Two River Theater Donates Supply of N95 Masks and Gloves to Medical Professionals

As hospital workers on the front lines are in need of Personal Protective Equipment, Two River Theater has been quick to donate their supply of N95 masks and gloves to the Monmouth County Drop-Off Site, Riverview Medical Center and CareOne at King James.

Two River staff members wear N95 masks and gloves while building and constructing sets for each production throughout the season, preventing inhalation of particulates, specifically when they are cutting, routing, or sanding dustier materials such as MDF, certain lauans, or joint compound. They were able to donate 240 N95 masks and 3 boxes of nitrile gloves to the Monmouth County Drop-Off Site, 8 boxes of nitrile gloves and N95 respirator masks to Riverview Medical Center and 26 fabric face masks to CareOne at King James.

The theater's Costume Shop has also been busy sewing masks from home, using costume fabrics from past productions, such as Tony Award-nominated composer/lyricist Joe Iconis' Love in Hate Nation (2019) (photos attached), Dancing at Lughnasa (2018) and Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun (2017).They plan to donate a portion of these masks to the hospital workers at Riverview Medical Center.

"In the early phases of COVID-19, we had heard of people making homemade masks. As the need grew, especially in our community, we realized we could absolutely help out. Obviously, the fabric we have on hand is from shows we've done at the theater. It's interesting to see fabric that we've made blouses, head wraps, dresses, and aprons with repurposed into these masks that can help so many. Additionally, it's great to be able to put our skills to good use while we're home!" says Lesley Sorenson, Two River Theater's Costume Shop Supervisor.

In addition to donations, Two River has kept the love of theater going through curated digital content to share with audiences of all ages. Serving thousands of students and community members through arts and humanities programs at the theater, in schools, and throughout the region, it has been important to keep the community engaged during this time.

Below is a list of current online classes:

VIRTUAL CLASSES/PERFORMANCES

Check Two River's website and social media sites daily for artist features, at-home activities, crafts, classes, workshops and more. The theater encourages everyone at home to watch, share and engage with this content until everyone can once again gather together at their home in Red Bank. Upcoming Virtual Events include:

Website: tworivertheater.org/sceneattworiver/

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube: @tworivertheater

SHAKESPEARE SUNDAYS: Every Sunday in April at 3pm

Two River Theater celebrates the Bard's birth month with a FREE Shakespeare Sundays series, featuring directors, dramaturgs, and actors sharing their love of William Shakespeare. Classes are held on Zoom and reservations are required. To RSVP visit tworivertheater.org/whats-on/shakespeare-sundays/

Sunday, April 12: Adapting and Directing Shakespeare with Sara Holdren. The event will look at how a director approaches creating new adaptations of Shakespeare's plays for modern audiences, taking an exciting deep dive into the process of turning a 400-year-old text into a meaningful, immediate stage event. Sara Holdren, a director and teacher, is the Artistic Director/co-founder of Tiltyard theater company and was the lead theater critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com. She directed this season's production of Twelfth Night at Two River Theater, and directed and adapted The Comedy of Errors and Macbeth for Two River's A Little Shakespeare program.

How to access Zoom:

· One hour prior to class time, you will be emailed a Zoom link from Two River Theater.

· To access the Zoom meeting, please follow the prompts from the link. You will be asked to download the FREE mobile or desktop app before joining.

· Tickets: FREE

· Please note: You must RSVP before 2:00 PM on Sunday to be emailed the Zoom link.

PERFORMANCE VIDEO: A LITTLE SHAKESPEARE: MACBETH: Saturday, April 18 at 7pm

Two River will post their recorded performance of A Little Shakespeare: Macbeth from the 2018/19 season. Two River's most popular education program, the production features a cast of area high school students, in a 75-minute adaptation of Shakespeare's tale of witchcraft and ambition, adapted and directed by Sara Holdren.

COMMUNITY POETRY NIGHT: CONNECTION - Saturday, April 25 at 7pm

Continuing Two River's popular Poetry Night series, with a digital stage! A list of poems curated by the Artistic department will be made available for advanced signups from the public, with a reading event to follow on Zoom. Selected poems will follow the theme of "connection," drawing from a variety of artistic eras and poetic styles.

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