Category Archives: Live On Stage

Live On Stage

HALLOWEEN CANDY- ATTIC ENSEMBLE OPENS 44TH SEASON WITH ‘BLITHE SPIRIT’ – NOEL COWARD’S DELICIOUS COMEDY

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 By Sally Deering 

noel coward w cig
Noel Coward

 

New York’s Broadway and London’s West End resuscitated Noel Coward’s 1941 farce BLITHE SPIRIT, last season, with the iconic Angela Lansbury in the role of the eccentric Madame Arcati.

Jersey City’s Attic Ensemble follows in those theatrical footsteps as it ushers in its 44th season with this kooky supernatural stage comedy – just in time for Halloween.

 

attic ensemble logo
Attic Ensemble Opens 44th Season with
Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward

Forty-four years bringing theater to the locals is no small feat and Attic Ensemble keeps the curtain rising even though financially the troupe could use some help filling the coffers. The last few years have been tough-going for the little theater company and there were times the artistic team led by president Billy Mitchell thought the company would be closing its doors for good. But the last two shows attracted large audiences, so the plays go on and hopefully this upswing will lead to a theater angel who may want to adopt the troupe. Continue reading HALLOWEEN CANDY- ATTIC ENSEMBLE OPENS 44TH SEASON WITH ‘BLITHE SPIRIT’ – NOEL COWARD’S DELICIOUS COMEDY →

General, Live On Stage, Local Happenings

LIVE THEATER -A FROG, DETECTIVE AND HAMLET, TOO!

   Kooky Characters Come to Life as Local Live Theaters Begin New Seasons

 BY SALLY DEERING

 

Clay and Sandy Cockrell Production Director at J CITY Theater rehearse a scene from APARTMENT 3 A
Clay and Sandy Cockrell Production Director at J CITY Theater rehearse a scene from APARTMENT 3 A

Culture flourishes in Hudson with art, music and dance performances happening throughout its cities. We also have some terrific live theater groups putting on shows for adults and kids and the new season is now kicking off, like J CITY Theater’s production of APARTMENT 3A. Along with J CITY Theater, the Attic Ensemble in Jersey City is celebrating 43 years as a community theater and the Mile Square Theatre in Hoboken opens its season with a wink to the kids in its production of the Broadway play A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD.

Here’s a closer look at some local theater companies and their upcoming shows. Why not check out a performance or two? You’ll be supporting local theater and those artists who may work in the cultural milieu of New York City and who also nourish the cultural fabric of Hudson’s  community

CRAZY DOES IT ON LIVE TV

Producing Director of the J CITY Theater Clay Cockrell and his wife Sandy Cockrell, who is the company’s Artistic Director are thrilled to be back on the boards after almost a year-long hiatus brought on by Hurricane Sandy. (See our interview with Clay Cockrell following this story.)

This marks J CITY Theater’s 8th season of presenting popular and contemporary plays on the stage of the theater which is located in the basement of St. Michael’s RC Church facing Hamilton Park in Jersey City. The company recently opened its season with APARTMENT 3A, a romantic comedy about a public television employee who loses her faith in God, men and public broadcasting.  As the heroine takes a ride on the romance rollercoaster, she eventually has an on-camera meltdown during a pledge drive which leads to pandemonium and hilarity. The play runs through Oct. 26 and features Sandy Cockrell, Stephen Hope, Randall Marquez and Clay Cockrell. Stage Manager is Jack Vandewark and Tech Director is Nick Probst; Jacquelyn Bird is choreographer. Continue reading LIVE THEATER -A FROG, DETECTIVE AND HAMLET, TOO! →

Live On Stage

An Evening of Blues at the Monroe Center September 22nd

MusicThe Monroe Center in conjunction with the Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation will present ‘An Evening Of Blues’ on Sunday, September 22 from 5pm to 8pm. This Blues event will take place on the second floor in The Monroe Center Theater Space at 720 Monroe Street, Hoboken N.J. Blues virtuoso Gary Wright, Roots and Blues  will perform the music of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Mississippi Fred McDowell and many more influential Blues artists. An educational multi media presentation will be screened documenting the history of Blues artists and their influence on popular music.

Blues artists who bring their instruments and wish to jam with the band, will be admitted free.

Parking is free. Tickets: $ 40.00.

Discounted Tickets Are Available At $ 10 For A Limited Time at the Monroe Center.

