Premiere Stages To Present 2018 Premiere Play Festival Winner LINGER

Premiere Stages at Kean University will present Craig Garcia's Linger July 12-29 in Kean University's Bauer Boucher Theatre Center (Vaughn Eames Hall, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, N.J.). Recently selected from over 570 submissions as the winner of the 2018 Premiere Play Festival, Linger will feature actors Will Ehren, Michael Frederic, Robby Haltiwanger, Jonathan C. Kaplan, Sarah Kathryn Makl and Danielle Skraastad. John J. Wooten, producing artistic director of Premiere Stages, will direct.

In Mr. Garcia's powerful and affecting new work, Maryanne and James are forced to confront the possibility that their popular son is capable of an unthinkable act. As social media explodes over the incident, the couple struggles to hold their splintering family together.

"Craig's topical new play provides a fascinating look inside a family's quest to keep matters private in a modern world where social media makes that virtually impossible," stated Mr. Wooten. "Their journey is as harrowing as it is thought-provoking."

A resident of Glen Ridge and graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Mr. Garcia is also a screenwriter, filmmaker and producer. His plays have been developed through the TRU New Voices Reading Series and Luna Stage's New Moon Short Play Festival. He has also produced Off-Broadway in New York, including the play Never Swim Alone, winner of the NY International Fringe Festival, and See Bob Run (co-produced by Susan O'Connor) at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.

Mr. Wooten has directed numerous critically acclaimed productions of new plays at Premiere, many of which were subsequently published, including Dark Part of the Forest, Any Other Name, ODD, Soldier's Heart, The Beautiful Dark and The Good Counselor. The latter two productions were also honored by the American Theatre Critics Association, along with the sold-out run of Follow Me to Nellie's, Dominique Morisseau's first play. New Jersey Premieres he has directed, at Premiere Stages and elsewhere, include Rabbit Hole, Snakebit, Boy Gets Girl, Soldier's Heart, Shmulnik's Waltz and last season's heralded production of Skeleton Crew.

The accomplished cast includes Jonathan C. Kaplan, a Tony nominee and Theatre World Award winner for Broadway's Falsettos; Danielle Skraastad, currently appearing in the World Premiere of The Remains at Washington D.C.'s Studio Theatre; Michael Frederic, previously seen on television's "Royal Pains" and "The Men Who Built America"; Robby Haltiwanger, recently seen in the first National Tour of Ghost the Musical; Sarah Kathryn Makl, whose distinguished regional credits include Theater J and Ford's Theatre; and Will Ehren, who recently appeared in Radio City's beloved Christmas Spectacular.

Audience members are invited to further engage with the issues raised by Mr. Garcia's thought-provoking play through Premiere Stages' 2018 talk-back series, which offers free post-show discussions with community leaders and local experts after select matinee performances (July 14, 22 and 28 at 3:00 pm). Premiere will also offer a series of informal pre-show talks every Saturday evening 30 minutes prior to performance in the lobby of the theatre.

Linger runs July 12-29 in the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center on the Kean University main campus in Union, N.J. Performances take place Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $30 standard, $20 for senior citizens and Kean alumni and staff, and $15 for students and patrons with disabilities. Significant discounts for groups of 8 or more apply. To make reservations or to order a season brochure, please call the box office at 908-737-7469 or visit Premiere Stages online at www.premierestagesatkean.com.

Premiere Stages offers affordable prices, air-conditioned facilities and free parking close to the theatre. Premiere Stages also provides free or discounted tickets to patrons with disabilities. All Premiere Stages facilities are fully accessible spaces, and companion seating is available for patrons with disabilities. Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available at all times; publications in alternate formats are available with advance notice. Please call 908-737-4077 for a list of sign-interpreted, audio-described or open-captioned performances. For more information, please visit Premiere Stages online at www.premierestagesatkean.com.

Premiere Stages is made possible in part through funding from W. John Bauer and Nancy Boucher, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Northfield Bank Foundation, The Wallerstein Foundation for Geriatric Life Improvement, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Union Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, Investors Foundation, The Union County HEART Grant, Les Malamut Art Gallery, Actors' Equity Association Foundation, and through the generous support of individual patrons and local organizations. Discover Jersey Arts is our marketing partner. Visit www.JerseyArts.com for more information about other arts programming happening around the Garden State.

Created in 2004, Premiere Stages is the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University. Through its unique partnership with Kean, Premiere's play development programs, educational initiatives, and professional development opportunities actively embrace the university's academic curriculum while expanding the scope, accessibility, and prestige of the professional programming on campus. For more information, please visit Premiere Stages online at www.premierestagesatkean.com.

Founded in 1855, Kean University has become one of the largest metropolitan institutions of higher education in the region, with a richly diverse student, faculty and staff population. Kean continues to play a key role in the training of teachers and is a hub of educational, technological and cultural enrichment serving nearly 15,000 students. The University's five undergraduate colleges offer more than 50 undergraduate degrees over a full range of academic subjects. The Nathan Weiss Graduate College offers six doctoral degree programs and more than 60 options for graduate study leading to master's degrees, professional diplomas or certifications. With campuses in Union and Toms River, New Jersey, and Wenzhou, China, Kean University furthers its mission by providing an affordable and accessible world-class education. Visit www.kean.edu.

Photo Credit: Ian Alfano

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