Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) announces a live-streamed staged reading of “Lockdown” from South African playwright Warren Nebe on Saturday, February 12, at 12:00 p.m. E.T. The play, directed by Jacquelyn de Villiers, continues JCTC’s Voices International Theatre Festival.  “Lockdown” explores the impact of violence on children, their innate relationship to the natural world’s healing powers, and how children’s voices matter. Using layers of South African theatricality and cyclical storytelling, Nebe weaves powerful messages of loss and grief, prejudice and violence, and fear and love.   “Voices International Theatre Festival connects local and global audiences through shared human experiences. Warren’s play is an incredible example of healing through the power of our imagination, stories, and theatre. Navigating trauma and finding faith are universal concepts that resonate with audiences and artists – now more than ever.” The origins of “Lockdown” emerged in the Unga Klara and Drama for Life Writing for Children’s Theatre Workshop that included mentorship for writers. In addition, prominent Swedish playwright, screenwriter, and theater dramaturg Erik Uddenberg mentored Nebe. The Embassy of Sweden (South Africa) and Arts Research Africa, University of the Witwatersrand supported the project. Cast and Crew Playwright: Warren Nebe Director: Jacquelyn de Villiers Stage Direction: Gys de Villiers Cast: Margie Pankhurst as Auntie Maddie (South Africa), Leila Henriques as Mom (South Africa), Tefo Omhile Paya as Taio (Botswana), and Zane Gillion as Anbu (USA). Following “Lockdown,” JCTC will present Deborah Vieyra’s play “The Bluebottles” on Saturday, March 12, and Palesa Mazamisa’s “Lazy Boy” on Saturday, May 14. Both live-streamed performances begin at 12:00 p.m. E.T.  Tickets ($10) are available for purchase at www.jctcenter.org. Accessibility accommodations for all events include closed captioning. In addition, a transcript can be made available in accessible large print or Braille, and sign language interpretation is also available upon request. 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.

The post Jersey City Thester Center Continues Voices International Theatre Festival with “Lockdown” first appeared on River View Observer.

Mile Square Theatreâ€s Playwright-in-Residence Debuts new Solo Show

 By Sally Deering

 A life in the theater can be a wonderful journey if he or she sticks it out long enough and for actor and playwright Joseph Gallo, his long dayâ€s journey in the theater continues to be mined with opportunities.  He just had two of his plays published by River City Books; and as playwright-in-residence at Mile Square Theatre (MST) in Hoboken, Gallo is about to debut his newest one-man show, LONG GONE DADDY directed by MST artistic director Chris Oâ€Connor. Performances begin July 20 and run through August 7 in the companyâ€s new theater on the corner of 14^th & Clinton.

Prior to this, Gallo workshopped his play Two-Man Kidnapping Rule at MST. It was later produced by the New Ohio Theatre in New York, and published in Smith & Krausâ€s anthology 2012 Best Menâ€s Stage Monologues and Scenes. As a solo writer/performer Gallo appeared in the original production of his one-man show My Italy Story at Penguin Rep in Stony Point, NY, which later had its debut Off-Broadway at the 47th Street Theatre in New York, starring Danny Mastrogiorgio (“…a compelling page turner.”—The New York Times). An avid storyteller, Gallo won a StorySLAM championship at The Moth in NYC.

As a teacher, Gallo founded and developed Hudson County Community Collegeâ€s Theatre Arts program where he serves as Coordinator of Theatre and Film. He is the 2016 recipient of the Lincoln Center Prize for Innovative Teaching in Theatre. Gallo holds an MFA in Playwriting from Ohio University; and grew up in Linden, New Jersey. He a long-time Hoboken resident where he lives with his wife and daughter.

Since late 2014, Gallo has been perfecting LONG GONE DADDY, performing scenes on a ‘salon tour†of interested backers†homes to raise money for MSTs new theater space. After more than a year of refining the work, Gallo says heâ€s ready for the stage and a bigger audience to tell his latest story.

RVO:  What is LONG GONE DADDY about?

JG: The character Iâ€m playing is a fictional creation, an alter ego of mine. The entire thrust of the play is this character who is completely reluctant to be a father. He just doesnâ€t want to be a father, and that is completely one hundred percent not my life. My wife and I wanted, we planned, and we had a child. Its that simple.

RVO:  Is LONG GONE DADDY autobiographical?

