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JCTC to hold a charity concert on March 24 followed by film screenings on April 8

Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) and Ukrainian JC, together with Ukrainian and Jersey City artists, unite for #StandWithUkraine Charity Concert on Thursday, March 24, 6:00 p.m. E.T., at JCTC Studios (165 Newark Avenue, Jersey City). Tickets are $50, and all proceeds support the people of Ukraine, children, refugees, and impacted artists living here and in Ukraine. 

Featured Artists

Ukrainian Village Voices (Ukraine)

Olena Jennings (Ukraine)

Vasyl Makhno (Ukraine)

Susan Justiniano / RescuePoetix (Jersey City Poet Laureate)

Oksana Rosenblum (Ukraine)

Fima Chupakhin and Acoustic Quartet (Ukraine)

Sylvana Joyce (Jersey City)

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The evening features a documentary film screening and gallery art exhibition featuring students†work 

JERSEY CITY—October 14, 2021—Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) hosts a gallery art exhibition opening and short documentary film screening of “Sister Cities: Discovering Common Threads” featuring the work of 2021 Jersey City Summer Youth Mural Arts Program participants on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at White Eagle Hall (337 Newark Ave., Jersey City).

The Jersey City Summer Youth Mural Arts Program is a hands-on, intensive muralist workshop for young artists led by fine artist and filmmaker Duda Penteado fine artist and muralist Catherine Hart, both from Jersey City. Thirty students ages 13 to 25 participated in 2021’s six-week program, chosen from a pool of over 100 applicants. The student artists installed a 100-foot by 30-foot mural at James J. Ferris High School (35 Colgate St., Jersey City), inspired by the 22 sister cities across 19 countries with whom Jersey City has a sister city relationship.

“Sister Cities: Discovering Common Threads,” a short documentary film directed by Penteado and produced by Unshakeable Productions, captures the creative process of the student artists, who formed small teams to work on specific sections of the wall. Throughout the six weeks, participants received instruction on public art techniques, concept development, surface preparation, design enlargement, paint application, and preservation of outdoor art.

“The mural is meant to inspire dialogue within the community of Jersey City. The students worked together with the art instructors putting together the final layout that would be placed on the wall, selecting inspiring figures, places, and cultural elements from the different cities and countries,” said Penteado. “The program instills in students a comprehensive work ethic that is essential to a future career as professional artists,” adds JCTC’s executive producer Olga Levina.

This is a free event; advance registration is encouraged: https://www.seetickets.us/event/JC-Youth-Mural-Program/449065. A cash bar will be available, along with complimentary hors d’oeuvres. In addition, attendees can purchase student art.

2021 program participants are as follows: Ysabelle Abis, Roshard Ali, Cheyne Anderson, Dawson Anderson, Imani Anighoro, Coda Camaya, Frank Gadson, Viktoria Gaiser, Rakeelah Gardner, Claire Goldfinger, Barbara Gochis, Leigh Isaac, Nicole Isaac, William Kunga, Muhammad Masood, Amina Masum, Ria Monga, Exodus Medina, Phoenix Medina, Maya Phillips, Colby Reed, Zhania Scull, Muhammad Shahid, Isha Sidibay, Eja Simms, Nina Uy, and Sandra Youssef. 

The program team includes Brooke Hansson, Director, Jersey City Mural Arts Program; Duda Penteado, Creative Director, Jersey City Youth Summer Public Art Program; Catherine Hart, Assistant Creative Director, Jersey City Youth Summer Public Art Program; Maya Sanders, Artist and Senior Project Coordinator; LucPaul Adams, Artist and Junior Project Coordinator; and Bukola Adeleye, Artist and Junior Project Coordinator.

About Jersey City Mural Arts Program

Jersey City Mural Arts Program’s mission is to activate and inspire through public art. Since 2013, over 200 large-scale murals have been painted throughout the city by a mix of local, national, and international artists. For more information: https://jcmap.org/

About Jersey City Theater Center 

Founded in 2006, Jersey City Theater Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization committed to inspiring conversations about important issues of our times through the arts. For more information: https://jctcenter.org

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  By Sally Deering

A life in art, thatâ€s exactly what William La Rosa set out to do in his 30-year tenure as Director of the Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs. Before retiring in September 2017, La Rosa facilitated programs that helped local visual and performing artists. He founded the Local Arts Program (LAP) grants that, over the years, provided thousands of dollars to local artists and arts organizations.

On Tuesday, June 26, from 6:30-10 pm, the Jersey City Theater Center will honor La Rosa contribution to Hudsonâ€s art scene with an award for Lifetime Achievement in Arts and Culture. The event also celebrates JCTCs 12-Year Anniversary and will be held at White Eagle Hall on Newark Ave in Jersey City. The $100 ticket price includes open bar, hot & cold hors d’oeuvres and jazz from the Hudson Banks Trio.