For further information contact The Monroe Center: 201 795 5000

E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

 

Live On Stage

Attic Ensemble Auditions for DETECTIVE STORY about Police Station

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 A fascinatingly realistic picture of routine cases brought into a bustling metropolitan police station in the course of an evening
ae-sandThe Attic Ensemble, Theater for a New Jersey City, announces auditions for Detective Story by Sidney Kingsley. The play will be directed by Billy Mitchell. Auditions are Monday, September 30 and Wednesday October 2 at 7:30 pm at the Historic Barrow Mansion, 83 Wayne Street, Jersey City. Callbacks will be held on Wednesday October 3rd, if needed.
We are casting: 16 men and 6 women. There will be doubling and multiple casting.
MEN:
PATROLMAN KEOGH/BARNES (20s-30s); CHARLIE (30s-40s) – Burglar
LEWIS (20s-30s) – Burglar; DET. McLEOD (40s); DET. DAKIS (40s-50s)
DET. CALLAHAN (30s); DET. O’BRIEN (50s); DET. BRODY (40s)
DET. GALLAGHER (30s-40s); ENDICOTT SIMS (30s-40s) – Lawyer
ARTHUR KINDRED (20s) – Former GI; DR. SCHNEIDER (40s) – Gardener/Abortionist
LT. MONOGHAN (50s-70s); JANITOR / PHOTOGRAPHER / MR. FEENEY (40s-60s)
TAMI GIACOPETTI / MR. GALLANTZ (30s); MR. PRITCHETT / CRUMB BUM (40s-50s)
WOMEN:
JO FEINSON (30s-50s) – Reporter; SHOPLIFTER (20s-30s); SUSAN CARMICHAEL (20s);
MARY McLEOD (30s);  MRS. FARRAGUT / MRS. FEENEY / LADY (40s-60s);
MRS. BAGATELLE / MISS HATCH / INDIGNANT CITIZEN (20s-30s) Continue reading Attic Ensemble Auditions for DETECTIVE STORY about Police Station →
General, Live On Stage, Local Live Theater

Art House Productions presents- Font of Knowledge a noir comedy

FONTA washed-up word jockey and a sexy librarian team up to stop the world’s deadliest font from falling into the clutches of the Commies in this mash-up of 1950s genres, from noir to sci-fi.

PERFORMANCE DATES
Thurs – Sat, June 20-22 at 8pm
Sun, June 23 at 4pm
Thurs – Fri, June 27-28 at 8pm
Sat, June 29 at 7pm**

SPECIAL EVENTS
** Saturday, June 29: Special 7pm show followed by
the Art House Summer Blowout,  our annual end-of-season party w/live music, food, raffles & more ($10)

TICKETS
$18 general admission
$12 students/seniors

VIP TICKETS
$25 VIP seats with Complimentary Refreshments (limited availability)

$35 VIP Opening Night Reception
Includes a pre-show wine & cheese reception
at Madame Claude Wine (7pm)
and premium seating

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE:
http://fontofknowledge.brownpapertickets.com

STARRING
Baltsar Beckeld, Lindsay Brill, Terence MacSweeny*, Paul Nugent*,
Alexandra Pflaster, Elena Zazanis* Continue reading Art House Productions presents- Font of Knowledge a noir comedy →

General, Live On Stage

Make ‘Em Laugh- Stand Up Comedy at Art House Productions, Jersey City

Rich_Kiamco_stage_shot_IMG_5575 by Sally Deering

It’s April and maybe you could use a few good laughs to cheer up those IRS blues. Then why not head over to Art House Productions in Jersey City on Sat, April 27 for a night of stand-up comedy featuring Mike Britt. Host Rich Kiamco, who runs the comedy nights at Art House Productions, promises it will be an evening of topical comedy not “Photoshop commentary”.

“The show is great,” Kiamco says. “This is almost our third year at Art House. The show has a following; it’s a good time. There’s always a headliner from ‘The Tonight Show’ or Comedy Central.”

Living in Hudson offers plenty of resources to inspire laughs, Kiamco says, especially when the comedy is based on natural disasters.

“We had two disaster shows, one right after Hurricane Sandy and one after the blizzard,” Kiamco says, “The place was packed.” Continue reading Make ‘Em Laugh- Stand Up Comedy at Art House Productions, Jersey City →

Live On Stage

Jersey City Student Autumn Stiles Participates In Denison Production

GRANVILLE, OH (04/01/2013)(readMedia)– Autumn Stiles of Jersey City (07304) performed the role of a chorus member in “Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God,” which was presented over seven nights at Denison University’s Black Box Theatre.

