New Jersey Theatre Alliance's Statewide Stages Festival Is Back This Spring

New Jersey Theatre Alliance is back with the Stages Festival, a state-wide spring festival of free and low-cost theatre events for all ages including performances, classes, workshops, and play readings. From readings of new plays to touring children's shows, participatory workshops to community discussions, the Stages Festival offers something for everyone.

Since its inception 26 years ago, the Stages Festival has reached over 230,000 audience members, showcasing the diversity and excellence of the New Jersey theatre community. The festival is designed to enable New Jersey residents from all over the state, regardless of economic background or geographic location, to experience the joy and wonder of theatre.

"The Stages Festival provides vital support for the important work of engaging our community in the creation of new work," says Roy Steinberg, Producing Artistic Director at Cape May Stage.

38 member theatres of the Alliance will collectively produce 80 events, made available at no cost or at deeply-discounted ticket prices throughout March, April, and May, 2023.

"The Stages Festival gives an opportunity for NJ theatres, like Skyline, to bring new works to life. At our free event this year audiences can experience a heart-warming new musical in development before it crosses the Hudson, including a talk back with the authors," says Sam Scalamoni, Artistic Director of Skyline Theatre Company.

"We are beyond honored to return to the Stages Festival with our intergenerational theater project! And we are equally excited to share this work with both our local community and the New Jersey theater community at large. This festival is always a reminder that we are surrounded by a generous and thriving family of storytellers," says Theodore Perkins, Executive & Artistic Director of Elizabeth Youth Theater Ensemble.

"I am overjoyed that McCarter is participating in the Stages Festival and that the New Jersey Theatre Alliance is supporting the Toni Morrison Commissions. This project is something that I am especially proud of. Toni Morrison's impact and legacy is immeasurable," says Nicole Watson, Bold Associate Artistic Director of McCarter Theatre Center. "The commissions to Daniel Alexander Jones and Mame Diarra (Samantha) Speis were a way to honor that legacy by inviting them to spend time in her archives and create new work inspired by what was discovered there. The commissions are a way to celebrate the process of making and sharing art."

The program's Spotlight Sponsors are The New Jersey State Council on the Arts and The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. Additional supporters include OceanFirst Foundation, New Jersey Manufacturers, and Customers Bank.

The full lineup of events can be seen at https://njtheatrealliance.org/the-stages-festival/.

Full Productions:

Quarter Rican (March 2) is a fast-talking new comedy about the ins-and-outs of new parenting, mixed heritage, and what makes or breaks your child's Latinx identity, from Mile Square Theatre. East Lynne Theater Company presents ZELDA & SCOTT: A LIFE AFFAIR (March 29), a new play that explores the span of their lives, work and complex relationship through their correspondence with each other. South Camden Theatre Company presents the classic comedy Lettice & Lovage by Peter Shaffer (April 14);. Call Me Crazy: Diary of a Mad Social Worker (May 6) is a solo performance piece from the Paterson Performing Arts Development Council that delves into the challenges of overworked, underpaid and overstressed social workers by taking a raw look through the eyes of one of the systems gatekeepers.

Musical Theatre:

Clean Slate (March 10) is a new musical, presented by Passage Theatre Company, that tells the story of a group of disaffected high school students who are sent to a rehabilitation camp that may be haunted by the souls of former campers who have gone missing. Paterson Performing Arts Development Developement Council presents STORME (May 19), a two-act dramatic play with music that incorporates storytelling, audio, graphics, photographs, videos, and songs. Broadway in the Works (April 21), from Skyline Theatre Company, is a two day developmental workshop with diverse artists, both hearing and deaf, working with the creative team to culminate in a free performance for the public that will be ASL interpreted.

Plays for Young People:

Lift Every Voice: A Letter to the Editor (March 8 and June 6), from Pushcart Players, follows the story of a 12 year old boy who stands up for what he believes in, and fights for integration. Pushcart Players will also present Cuentos del Arbol (March 15, April 1, and April 15), an hour-long program divided into four short folktales that provides our young and family audiences with fun stories that teach our patrons about the values of family, friendship, and sharing. Cuentos del Árbol is designed to bring Spanish to life and make theatre accessible to children, parents, and grandparents for whom English is a second language. The Growing Stage: Children's Theatre of New Jersey will be offering 150 Free Tickets to Friday evening performances of The Lightning Thief (March) and 125 Tickets to Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (May). Ritz Theatre Company is offering a free student matinee, talkback and workshop for its production of Macbeth (March 22) for students in local underserved schools.