“Bill La Rosa always saw the arts as a means to unite the community,” Olga Levina, Artistic Director of JCTC says. “As Director of the Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs, Bill always came from a place of love for the arts and respect for artists, giving them the attention they deserve. No arts organization can stand alone, and Bill has been a supporter of JCTC from the very beginning. It is an honor for JCTC to give our first lifetime achievement award to someone who made a difference in the arts in Hudson County and New Jersey.”

La Rosaâ€s support, consultation and encouragement to arts organizations and artists in Hudson never wavered. A graduate of New Jersey City University and New York University, La Rosa served as Vice President of the Association of New Jersey County Cultural & Historic Agencies, and as a member of the New Jersey Center for Hospitality and Tourism Advisory Council. In 2000, he was acknowledged by a Joint Legislative Resolution from the New Jersey State Senate and General Assembly for “meritorious record of service, leadership, and commitment on behalf of the New Jersey tourism industry.”  He is the recipient of various community service and New Jersey Association of Counties awards, served as the Chairperson of the Product Development Committee for the New Jersey White House Conference on Tourism Task Force (1993), is a member of the County Open Space Trust Advisory Board, and Chairperson of the Hudson County Public Art Commission.

If you go

Tues, June 26, 6:30-10 pm, Tix $100
12-Year Anniversary Celebration

White Eagle Hall
335-337 Newark Ave, JC

(201) 795-5386

To purchase tix: JCTCenter.org

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8 Choreographers Explore ‘Resistance†at White Eagle Hall

By Sally Deering

 Instead of performing on a stage away from the audience, the new dance show, OUT OF BOUNDS, curated by dancer-choreographer Meagan Woods of Jersey City, will have dancers moving on stage and in the audience.

The curtain goes up on OUT OF BOUNDS on Sat, June 2, at 8 pm and will feature eight choreographies by eight New Jersey dancer-choreographers, including Woods. The show goes on at White Eagle Hall, an extension of the Jersey City Theater Center, where Artistic Director Olga Levina invited Woods to curate a dance show that would engage the audience.

“Out of Bounds has some of the most incredible dancers and choreographers that have come together to celebrate dance and the Jersey City community,” Levina says. “Meagan has always embraced the community and in turn the community embraces her.”

OUT OF BOUNDS features Robert Mark Burke, Lauren Connolly, Katelyn Halpern, Joe Monteleone, Morgan Refakis, Nick Sciscione and Heather Warfel. Each dance was created or selected specifically for Resistance, JCTCâ€s current thematic series. JCTC selects topics global in scope yet relevant to the community then explores this theme through a variety of art genres, including visual arts, readings, theatre and dance.

“To design the evening, I reached out to choreographers who I really admire,” Woods says. “Each of their styles is bold, rich and engaging, I chose an evening that will be varied. Weâ€re using the space in a unique way. The dancers will be performing on two levels: the main floor space and the elevated stage space. It will be a great way to experience the show.”

Although the performances will be immersive, Woods says, the show is not interactive.

“The production will be clean, polished and choreographed,” Woods says. “There wonâ€t be a lot of direct interaction. Itâ€s a nice touch.”

Woods holds a BFA from Rutgers University, and in 2010, she co-founded New Jerseyâ€s largest annual modern dance festival, Your Move, and was given the Dance NJ Jete Award for her work.

The show will be followed by a reception at White Eagle Hall where audiences can meet the Out of Bounds performers.

 â€œThis dance concert offers boundless performances, defying categories with raw, expansive movement inventions,” Woods says. “Out of Bounds offers a nod to the evening’s content and structure: dancers, and audience members, engage without confines in a concert that explores nearness, escapism, rebellion, and impending change.”

If you go
Saturday June 2, 8 pm

OUT OF BOUNDS

White Eagle Hall
335-337 Newark Ave, JC
(201) 795-5386
For tix, go to: www.JCTCenter.org

Tix:$15 – $20

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Art House Productions’ hit show “In Full Color” is back for Women’s History Month with 20 more women of color from across the nation sharing their stories through monologues, poetry, song and dance.

“In Full Color” has four shows — Thursday, February 16th, Friday, February 17th, Saturday, February 18th at 8 PM and Sunday, February 19th at 3 PM. These performances will be at Transmission, 150 Bay St. Jersey City, NJ 07302, near the Grove Street PATH Station. Advance ticketing for General Admission is $12 and $18 at the door and $10 for Students/Seniors in advance and $12 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at http://www.arthouseproductions.org.

