SPRING AWAKENING, CABARET and More Announced For Vanguard Theater Second Season In Montclair

Artistic Director, Janeece Freeman Clark, have announced Vanguard Theater's 2022-2023 season, which includes four Dynamic Productions that highlight the importance and the beauty of living an authentic life. Rather than journeying outside of one's community, one should embrace self to find happiness.

Additionally, the theater has partnered with local organizations that provide a voice to marginalized communities to amplify both their and the play's messages.

"It is thrilling to announce our second season. Curating shows that are not only amazing but align with our mission is always a wonderful exercise. Equally as thrilling, are the collaborations fostered with local organizations that are also working to elevate diverse and often marginalized voices. From our ambitious productions to our theatrically inspired partnerships, we continue to be a part of the exciting evolution of the American theater and the culture of our community." says Freeman Clark.

THE SPITFIRE GRILL

Music and Book by James Valcq
Lyrics and Book by Fred Alley
Based on the film by Lee David Zlotoff
Directed by Janeece Freeman Clark

Channeling musicals like Once and Come From Away, The Spitfire Grill serves up comfort and respite from a complicated world, with a beautiful score that is a hybrid mix of folk, blues, and bluegrass. The three women whose stories are at the forefront of The Spitfire Grill - Percy, Hannah, and Shelby - are all locked away in their own personal prisons of pain, fear, loneliness, and regret - and estranged from their very own hopes and dreams. But together these women find their voices, the power of forgiveness and redemption, and FAMILY.

Running November 3 - 20 / Thursdays through Sundays / Two shows on Saturdays.

The preview show is Thursday, November 3.

PASSING STRANGE

Lyrics and book by Stew
Music and orchestrations by Heidi Rodewald and Stew
Created in collaboration with Annie Dorsen
Directed by Janeece Freeman Clark

Passing Strange is a 2008 Tony Award-winning, daring, musical that takes audiences on a journey across boundaries of place, identity, and theatrical convention. Loaded with soulful lyrics and overflowing with passion, the autobiographical rock musical takes us from black middle-class America to Amsterdam, Berlin, and beyond on a journey toward personal and artistic authenticity.

Running February 16 - March 5 / Thursdays through Sundays / Two shows on Saturdays.

CABARET

Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Directed by Janeece Freeman Clark

This fourteen-time Tony Award-winning musical takes its audience inside the tantalizing world of The Kit Kat Klub in 1930s Berlin, where beguiling, self-destructive chanteuse Sally Bowles lives with no thought for tomorrow. The decadence of the Weimar nightclub under the sway of its flamboyant Emcee becomes a shattered mirror reflecting a society spiraling toward disaster with the rise of Hitler's Nazis.

Running April 13 - 30 / Thursdays through Sundays / two shows on Saturdays.

SPRING AWAKENING

Book and lyrics by Steven Sater
Music by Duncan Sheik
Inspired by Frank Wedekind's controversial play, Spring Awakening
Directed by Janeece Freeman Clark

Winner of eight Tony Awards, Spring Awakening explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with a poignancy and passion that is illuminating and unforgettable. With only each other for guidance, teens travel the path of adolescence, discovering their bodies, their minds, and themselves along the way. An electric, vibrant celebration of youth and rebellion, censorship and its consequences, The musical fuses issues of morality, sexuality, and rock and roll into a story that packs a powerful emotional punch.

Recommended for ages 12 and over (themes include suicide, abortion, and sexual awakening).

Running June 15 - July 2 / Thursdays through Sundays / Two shows on Saturdays.

In addition to these musical productions, Vanguard collaborates on One Night Only events such as "Halloween Drag Show" (10/31), and "Sip and Sing Showtunes," (12/8). These partner organizations have also designated "nights out" at the theater, so our spotlight series partners' supporters can mingle and enjoy the shows together, while Vanguard highlights their missions.

Partners include:

Out Montclair, is an organization dedicated to fostering community and providing support and solidarity for the LGBTQIA+ population of Montclair, NJ.

The Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence (MFEE), works to create a vibrant and inclusive community in which all are engaged and empowered to become lifelong learners;

Broadway House for Continuing Care, serves people whose lives are often shaped by homelessness, addiction, abuse, and other deep social issues; and

Hyacinth Aids Foundation, works to help people lead fulfilling lives while living with HIV, stop the spread of the epidemic, and serve as a critical voice in the public debate surrounding AIDS in New Jersey.

Visit https://www.vanguardtheatercompany.org/season for more information about these collaborations and ways you can support the theater and community.

Buy tickets at bit.ly/ticketsVTC.​​ Individual and membership subscription tickets are available.

Founded in 2015, Vanguard Theater Company is a unique 501(c)(3) committed to changing social and cultural narratives through theater dedicated to DREAM: Diversity, Reciprocity, Education, Activism & Mentorship. Having just completed its first full year in its new home in Montclair, Vanguard Theater has quickly become a destination for great professional theater, inspired community collaborations, excellent youth programming, and more. Manifest star Geraldine Leer recently named Vanguard Theater as one of her favorite artistic destinations in Montclair, and, to quote Jay Lustig, reviewer for NJ Stages, "This is the third Vanguard Theater show I've reviewed since it opened its new Montclair space last year, and I've been impressed by them all." Vanguard looks forward to continuing its reputation for excellent theater and impactful community dialogue as it begins its second full season in Montclair, NJ.

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