The play reveals an epic story of remarkable love, incredible heists, an extraordinary dying wish and communities that know pride and keep faith. Award-winning Canadian playwright Djanet Sears has set this moving, poetic, and ultimately life-affirming drama in present-day Negro Creek, a 200-year-old black community in Western Ontario. Supporting the action of the play is a “chorus of souls,” ancestral beings who provide a window into African tradition and beliefs. Continue reading Jersey City Student Autumn Stiles Participates In Denison Production →

Cover Story, Live On Stage

Curtain Up! STAGEfest 2013 in Jersey City

Mar20thCoverRVO ONE TO USE      The Play’s the Thing at STAGEfest 2013, the Loew’s Jersey Theatre’s First Play Festival

By Sally Deering

In her prime, she was a real looker. Decked out in red velvet and adorned in crystal and gold, the Loew’s Jersey Theatre was a glamorous show palace when it opened in 1929. Today, the Loew’s is a New Jersey Registered Historic Site owned by Jersey City and after many years of restoration by the volunteer group Friends of the Loew’s, the movie palace has ‘come back to life’. Like an aging Ziegfeld showgirl with gorgeous gams. the Loew’s is a grandly vintage venue for film festivals, film retrospectives – even weddings – and for the first time this month, the Loew’s will host its first every performing arts festival, STAGEfest 2013.  

Loew's Theatre, Jersey City hosting STAGEfest 2013 River View Observer
The beautiful lobby of
Loew’s Jersey Theatre
Jersey City, New Jersey

Starting Fri, Mar. 22 and running through Sun, Mar. 24, STAGEfest 2013 raises the curtain on a weekend of theatrical, dance and musical performances highlighting Hudson’s arts and artists.  The festival will feature three days of shows by local playwrights, musicians, dancers and solo-artists who will perform their works not just on the theater’s main stage, but also in its lobbies, salons, promenades and hallways. The weekend event also features a costume exhibit by Leading Lady Costumes and refreshments by local vendors in the Grand Lobby Café.

“This marks the return to live theatre – in addition to classic film and concerts,” says Colin Egan, Executive Director of Loew’s Jersey Theatre.  “We always said we wanted theatre to be part of the Loew’s, but with all the work of renovating it and running the other shows here, we kept putting it off. So STAGEfest is the first of an annual (and maybe more frequent) theatre festival the Loew’s will host.”

THE PRODUCERS

Coordinating the event with Egan and the Friends of the Loew’s volunteers are Christine Goodman, Founder of Art House Productions in Jersey City, and David Zimmerman, Executive Director of the DeBaun Center for Performing Arts at Steven’s Institute of Technology in Hoboken.  Zimmerman knows his way around play festivals; DeBaun formerly hosted the Hudson County One Act Play Festival. Continue reading Curtain Up! STAGEfest 2013 in Jersey City →

Live On Stage, Local Live Theater

STAGEfest 2013 at The landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Journal Square

danceteam    
Presents Sally Deering’s
One Act Play   
  ”SIT ON MY LAP”     
The play is about an old Vaudevillian and the reporter who
comes to interview him at the Actors’ Home —
              and its a comedy!!             
                                  Starring  William Cantor and hank morris
Directed by   dorcey winant –  Production Designer  David Bayne
Fri, Mar. 22, 7:30 pm, Tix $10

  Sat, Mar. 23, 12:30 pm, Tix $15
           Sun, Mar. 24, 4 pm, Tix $10
7:30 pm, Tix $10
For more info:  201-667-3636
                                             To Order Tix Online at Brown Paper Tickets
Live On Stage, Music Views

MUSIC -If You Play It, They Will Come – Union City Chamber Players Enchant Local Audiences with Classics

By Sally Deering

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOne of the great things about living in Hudson besides its close proximity to Manhattan is the community of artists who reside here and share their talents. Dancers, actors, singers, musicians, visual artists – you name it! – lots of creative folks who perform professionally call Hudson home and some even find time in their busy schedules to share their talents with local audiences, like the musical artists who call themselves the Union City Chamber Players.

 

Union City Chamber Players (L-to-R) Pianist Marina Korsakova-Kreyn, Violinist Peter Borten and Vocalist Bernadette LaFond

Violinist Peter Borten; mezzo-soprano Bernadette LaFond; and pianist Marina Korsakova-Kreyn are Union City residents and professional musicians who banded together to share their love for classical musical and their talents as classical musicians. At St. John’s Episcopal Church in Union City, recently, the trio presented a classical program, a “Love Concert” that featured Gounod’s “Ave Maria”; Mozart’s violin sonata K.526; French love songs by Faure and Massenet; Strauss’s “Stiller Gang” and Rachmaninoff’s “In the Silence of the Secret Night”. Continue reading MUSIC -If You Play It, They Will Come – Union City Chamber Players Enchant Local Audiences with Classics →