This year, “In Full Color” features women in California, Maryland and Virginia joining Tristate talents. Participants include Yhá Mourhia Wright, Sholeh Wolpe, Amel Khalil, Venida Cheryl Rodman Jenkins, Purvi Patel, Eileen Ramos, Diana Burbano, Yvonne Hernandez, Amanda Andrei O’Connor, Sarah Teed, Paula Ralph Birkett, Sky Ortiz, Ashlei Hardenburg,Tuere Ganges, Audrey Martells, Nancy Méndez-Booth, Dena Igusti and director Summer Dawn Hortillosa. Also, this yearâ€s winning graphic design is by local artist Shirin Terhune Vazir.

There will also be a contemporary dance number opening the show choreographed and performed by Autumn Perez and set to “Stop the World” by up-and-coming recording artist Donna Missal. Missal, who has performed around the country at festivals including Riot Fest in Denver and Chicago, has been featured on multiple music blogs and websites like Billboard and the Fader and has reached the top ten on Spotifyâ€s Viral chart and Hype Machine with her hit single “Keep Lying.”

Hortillosa, who created the concept for the show, says this year is about strength and hope.

“Last year, we almost had to cancel In Full Color when Art House Productions was flooded just weeks before we opened, but two things pulled us through to have yet another sold-out year — first, was community strength. Through the generosity and aid of BGT Enterprises, Jersey City Theater Center and other local sponsors, we were able to literally rise above the tide. Second, of course, was the courage and determination of our incredibly talented cast.

“In 2017, women of color around the country are facing their own tidal waves. Many of us are unsure about the future of our health, our happiness, our human rights. But what we can be sure about is the strength and support of the community around us, and of the strength within ourselves. And I am thrilled to have found the women of this year’s cast, whose stories will surely move, entertain and inspire.”

Audiences will also be able to purchase merchandise to support the program including the In Full Color anthology, a collection of monologues from the show’s first two seasons.

Proceeds will support Thinking In Full Color, an educational outreach offshoot that has brought In Full Color alumnae to schools and community centers. Previous venues include: WORD Bookstores (where the anthology is carried!), Hunter College, Rutgers University, the Jersey City Art & Studio Tour, New Jersey City University, TEDxJerseyCity and Raritan Valley Community College.

Art House Productions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to the development and presentation of performing and visual arts programs in Jersey City, NJ. Art House presents theater, music, visual art, and dance programming as well as and the citywide arts festival, JC Fridays. For more information about our programs, please visit our website at www.arthouseproductions.org.

For accessibility requests and inquiries, please contact info@arthouseproductions.org or call 201-915-9911.

Made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, A Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; administered by the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development, and by the County of Hudson, Thomas A. DeGise, Hudson County Executive, and the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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Actors, playwrights, choreographers, musicians – artists who have longed for a new performance venue in Jersey City will be happy to learn two new spaces are opening up on Newark Ave: Merseles Studios on the second floor of the Monaco Lock building, and White Eagle Hall which is being renovated from a Turn-of-The 20^th Century meeting hall to a space for rock ‘n†roll just like Hobokenâ€s former icon Maxwellâ€s.

Together, Merseles Studios and White Eagle Hall stand under the umbrella of the newly-formed Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC), which is under the leadership of Artistic Director Olga Levina and Executive Director Ben LoPiccolo – both married to the project and each other. The coupleâ€s dream of offering Jersey City artists new performance venues to express their art is a personal as well as professional achievement and the beginning of a journey that will likely be as interesting as the artists performing there.

“We want to build a performing and visual arts center to produce strong progressive works that tackle the issues of our times,” Levina says. “We are preserving historical identity and uniting community and together that improves the quality of life here in Jersey City. I wanted to help Jersey City artists express themselves and tell their stories.”

On Sat, April 26 Merseles Studios debuts as a community performance space with a gala and showcase of four theater, music and dance pieces in PERSONAL & UNIVERSAL.  The show features local artists like blues musician Ladell Mclin and dancer/movement artist Myssi Robinson in EUGENE, a multi-disciplinary exploration of spirit, music and movement. The duo recently debuted the piece at the Hudson County Womenâ€s History Month program in the Brennan Court House in Jersey City.

EUGENE, written by Mclin is based on his great-grandmother who raised him in Chicago. The blues virtuoso hails from a musical family, his father and brother are drummers and his great-grandfather played trumpet with Billie Holliday.

“I perform in theaters, concert halls, festivals — Jersey doesnâ€t produce that for us,” Mclin says. “We donâ€t even have a performance hall or a music venue– thatâ€s very sad.”

Thatâ€s why a new performance venue for artists is an exciting event, Maclin says, and he credits Levina for offering artists a comfortable place to create.

“Olga is so connected to the arts; she makes us feel comfortable to present our art there,” Mclin says. “She recognizes good, fine art because sheâ€s a fine artist herself.”