JG: There are strokes of the play that are real; and its emotionally autobiographical. Iâ€m quoting from my own book now: itâ€s semi-autobiographic; it has the authority of fact and the freedom of fiction.  Audiences are obsessed with what is true and what isnâ€t true. My most basic answer is that life doesnâ€t play out in three perfect acts. If you are handcuffed to the details of your life, you come up short with plot points and conflict (when writing the play).

RVO: How did you come to write LONG GONE DADDY?

JG: After my wife got pregnant I started to keep a notebook. I knew life was going to change, so I thought Iâ€ll keep the journal through the first year of my kidâ€s life. From the moment of my wifeâ€s pregnancy to my childâ€s first birthday. I did that and then I closed that notebook. Most of what was in that notebook, is all I needed (for the play). But I had so much on my plate at the time, I didnâ€t get back to it for a couple of years. Then I opened my notebook and I realized this is the same character as “My Italy Story” (Galloâ€s first one-man show). I had not intended to revisit this character, but then suddenly I sat down, and it was that character spinning the yarns.

RVO:  And are you ready for opening night on July 20?

JG: Yes! Rehearsals are going well. Director Chris Oâ€Connor is terrific to work with, and now the tech team has to catch up with me. I started working on the lines in mid-May so I came into rehearsals off book. Jeff Daniels did that for the play BLACKBIRD and I thought his performance was extraordinary. It was a physically demanding show, and he said he got off book right away because it was one less thing he had to focus on. I saw the director and asked how Jeff Daniels prepared and the director said he runs the entire show every morning. I asked, is he married? The director said, “no”.  Does he have kids? “No.” Well then, of course he can run through it every morning. (laughing)

RVO:  Didnâ€t you just get your solo shows published?

JG: Yes. LONG GONE DADDY along with MY ITALY STORY were published last week by River City Books.

RVO:  How do you juggle both acting and playwriting?

JG:  Iâ€ve always done both, and my entire life has been a push and pull between those two things. Initially I was an actor and wanted to write screenplays. It wasnâ€t till I joined the Waterfront Ensemble in Hoboken that I became a playwright. I canâ€t understate the amount of credit they deserve for my development. We had the top floor of the YMCA on Washington Street. It was a huge group of writers like Rosemary McLaughlin, Andrew Young, David Crespy. So there it was, a great breeding ground for acting and writing. Every week Iâ€d bring in new work and the group would read it and actors would do it live in front of the group. Then afterwards, weâ€d all get a slice at Bennyâ€s (Benny Tudinoâ€s pizzeria), a few beers at Oâ€Reillyâ€s on Bloomfield, then go home and write all night. I gave myself one year to do my writing and then I would go back to acting if nothing panned out but I never went back. I used to say to my wife that when my hair goes gray Iâ€ll go back. My hair is now gray, so Iâ€m back.

RVO:  After the Waterfront Ensemble, you went to L.A?

JG:  I went to L.A. to write screenplays and TV stuff for five years.

RVO: And now youâ€re directing as well as acting and writing?

JG:  Yes. My wife and I have been collaborating on dance theater projects. In fact, weâ€re finishing up a three-part trilogy which will play Roulette in Brooklyn. Right now as we speak, sheâ€s creating and choreographing the third piece. So now, Iâ€m wearing the directorâ€s hat. But itâ€s not a matter of ‘am I this†or ‘am I thatâ€. Itâ€s not a career in the theater, itâ€s a life in the theater and to make a life is to do everything. You have to look at ‘aâ€, what opportunities are there; and ‘bâ€, what are you passionate about? I love the collaboration.

RVO:  Can you talk about the collaborative process in theater?

JG: Collaboration is the antithesis of being a playwright, which requires you to be in a room by yourself for a long time. The collaborative process fulfills something else in me.  I want to spend quality time with myself and I also want to go to the party and dance around with a lampshade on my head. (laughing.) Iâ€m a well-rounded guy.

If you go

LONG GONE DADDY runs July 20-August 7,

Thurs through Sat, 8 pm, Sun, 3 pm;

preview performance on Wed, July 20 at 8 pm

Mile Square Theatre

1400 Clinton St, HOB

Purchase tix at www.milesquaretheatre.org

The post LONG GONE DADDY -Actor, Playwright Joe Gallo of Hoboken debuts New Play on Fatherhood first appeared on River View Observer.