Community Collaborations:

Atlantic City Theatre Company is returning with The Art of Doing (March 10), free acting workshops at The Celebrity Theater in The Claridge - all are welcome, no matter experience level. Plays by People (March 25 & April 2) is part of Premiere Stages at Kean University's longstanding relationship with the Arts Access Program at Matheny Medical and Educational Center, and features staged readings of short plays written by Arts Access playwrights and performed by professional actors. Elizabeth Youth Theater Ensemble is offering a workshop series, Elders-in-Residence presents: Story Slam, Blooming into Spring (May 13), engaging in self-study, story, documentation, and conversation amongst movement elders to reflect on their life's work and share key movement building lessons for intergenerational dialogue. The Meta Theatre Company presents Tentacles & Dismantling the Racism Machine (May 20) a 5-part critical consciousness raising experience for audiences wanting to create liberating change in their communities. Vivid Stage will bring a cabaret of The Great American Songbook (March 10 and May 11) to senior groups. Eagle Theatre and Allies in Caring partner to present the very first It's Our Story (March 25), empowering community voices through theatrical storytelling.

Readings and New Work:

Camden Repertory Theater presents a reading of Unfinished Women Cry in No Man's Land While a Bird Dies in a Guilded Cage (March 5) a play, written by Aishah Rahman, that is heralded in Black theater cannon for its disruptive and inventive use of language to plumb the depths of time, reproductive rights, race and class. Yendor Theatre Company will offer a reading of a new devised piece celebrating Newark's new Harriet Tubman monument (March 11). Hudson Theatre Works', PlayWorks (March 20), will host a reading of a new play. Centenary Stage Company's Women Playwrights Series (March 23) offers staged readings for the unique and under-served voice of women writing for the theatre today. Artist and performers Daniel Alexander Jones and Mame Diarra (Samantha) Speis will share newly created work-in-process inspired by their time spent immersed in Toni Morrison's archives (March 24 & 25) presented by McCarter Theatre Center.

Crossroads Theatre Company's Genesis Festival of New Plays and New Voices (April 19) engages writers, actors, directors, a dramaturg and stage managers for public readings for an intimate live audience who followed by a discussion with the artists. Luna-Stage/">Luna Stage presents The Ground on Which We Stand (April 29), and investigates the history and current controversy surrounding The Howe House, a small clapboard structure built in 1780 in Montclair, New Jersey. The Meet the Artist (May 3) series from Vivid Stage, gives playwrights the opportunity to hear their developing scripts and get feedback from the director and actors, as well as from the audience.

Art House Productions will produce the 6th Annual INKubator New Play Festival (May 8) at Art House's new performing arts center in downtown Jersey City. The New Jersey Play Lab will host a developmental reading of Exit 1 by Ravin Patterson (May 13). This play was chosen for New Jersey Play Lab's 2022 Developmental Residency. In association with The National Playwrights Symposium (NPS) at Cape May Stage, original works by both emerging and established playwrights will be featured in staged reading performances of short plays (May 18). During Jersey City Theater Center's New Play Festival (May 25), emerging artists will showcase their work from various countries around the world including the United States.

Youth Showcases:

Ten to twelve extraordinarily talented NJ students will be honored and four will see their work performed at The Theater Project's 21st annual Young Playwrights Competition Awards Ceremony (March 27). The 2023 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards: Honoring Excellence in the Production of New Jersey High School Musical Theater (June 13) is a statewide high school recognition program. Modeled after Broadway's Tony Awards, the Rising Star Awards were created in 1996 to encourage and reward exceptional accomplishments in the production of New Jersey high school musicals.

For a full listing of events, program details, and registration information visit: https://njtheatrealliance.org/the-stages-festival/

To post a comment, you must register and login.