religion and learns the true meaning of having faith.
The play made its world premiere in November 2016 at Luna Stage in West Orange, NJ. "Faith actually came about because of an acting exercise," Justin remarks on the play's origin. "An actress in my Shakespeare class was doing the Joan of Arc monologue from Henry V, and it got me thinking about Joan locked away. And what if someone else was locked away with her: Mary Magdalene. Two women, both mentally ill, who found purpose in the service of God. Then I started to think about throwing Eve into that room. And it snowballed from there. I've always been fascinated by the overarching saga of the Abrahamic Faiths, and I love the beauty of the similarities. I wanted to write a piece that spoke to how we were all alike, not how we were different. "
Jersey Fringe is a 3-day event featuring multiple theatrical productions at a variety of venues within walking distance of the central location and ticket hub, The Eagle Theatre. Multiple Producing Organizations will offer eclectic, unique selections for festival goers throughout the entire weekend. Also featured will be a Beer and Wine Garden, Pop-Up Art, Food and Art Vendors, Live Music and More! Jersey Fringe is the ultimate social experience not to be missed! "I want audiences to take away this idea of hope and love, despite our differences," explains Justin on the show's production at Jersey Fringe. "The world can only get better if we all just start spreading some love. " Tickets may be purchased at www.jerseyfringe.com.
Breaking Through The Box is a theatre company founded in summer of 2016 with the mission of being an active forum to cultivate new work, as well as a way for old work to be given new life. The company is led by Artistic Director Justin Giachetti, Executive Director Elizabeth Carlin, and run by Jonathan Edmondson, Mikayla Petrilla, Joe Piserchio, Alex Skwara, and Sara Witter. The 2017-18 season boasts four productions: Bad Jews, Rabbit Hole, The Glass Menagerie, and Doctor Shepherd. For more information, visit breakingthroughthebox.weebly.com.
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