By Sally Deering

“A cursed bloodline. A family on the edge.  If this house could speak, what stories it would tell.”

 Thatâ€s the tagline for the new play THE HOUSE OF ATREUS which premieres Thursday, June 4, at Art House Productions in Jersey City. Itâ€s a collaborative work between Christine Goodman (Executive Director of Art House Productions) who wrote the piece, Mason Beggs, who directed, and choreographer Meagan Woods.

THE HOUSE OF ATREUS is an immersive and unconventional theater piece. Instead of putting the actors on stage and the audience in rows of seats to observe, the set takes up the entire theater with a chair and TV in one area, a broken down porch in another, and a dining room table at center. The audience enters through a haze of smoky fog and is encouraged to find a spot of their choosing to watch the play as it unfolds around them. This immerses the audience into the playâ€s action, which becomes part of the overall theater experience.

“The audience will be active observers,” Goodman says, sitting on set with Beggs and Woods during a break in tech rehearsal. “Weâ€re changing the audienceâ€s perspective.”

The playâ€s plot focuses on the main character Alan who returns home after serving in Iraq. He comes back only to find his house in ruins and his family broken and as war torn as the place he left behind.

“Itâ€s an exploration of family and the impact of war on family,” Goodman says. “At the heart, ‘The House of Atreus†is a cursed house and Alan has to manage the reality of this cursed home and piece together his family.”

THE PLAYâ€S THE THING

THE HOUSE OF ATREUS stars Amy Fulgham, Ema Lakovic, Gabby Gowdie, Adam Hassan, Quanda Johnson, and Adam Resnick as Alan, the war veteran returning home. He explains his character this way.

“Heâ€s a dutiful military man,” Resnick says. “He has a sense of belonging, but he has a few gaps in his family life.”

Throughout the play, music serves as an integral part of the action and at times, the lyrics of the songs by Shayfer James seem to represent the characters†inner-voices, things they want to say but canâ€t. .

“Shayferâ€s songs help with the tonality of the piece,” director Mason Beggs says. “”We knew of Shayfer and his music and it seemed like a good fit.”

Set Designer Andrea McKenna created the broken home Alan comes back to, and Lance A. Michel designed the playâ€s dreamlike lighting.

“The main structure of the play comes from the Greek trilogy ORESTEIA,” choreographer Meagan Woods says. “We put it in a contemporary setting and used the text and movement to develop the story.”

According to Wikipedia: “The ORESTEIA is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus concerning the end of the curse on the House of Atreus. The ORESTEIA was originally performed at the Dionysia festival in Athens in 458 BC, where it won first prize. The name derives from the character Orestes, who sets out to avenge his fatherâ€s murder.”

“Iâ€ve always been drawn to Greek plays,” Goodman says. “Itâ€s because the Greek drama goes where a lot of plays donâ€t dare to go. They take it to extremes.”

 Is THE HOUSE OF ATREUS unconventional theater? Yes. And Goodman says this type of theater fits in with the companyâ€s artistic mission.

“The heart of Art House is theater,” Goodman says. “Weâ€re passionate about new theater and providing a platform for new works to be seen.”

IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR

 This past year was Art House Productionâ€s 14^th season, and on July 1^st it celebrates its first year in its new Journal Square location. During the year, the company presented an eclectic mix of theater and performance pieces including “Your Move,” New Jerseyâ€s Modern Dance Festival; FAME, JR. and THE WIZARD OF OZ which were part of Stages! Theater Company for Youth; IN FULL COLOR: Stories by Women of Color in celebration of Womenâ€s History Month; and No Peeking Theaterâ€s THE SHAPESHIFTER.

Art House served as the opening weekend host venue for the Black Maria Film Festival; and was a gallery stop on the Jersey City Artists†Studio Tour. The INKubator, a professional script and screenwriting development lab for writers, actors and directors meets at Art House, and it also offers acting classes and dance classes for kids and adults. With all that, executive director Goodman also finds the time to organize JC FRIDAYS, a festival of the arts that takes place throughout Jersey City.

“Itâ€s been a tremendous year in our new location,” Goodman says, “filled with growth and new possibilities.”

