Passage Theater Announces 2012-13 Season

It's a season of change for Passage Theatre Company, Trenton's only professional theater company. The company will start its 2012-2013 season with a unique, outdoor celebration of Mercer County's landscapes, called Dancescapes NJ. Passage and D&R Greenway Land Trust together have commissioned Trenton's professional dance company, DanceSpora, to create a contemporary dance piece in harmony with the natural world. Assisting in this venture is National Junior Tennis and Learning of Trenton. The world premiere dance piece will take place in Hopewell at the new St. Michael's Farm Preserve on September 22, 2012 at 2:30pm and at Trenton's historic Cadwalader Park on October 6, 2012 at 2:30pm. Plant a tree and learn from naturalists, artists and historians in and around the event! Tickets $20 adults, $5 children.

Dancescapes NJ will quickly be followed by the world premiere of Blessed Are by Philadelphia actress and playwright Jessica Bedford, directed by Passage's resident director Adam Immerwahr. When a man with a shameful past returns to his boyhood home, two very different women eagerly welcome him back…but with competing plans for his future. Blessed Are runs October 18 through November 4 Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $28 ($33 Saturday nights).

A change of fare from the former month-long annual Solo Flights Festival is the "Passage Presents" series. Patrons will now be able to enjoy solo performers throughout the season. First in that line up is writer, performer and comedian Lauren Weedman returning with her new one-woman show SRO – a true story of single room occupancy hotels, electric guitars, gurus, horror movies and sex. Weedman is an acclaimed monologist, whose previous shows on the Passage stage include Bust and No…You Shut Up. She has appeared in the movies Imagine That, Date Night, and Five Year Engagement. She played "Horny Patty" on the Showtime series Hung. SRO runs December 14-16; Friday & Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 3pm. Tickets $22.

March 21 through April 7 will see the world premiere of R.N. Sandberg's Roundelay, directed by Adam Immerwahr. This wild, multi-character, globe-hopping tale of love in all of its complexity spans the Bronx to India to the Kenyan coast. It is a rich, funny, and deeply moving tapestry that explores what it means to pursue, run away, and finally surrender to the siren song of love and desire. A member of Princeton University's faculty, Sandberg's plays have been seen in Australia, Canada, England, Japan, Panama, and South Korea as well as throughout the U.S. Theaters that have presented his work include Fulton Opera House, The Barter Theatre, Dallas Children's Theater, Indiana Rep, Intiman Theatre, La Mama, Providence Black Rep, Seattle Rep, and Yale Cabaret. Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 3pm. Tickets $28 ($33 Saturdays). 

Trenton-born Sarah Dash is a stellar vocalist best known as part of the trio Labelle (with Patti LaBelle and Nona Hendryx) who recorded the iconic song "Lady Marmalade." Her new cabaret, Sarah Dash: One Woman includes songs from throughout her career, as well as numbers new to her repertoire, accompanied by reminiscences and anecdotes about some of the notable celebrities she has worked alongside. She will be accompanied by 6-time Emmy Winner Lanny Meyers, May 17-19, 2013. Friday-Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 3pm. Tickets $22.

May 24-26 brings the hugely popular singer-songwriter Christine Lavin back to the Mill Hill Playhouse. In addition to her beautiful melodies and witty, incisive lyrics, Lavin adds hilarious stories, baton twirling and a pre-show knitting circle. Lavin has released countless albums, written several books and recently received the 2012 NYC Nightlife Award. Advance tickets are highly recommended. Friday-Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 3pm. Tickets $22.

Executive Artistic Director June Ballinger is excited about this season's format. "Associate Artistic Director David White, Producer Kacy O'Brien, and I agreed it was time to change things up a bit…break out of the 11 year routine of the March Solo Fest and have something in The Playhouse at least once a month. We want patrons to ask not IF something is on stage this month but WHAT is on stage this month."

Passage Theatre performs in the historic Mill Hill Playhouse, an intimate 100-seat theater in the heart of downtown Trenton adjacent to the beautiful Mill Hill district. Security-guarded on-street parking is available on S. Montgomery St., Ernie Kovacs St., E. Front Street and in the Artworks parking lot.

For over 25 years, Passage Theatre has developed and showcased new work by emerging and established playwrights. As a key participant in the revitalization of urban Trenton, Passage presents outstanding plays that celebrate our common ground transcending culture and race.

Accessibility
Passage Theatre is committed to ensuring that all individuals have access to the joy of the performing arts. Passage is dedicated to being a leader in the education and assistance of all organizations, working towards making our programs and services accessible to people with disabilities. For more information, please call (609) 392-0766.

AT A GLANCE PRESS OPENINGS AND DATES (continued)

Dancescapes NJ.- St. Michael's Farm Preserve September 22, 2012 @ 2:30pm; Trenton's historic Cadwalader Park October 6, 2012 @ 2:30pm. Tickets $20 adults, $5 children.

Blessed Are - October 18-November 4 ; Thursdays-Saturdays @ 8pm, Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $28 ($33 Saturday nights). PRESS OPENING OCT. 20

Lauren Weedman SRO - December 14-16; Friday & Saturday @ 8pm; Sunday @ 3pm. Tickets $22.

Roundelay- March 21-April 7 Thursdays-Saturdays @ 8pm; Sundays @ 3pm. Tickets $28 ($33 Saturdays). PRESS OPENING SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 8PM

Sarah Dash: One Woman- May 17-19, 2013. Friday-Saturday @ 8pm; Sunday @ 3pm. Tickets $22.

Christine Lavin- May 24-26 Friday-Saturday @ 8pm; Sunday @ 3pm. Tickets $22.

Passage Season Memberships, priced at $95 each and Tickets, priced at $28 and $30 (Saturdays) for mainstage performances and $22 for Passage Presents events, are available by calling (609) 392-0766 or on-line at www.passagetheatre.org. Tickets are $15 for groups of 10 or more, seniors receive 10% off and students tickets are $12 with valid ID.

Tickets can also be purchased at the Passage Theatre Office: 219 East Hanover Street in Trenton, Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 am -5:30 pm or at the box office, one hour before each performance at the Mill Hill Playhouse, located at 205 East Front Street.

Passage Theatre's mainstage season is made possible in part by the N.J. State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the NEA; the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; The Times of Trenton; Trenton Marriott at Lafayette Yard; The City of Trenton; WIMG 1300; The Curtis McGraw Foundation; The James Kerney Foundation; PNC Bank; The Garfield Foundation; Princeton Area Community Foundation; NJ Council for the Humanities; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; and Mary G. Roebling Foundation.

 

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