The Neighbor Project Reading At Vivid Stage: A Part Of The Stages Festival

Vivid Stage will present a reading of The Neighbor Project by Laura Ekstrand on Wednesday, March 9 at 7:00 pm. All audience members will be asked to show proof of vaccination at the box office.

This event is part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2022 Stages Festival, made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Foundation; New Jersey Historical Commission. www.njtheatrealliance.org/stages

Over the past year, Artistic Director Laura Ekstrand has been interviewing neighbors from the Vivid Stage area to paint a picture of its diversity. Neighbors who have immigrated from Israel, Haiti, Japan, Romania, Italy and many other countries tell their stories in The Neighbor Project, a work-in-progress reading of this new piece. The cast of the reading includes Will Budnikov, Jennica Carmona, Kitty Chen, Sydney Fucito, Gail Lou, Becca McLarty, Beth Painter, Karen Tsen Lee and Joelle Zazz. The reading will be followed by a talkback with the audience, which will aid in the play's development.

Laura Ekstrand is the Founder/Artistic Director of Vivid Stage in Summit, NJ. Her full-length plays include Life's Work, A Certain Age, What Stays (w/Jason Szamreta), Whatever Will Be, The Neighborhood (Book/Lyrics), Brink of Life (Book). Adaptations: Astonishment, How to be Old, At 93. Short plays: Not Ready, Catching Some Air, Stung, Moment of Truth, A Christmas Match, Horoscope, Bob. Laura is also an actor and director, and holds a BA from Yale University in Theatre Studies and an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College in Theatre. Member: AEA, SAG-AFTRA, Dramatists Guild.

Vivid Stage will require all visitors to show proof of vaccination and a photo ID for all events, and to mask throughout their time in the facility. Proof of vaccination may include a valid paper vaccination record, a photo of a valid vaccination record, the NJ Docket App, or equivalent app from your state.

The Neighbor Project will appear at Vivid Stage at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit on March 9 at 7 pm. The reading will take place on the second floor; please contact us in advance if accommodation is required. The event is free, but reservations are recommended: call 908-514-9654 or email info@vividstage.org. The theatre at Oakes Center is wheelchair accessible. The parking lot is accessible from Ashwood Avenue, behind the theatre. For information on any of Vivid Stage's programs, please call 908-514-9654, www.vividstage.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.