If you go

Thurs, Fri, Sat, June 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 & 13 at 8 pm; Sun, June 7 at 4 pm THE HOUSE OF ATREUS

Art House Productions

136 Magnolia Ave, JC

(201) 915-9911

http://www.arthouseproductions.org

TIX: http://atreus.brownpapertickets.com/

$18 ($20/door)

The post HOUSE OF SHARDS-Art House Productions “The House of Atreus” an American Vet Returns Home to More Casualties first appeared on River View Observer.

By Sally Deering

Jersey Cityâ€s culture scene just got some competition. It seems Bayonne, its Hudson sister to the south has been going through a renaissance of sorts. Art galleries, theater companies and now a new performing arts pavilion are giving the city a cultural facelift.

Thereâ€s the JCC of Bayonneâ€s Fine Art Gallery currently featuring A COUPLE OF IMAGES, paintings and photographs by Bayonne residents and artists Billy Zbylut and Patty Mulligan; the Art Circle of Bayonne at the Bayonne Community Museum which has a Spring Art Show underway  featuring Bayonne artists; the new Bayonne Theater Company is hosting a gala on Thursday, May 21^, with its first show THE MUSIC MAN in pre-production; and a Bayonne performing arts pavilion which will host local theater, music and dance groups, as well as stars like Willie Nelson is breaking ground in a few weeks. .

“(The pavilion) is posed to be a great draw for Bayonne, and something that can be enjoyed by both residents and visitors alike,” a statement from the office of Bayonne Mayor James M. Davis states. “We are excited by the way things are progressing. A final signoff is set the beginning of next week, and we will know a lot more in the way of timelines, start dates, and an event schedule within the next couple of weeks.”

LAWN CHAIRS & MOZART

Bayonneâ€s  new performing arts pavilion will be approximately 30,000 square feet and hold up to 5,000 people, says project manager Robert Donnel of Donnel Benjamin Productions, a subsidiary of Medical Tourism TV, LLC, and former owner of the Meadowlands Convention Center in Secaucus. It will be set on a concrete foundation and feature a membrane that goes over giant arches, Donnel says. Much like the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, folks will be able to bring lawn chairs and blankets to watch the shows, and located a block from the waterfront, the location offers magnificent views of the Manhattan Skyline. Designed to be a temporary site for about three years, Donnel says, if successful, it may become a permanent structure.

Like Kevin Costner building a baseball field to attract ball players in the film FIELD OF DREAMS, Donnel says if you build a performing arts pavilion, they will come – especially New Jerseyians who may be reluctant to travel to Manhattan to pay high ticket prices and parking fees.

“New York is pretty much prohibitive,” Donnel says. “Here, you donâ€t have to go through the tunnel and pay for parking. I want to make clear, the pavilion is not just for Bayonne. Itâ€s much bigger than Bayonne. If you have the Boston Pops perform, youâ€re going to get people from everywhere.”

The pavilion will sit on approximately three acres of land near where the Marine Ocean Terminal was located, and a block from the Hudson-Bergen Light Railâ€s 34^th Street station. It will be capable of hosting events simultaneously; an expo or festival can take place in the expo area while audience members can relax on lawn chairs and enjoy a concert under the stars.

“The scale of it will be on the large side,” Donnel says. “Yes, it will be located in Bayonne, but it will have a greater impact on the area because of some of the acts we will bring in, big stars like Willie Nelson.”

Donnel says the project is in the “growing pains” stage and because there are no footsteps to follow in, he and his team are breaking new ground. The land where it will be located was part of the Marine Ocean Terminal where there was once a military base.

“If you go to Google Satellite and try to get coordinates, it doesnâ€t come up, there was never anything there before,” Donnel says.

Donnel credits Mayor Davis and the Bayonne Community Bank for supporting the Bayonne performing arts pavilion project.

“The Bayonne Community Bank, the people there are wonderful and very interested in the arts in Bayonne,” Donnel says. “With Mayor Davis, we saw a very enlightened person and decided to jump on board to bring a spectacular venue to an area that can really use this. Thereâ€s nothing like this in Hudson County.”

A THEATER GROWS IN BAYONNE

 After holding public meetings at a Chiropractic office, the Bayonne Theater Company makes an official debut at its ROCKIN†THE ARTS FUNDRAISER on Thurs, May 21 at the Bayonne Community Museum on 9^th & Broadway. Adam J. Semanchick, President of the newly-formed company says it was started to bring theater artists in the community together for a common cause – to put on shows and give the people of Bayonne another venue to connect.

