Virtual Theater Courses Start Next Week

Spring Virtual Theater Classes for All Ages Start Tuesday, April 6

ONLINE REGISTRATION

Classes for All Ages run April 6 to May 26

 Visit ChathamPlayers.org for more detailed information.

Zoom Room Theatre – Ages 9 to 12

Wednesdays 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
April 7th - May 26th
Eight Weeks – $90

NEW CLASS!  Teen Improv Workshop – Ages 13 to 17
Tuesdays 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
April 6th - May 25th
Eight Weeks – $90

NEW CLASS!  Adult Acting Workshop – Ages 18+
Wednesdays 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
April 7th to May 26th
Eight Weeks – $110

Choreo Cardio – Ages 18+
Tuesdays 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
April 6th to May 25th
Eight Weeks - $75

ONLINE REGISTRATION

SAVE THE DATE TEEN SUMMER STOCK THEATRE July 12th to 30th

 

An intensive two-week training session for young actors, ages 13-17, including acting workshops and the chance to perform in a fully-produced play. No audition required. Check back soon for details about schedule and registration at ChathamPlayers.org.

Two River Theater Announces Winter Education Series with Award-winning Artists

WINTER EDUCATION SERIES 

ONLINE CLASSES EXPLORE PLAYWRITING, MUSICAL THEATER HISTORY, SPECTRUM THEATER EDUCATION, ACTING, AND THE WORK OF BLACK, FEMALE PLAYWRIGHTS

Kick off the new year with the resolution to engage in new theater education programs through Two River Theater’s Winter Education Series starting January 12. 

The series is open to all those wishing to explore playwriting, musical theater history, spectrum theater education, acting, and the work of Black, female playwrights. Classes are conducted by members of the Two River Theater family of artists, featuring award-winning stage and screen actress Barbara Andres (I Remember Mama), Broadway actress Crystal Dickinson (A Raisin in the Sun, Seven Guitars), Obie Award-winning actor and director Brandon J. Dirden (Radio Golf, Seven Guitars), Playwright Tony Meneses (The Hombres) and TRT Education and Community Engagement Manager Amanda Espinoza. 

SERIES INCLUDES:

PLAYS AND THEIR SHAPES: A 4-WEEK CLASS ON STRUCTURE WITH PLAYWRIGHT TONY MENESES 

4 DAY SERIES | JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 2 | 6-8pm | FOR ADULTS AGES 18+, CLASS LIMIT 15 | ZOOM

TICKETS: $160

Whether we’re writing Naturalism or something more out there, how we structure our plays is a place for a lot of imagination. We can play with plot, character development, exposition, even spectacle, all through how we shape our worlds. Linear chronology is oft the de facto structure, but this class will challenge how we render an audience’s experience even if we do write traditional beginnings, middles, and ends. The goal is to innovate and surprise the container that we place our storytelling in. 

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit: https://tworivertheater.org/whats-on/plays-and-their-shapes/

MY FUNNY WORLD WITH RODGERS AND HART BY BARBARA ANDRES 

FEB 9 | 7pm

TICKETS: $10

Award-winning stage and screen actress Barbara Andres (I Remember Mama) shares her whirlwind experience in the 1975 Broadway musical revue, Rodgers and Hart, saluting the iconic musical theater compositions of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Journey with this engaging storyteller and performer into the bustling world of Broadway in the 1970s, as she and the revue’s creative team strove to pay tribute to the music and impact of one of musical theater’s most revered musical duos. This digital performance is an excerpt from Barbara’s upcoming memoir of her storied life on stage.

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit: https://tworivertheater.org/whats-on/myfunnyworld/

SPECTRUM THEATER: CREATING AN ACCESSIBLE THEATER CLASSROOM AND SPACE WITH AMANDA ESPINOZA 

Feb 16 | 6pm| ZOOM

Taught by TRT Education and Community Engagement Manager Amanda Espinoza 

TICKETS: $25

Join TRT Education and Community Engagement Manager Amanda Espinoza as she introduces participants to techniques, imagination exercises, and activities to teach theater to students with autism and autism spectrum disorders. Using a variety of dramatic methods, participants will be able to create custom-made games and activities for their students. In addition to teaching the basics of drama-based games used to improve verbal and body awareness, this class will also incorporate the effects of drama therapy in person and online.