Also on the program for Merseles Studios†premiere on April 26th are SO WHAT IF I LOVED YOU, a series of monologues about a woman haunted by memories of a previous lover written by and starring Summer Dawn; NEW MUSIC by Jersey City-based singer/songwriter Kelly Saint Patrick; and REQUIEM FOR THE MAIDEN by Natalia Vorozhbit, adapted for the stage and directed by Sergei Grabbe. This theater-piece explores the political conflict in Ukraine and is based on actual interviews with protestors and citizens affected by and involved with the ongoing social unrest.

“This material is timely and universal,” Grabbe says after a morning of auditions in the theater space.

A teacher and actor originally from the Ukraine and now residing in Bergen County, Grabbe reached out to Levina when he learned she and LoPiccolo were creating a new theater center. After the gala, all the performers will have their own run of shows at Merseles Studios as JCTC plans the new season.

“We selected Personal & Universal as the theme of our first official event because it describes how artists give voice to a community,” Levina says. “We have talented artists from all disciplines living in Jersey City and a community that enthusiastically supports the arts. Merseles Studios is a place where community and artists come together for a dialogue.”

ARTISTS†STUDIOS AND GALLERY

Personal & Universal is also the debut of the Merseles Studio Gallery – a permanent art gallery showcasing regional and Jersey City artists. The opening exhibition is part of the event and is curated by Thomas John Carlson, Visual Arts Director of JCTC and founder of the Jersey City Arts School, which offers classes in drawing, painting, photography – even glass-blowing.

“This is an opportunity to give exposure to local artists and their work,” Carlson says. “The gallery will set the tone of quality and thought-provoking work that JCTC will bring to its multi-faceted art programming and future gallery events.”

 Artists interested in contacting Carlson regarding gallery submission guidelines can reach him at merselesstudios@gmail.com.

PERFORMANCES FOR CHILDREN, TOO!

Plays for children are also on JCTCs schedule and on May 11^th, JCTC-KIDS presents Puppetworks, a company of marionettes from Brooklyn in a production of CINDERELLA playing at Merseles Studios every other Sunday through July. Shows will be at 12:30 and 2:30 pm.

WHITE EAGLE, POLISH MEETING HALL TO ROCK N ROLL

The larger JCTC project which is currently under construction is White Eagle Hall, a 400-seat theater/music hall which will present plays, concerts, dance, films and educational programs. It will also house two restaurants: Madame Claude owners Alice Troletto and Mattias Gustafsson will open Madame Claude Bis that will seat about 80 and Todd Abramson, formerly of Maxwellâ€s and now JCTCs music coordinator will wear the hat of restaurateur when he and his partners open the tentatively-named Bingo, a 200-seater that will serve American cuisine.

Fallow since 2004 and built originally in the early 1900s as a place for local Polish immigrants to celebrate their heritage by a Polish priest of St. Anthonyâ€s parish. It boasts two beautiful stained-glass windows in the ceiling, one depicting the likeness of Chopin, the other a portrait of opera singer Marcella Sembrich. After it stopped being a meeting hall, St. Maryâ€s basketball coach Bobby Hurley used it for his star-teamâ€s practice sessions and throughout the years all the historic details became covered up in wood panels and dropped ceilings, LoPiccolo says. In the planning for the past three years to become a theater and performance space, White Eagle Hall is now in bare form, void of artifice and naked in its natural beauty: red-bricked walls, staircases and original iron balustrades screening a planned lounge upstairs. The floors are yet to be done but itâ€s easy to see LoPiccolo is paying close attention to every detail as he transforms the building into a thriving performance space.

“BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) and LaMama – thatâ€s where weâ€re coming from,” Lo Piccolo says.

 If you go:

Sat, April 26; Doors open 6 pm; Reception precedes performance at 7 pm

JCTC presents at Merseles Studios

PERSONAL & UNIVERSAL

339 Newark Ave

(2^nd floor of Monaco Lock building)

Jersey City

www.jctcenter.org

Tix: $15; $20 at the door

For tix go to: www. brownpapertickets.com

 

The post ARTS EXPRESS- Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) Opens Merseles Studios with Dance, Music, Drama and There’s More to Come! first appeared on River View Observer.

The plays the  thing…

HUDSONALL.ORG

c/o Debaun Center for the Performing Arts, Steven Institute of Technology Castle Point on Hudson, Hoboken,   New Jersey 07030

Since 2005, a number of theater companies in Hudson County, New Jersey casually discussed forming a group of all the theaters in the area. In January 2007, six companies took the next step – they met and formally discussed the benefits of such a theater alliance, not only to the member theaters but also the arts community in Hudson County on a whole. The conclusion was unanimous and the Hudson County Theatre Alliance (HCTA) was formed.

Members of the Hudson County Theater Alliance

Jersey City

The mission of the Hudson County Theater Alliance so to forster collarboration, cooperation and audience developement among our members with the4 goal of creating rich, vibrant, and varied theatrical experiences throughout our community.

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