For several years, Rich Dwyer of Bayonne has enjoyed the life of an actor in community theaters throughout New Jersey. Heâ€s played Lurch in THE ADDAMS FAMILY musical for the Stony Hill Players in Summit; and Riff Raff in THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW musical. Dwyer decided to get in on the planning stages with Semanchick and other Bayonne theater enthusiasts because, he says, thereâ€s a new Bayonne arts boom and he wants to be part of it.

“In the last three years, Iâ€ve done a lot of shows outside Hudson County,” Dwyer says, ‘and I was running into actors from Bayonne. Thereâ€s a lot of talent here. Last week I went to two art shows and they were packed, people spilling outside onto the sidewalk talking, discussing what they saw. Then they were off and on their way to the local restaurants. The New York Times once described Bayonne as a ‘fading blue collar community†but weâ€ve got a lot going on here. Local artists and performing artists are coming out and expressing what they have, and are being supported in a big way by the community.”

The company – which so far is about 40 people – will use the money from the May 21st Gala to put on its first show, THE MUSIC MAN by Meredith Wilson, tentatively scheduled for September. Meanwhile, itâ€s in the process of obtaining non-profit status and has applied for a 501 (c) (3). Financially, the goal is to raise $15,000 to cover the costs of tech equipment and produce the show.

“We have a vast amount of resources,” Semanchick says. “Bayonne has a viable future in the arts.”

If you liked this article LIKE our facebook page at www.facebook.com/riverviewobserver

IF YOU GO:

Bayonne Theater Company Gala

Thurs, May 21, 7-10 pm

Rockin†the Arts Fundraiser

Bayonne Community Museum

229 Broadway (9^th & Bâ€way)

Bayonne

For more info, tix: (201) 780-8378

Check them out on Facebook, too.

Bayonne Art Pavilion

www.bayonnenj.org

The post BAYONNE, THE NEW BOHO? first appeared on River View Observer.

Theater Company to Enrich Jersey Cityâ€s Cultural Life 

 By Sally Deering

Sometimes friendships lead to creative collaborations and nobody knows that better than Marsha Trice, Artistic Director of the Phoenix Ensemble theater company in Jersey City. Trice and several company members met taking acting classes and doing plays in college and now they are collaborating as producers, actors, costumers – you name it – as the Phoenix Ensemble once again becomes a viable theater venue on Jersey Cityâ€s cultural landscape.

Phoenix Ensemble began in the early 1990s and it has been on again-off again until recently, when the company regrouped with Trice as artistic director with co-founders Tony Wilkes, Oliver Pinkard, Michael Laval and Dave Robinson sharing the helm. Together with producer Michele Baldwin, the creative team supports Phoenix Ensembleâ€s mission to bring theater, workshops and classes to Jersey City residents, especially to kids and teens who need creative opportunities to express themselves.

“Theater gives people an outlet, a chance to bring out their inner selves,” Trice says. “Everybody has gifts. A lot of children have gifts, but some are shy and donâ€t know where to go, what to do with those gifts.”

On Sat, Feb. 28, at 12 noon at the Mary McLeod Bethune Center in Jersey City, the Phoenix Ensemble presents its first play of its play reading series, MOMMAâ€S PORCH, a drama by Greg McQueary about a 104 year-old southern woman who reminisces with a reporter about the people she saw pass by her porch. Some of the people were important figures in history. Karen Sweeting of Montclair plays Miss Sini, the older woman, Toni Gray of Jersey City plays her daughter Sissy, and Oliver Pinkard, a resident of Plainfield plays Mike Cordes the reporter who comes to get her story.

“Theater is an extension of real life,” Pinkard says. “At Phoenix, we want to entertain you and give you a message.”

Playing two roles for the company as producer and actor, Pinkard began honing his acting skills in a production of THE DUTCHMAN at the University of Nebraska in Omaha back in the 1970s. He met Trice when they were in Richard Adlerâ€s acting class in Manhattan and the two have remained friends and collaborators ever since.

Also a playwright, Trice wrote the last production put on by Phoenix Ensemble, IMPERFECT WOMEN OF THE BIBLE, a play about several Biblical women and their complicated lives.

“When I wrote it, I was dealing with issues of my own,” Trice says. “It was borne of my trying to find answers.”

Trice earned a BA in Media and Theater Arts from New Jersey City University. She retired after working many years for the Jersey City Board of Education where she taught drama in Public Schools No. 39 and No. 17. She was the drama teacher for New Jersey City Universityâ€s Upward Bound Program, and for many years she ran the drama ministry at the Abundant Joy Community Church where IMPERFECT WOMEN OF THE BIBLE was first presented.

In the future, Phoenix Ensemble plans to host acting and playwriting workshops, classes in filmmaking, and costume design, too. Meanwhile, they are at work on HIP HOP SHOP, a new musical debuting in June. A fundraising campaign is also in the works to raise money for the company and attract benefactors who will support Phoenix Ensembleâ€s programs.

“Jersey City is filled with undiscovered talented gems that only need a platform to shine,” Trice says. “Phoenix Ensemble is on the rise to help make that happen.”

If you go:

Sat, Feb. 28, 12 noon

MAMMAâ€S PORCH

Mary McLeod Bethune Center

140 Martin Luther King Drive

Jersey City

Admission:  $10 (donation)

(201) 376-9810 or (201) 220-7054

Email: phoenixtheaterinc@gmail.com

The post PHOENIX ENSEMBLE ON THE RISE first appeared on River View Observer.

 BY SALLY DEERING

 

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 Theaterâ€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.

Hereâ€s a closer look at some local theater companies and their upcoming shows. Why not check out a performance or two? Youâ€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 Hudsonâ€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 companyâ€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 Theaterâ€s 8^th season of presenting popular and contemporary plays on the stage of the theater which is located in the basement of St. Michaelâ€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.

J CITY Theater is a not-for-profit professional theater company based in Jersey City.  It is a founding company of the Hudson County Theatre Alliance (www.hudsonall.org) and has produced plays locally since 2006.  Recent productions include Archibald MacLeishâ€s J.B., Douglas Carter Beaneâ€s AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN, and last yearâ€s REGRETS ONLY. J CITY Theaterâ€s mission is ‘to create quality, high energy theater that is told with sophisticated simplicity.â€

 “We are thrilled to be starting our eighth season on a strong note with this rollercoaster production,” Clay Cockrell says. “We are proud to be part of the renaissance of Jersey City.”

 Look for a new holiday tradition at J CITY Theater – the return of the hit comedy TUNA CHRISTMAS. 

  WED-SAT, OCT 11 – 26 AT 8PM; Tix: $20

APARTMENT 3A

J CITY Theater

The Underground Theater at St. Michaels Church – Hamilton Park

252 Ninth Street

Jersey City

www.jcity.org

Tickets can be purchased through www.brownpapertickets.com; www.jcity.org ;

or by calling 800-838-3006

AMPHIBIAN FRIENDS FOREVER

In the childrenâ€s musical A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD by Robert and Willie Reale, two brothers who based their musical on the Frog and Toad childrenâ€s stories by Arnold Lobel, the story focuses on the friendship between Frog and Toad and their adventures with their woodland friends over the course of a year. It was the first-ever professional childrenâ€s show to be produced on Broadway and the production at Mile Square Theater is keeping with the companyâ€s mission to produce contemporary plays and classics.

This leading Northern New Jersey regional theater also teaches theater to children and adults in its vision to promote the performing arts and deepen the regionâ€s culture.

The company has begun its “Support the MST nextstage Capital Campaign!â€â€ to raise $50,000 to upgrade the space and improve seating and lighting equipment. A generous challenge grant from the Mason Family Civic League means each donation will go further to ensure Mile Square Theater reaches its goal.

Sat & Sun, Oct 5-20 at 2 & 5 pm; Sun at 11 & 3 pm

Tix: $22; Children & Seniors $12

A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD

Mile Square Theater

720 Monroe St

Hoboken
(201) 683-7014

www.milesquaretheatre.org

FREE PARKING

 YOU CANâ€T TAKE IT WITH YOU, HAMLET

DeBaun Center for Performing Arts in Hoboken celebrates its 15th Anniversary Season with events posted online in their Theater, Music, Eichorn Recital and Special Events Series. Highlights include Stevens Dramatic Societyâ€s production of YOU CANâ€T TAKE IT WITH YOU by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman in November and THE HAMLET PROJECT in February

 Thurs, Nov. 7 at 9 pm; Fri, Nov 8 at 8 pm; Sat Nov. 9 at 2 and 8 pm

YOU CANâ€T TAKE IT WITH YOU

Presented by the Stevens Dramatic Society, YOU CANâ€T TAKE IT WITH YOU is a Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy about the kooky Sycamore family made up of eccentrics. When Tony Kirby falls in love with Alice Sycamore and brings his parents to dine at the Sycamore home on the wrong evening, craziness ensues and the familyâ€s eccentricities are unveiled.  

 Feb. 7 and 8 at 8 pm

The Hamlet Project
According to the website, hereâ€s what Stevenâ€s Drama Society has to say about THE HAMLET PROJECT: “Who strives to hold the mirror up to nature—to see, and to reveal, the truth of oneself and of others? Who pushes the mirror away? And what are the consequences of both? In this presentation of selected scenes, THE HAMLET PROJECT will delve into the questions of truth and deceit, self-knowledge and blindness, all performed by Stevens students through the words of HAMLET, one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays.”  Directed by Dr. Bethany Reeves

 DeBaun Center for Performing Arts

500 Hudson St

Hoboken
(201) 216-5000

www.stevens.edu/debaun

Tickets: General Admission: $5; Stevens Students: $2

Tix also available online

WATCHING THE DETECTIVE

The Attic Ensemble in Jersey City celebrates its 43^rd Season as a community theater troupe and its 17-year residence at the Barrow Manse with a production of THE DETECTIVE STORY by Sidney Kingsley featuring a cast of 22 players. Itâ€s one of the companyâ€s most ambitious productions to date.

 The Attic Ensemble has been playing to Jersey City audiences for 43 years, producing a wide-range of theater experiences for adults and children. They are kicking off this new season with the 1949 drama THE DETECTIVE STORY by Pulitzer-winning playwright Sidney Kingsley and directed by Billy Mitchell, with a cast of actors from Jersey City, Northern New Jersey, New York City, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and beyond. The company is undertaking a funding campaign to produce the show and is offering a range of thank you perks to contributors at every level. For more info, go to their website (www.atticensemble.org).

 Once the goal of $2,500 to produce THE DETECTIVE STORY is met, every additional donation  will benefit the companyâ€s rent, rights & royalties, upkeep of equipment, marketing materials, and upcoming production costs. A small price to pay to keep theater alive and well on Wayne Street.

To donate, go to:

THE ATTIC ENSEMBLE

83 Wayne St

Jersey City

(201) 413-9200

www.atticensemble.org

The post LIVE THEATER -A FROG, DETECTIVE AND HAMLET, TOO! first appeared on River View Observer.

The 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 3^rd, if needed.

DET. CALLAHAN (30s); DET. Oâ€BRIEN (50s); DET. BRODY (40s)

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The FREE March 2 celebration of Dr. Seuss†birthday is open to the general public and will feature several child-pleasing activities                                  

 

JERSEY CITY, N.J. / March 1, 2013 — Hudson County Community College (HCCC) invites area families to gather the children together and come to the College for a day of reading and fun. The College will hold its Sixth Annual Literacy & Family Day on Saturday, March 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Collegeâ€s Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center, 161 Newkirk Street, just two blocks from the Journal Square PATH Station in Jersey City. There is no charge for admission; all children must be accompanied by an adult.

 HCCC President Dr. Glen Gabert said the event, which is prepared and presented by the Collegeâ€s Academic Affairs Division and the Culinary Conference Center, is an annual celebration of the birthday of Theodore Seuss Geisel, who is better know to generations of Americans as Dr. Seuss, author of Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat and 44 more beloved childrenâ€s books.

 The March 2 event will include a whole host of interactive activities for children of all ages, including a Dr. Seuss Reading Theatre, a preschool reading station, game table, arts and crafts, Dr. Seuss-themed refreshments and giveaways.

 “This is a great opportunity for families from all over the County to come together for a lot of fun, and more importantly to teach our youngest children about the importance of reading,” Dr. Gabert stated. “Itâ€s also one of the few family events to be found that is free,” he added.

 Additional information on the event is available by contacting the HCCC Academic Affairs Office at 201-360-4010.

 

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The post Hudson County Families Invited to Bring the Kids to Hudson County Community College’s Sixth Annual Literacy & Family Day first appeared on River View Observer.