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit: https://tworivertheater.org/whats-on/spectrum-theater/

BASIC ACTING TECHNIQUES WITH CRYSTAL DICKINSON AND BRANDON J. DIRDEN

Feb 21 | 2:00PM | ZOOM    

TICKETS: $30    

Two River artistic family favorites Crystal Dickinson and Brandon J. Dirden take you inside the actor's process with this two-class series on analyzing text and seeking deeper meaning in theatrical works, as both an artist and as a human being. Actors at all levels of experience are welcome to join Crystal and Brandon in a basic acting technique class centered around monologue performance, with additional insight into how to shift performance techniques from the audition room to the camera. This class is $30, attendance to this class as well as the Feb 28 discussion on Black female playwrights on race and America for $50. 

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit: https://tworivertheater.org/whats-on/monologue-performance-with-crystal-dickinson-and-brandon-j-dirden/

BLACK FEMALE PLAYWRIGHTS ON RACE AND AMERICA WITH CRYSTAL DICKINSON AND BRANDON J. DIRDEN

Feb 28 | 2:00PM | ZOOM  

TICKETS: $30 

Two River artistic family favorites Crystal Dickinson and Brandon J. Dirden take you inside the actor's process with this two-class series on analyzing text and seeking deeper meaning in theatrical works, as both an artist and as a human being. In this class, Crystal and Brandon will present scenes from works by Black female playwrights, and participate in a discussion led by co-moderators Gilda Rogers and Taylor Barfield to explore the ways in which these artists addressed American issues of race and gender. The class is $30, enjoy this class as well as the Feb 21 on basic acting techniques for $50. 

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit: https://tworivertheater.org/whats-on/black-female-playwrights-with-crystal-dickinson-and-brandon-j-dirden/

FOR EDUCATORS:

The following workshops are the last two in a four-part professional development series entitled The ART of Social Justice, offered as a collaboration between Red Bank’s T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center and Two River Theater, in compliance with the New Jersey Amistad Commission. Participants will receive proof of professional development hours.

TEACHING BALDWIN

Feb 17 | 2pm

TICKETS: $25 | ZOOM

James Baldwin was one of the greatest writers of the 20^th Century, and a journey through his work reveals the American tragedy of race and class and their effects on history and politics in our democratic society. An essayist, novelist and a Black gay man, Baldwin’s acerbic analysis of America is still relevant as are his questions about this country’s desire for a more perfect union in the time of Black Lives Matter.  This workshop will provide insightful avenues to discuss the politics of democracy in a racially charged time, by infusing Baldwin’s work into the conversation and address the humanity of a multi-racial nation. It will be led by journalist, Two River Theater Community Relations Manager and VP of the T. Thomas Fortune Foundation Gilda Rogers, with special guest Alan C. Burgess.

For more info, visit: https://bit.ly/3rYft5P

VALUING BLACK LIFE THROUGH RE-THINKING PEDAGOGY

May 19 | 2pm

TICKETS: $25 | ZOOM

For this workshop, Dr. Anwar D. Uhuru and participants will examine how teachers and administrators may be complicit in re-enforcing ideologies that retain a standard/non-standard culture in their classrooms, and how to facilitate long overdue and necessary change.

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit: https://tworivertheater.org/whats-on/valuingblacklife/

TICKET INFORMATION: To purchase tickets and to learn more about the Winter Education Series, visit tworivertheater.org

 Don't miss this "PRICELESS" experience

LESSONS IN SURVIVAL Conceived by Marin Ireland, Peter Mark Kendall, Tyler Thomas, Reggie D. White Directed by Tyler Thomas

 

A Digital Theatrical Experience 8 Episodes | 4 Open Rehearsals | 4 Community Conversations

10 More Days To Stream!

Available Through Nov 29 Only.

CLICK TO SAVE $10 ON A PASS

Trailblazing artists and activists such as James Baldwin, Miles Davis, Toni Morrison, Bayard Rustin, Lorraine Hansberry and others changed our country with their words. Lessons in Survival asks what these voices can teach us about our country now, and the opportunities for change that stand before us.

Don't miss this collection of interviews and speeches from some of America's most revolutionary artists and activists from the 1960's-2000's, brought to new life in and for our moment. Over 40 actors channel the original broadcasts on an in-ear feed and speak exactly what they hear. Read more from Jennifer Schuessler's New York Times  article.

Click through on the above for clips of Lessons In Survival
featuring Marin Ireland, Myra Lucretia Taylor, and more.

BOOK NOW

Arts Break, Artists, Activities, Australia from the New Victory Theatre

This season, we visit six continents to check in on a few of our favorite artist friends. First stop: Australia! For the next four weeks, we join the immersive theater company Slingsby to learn about their community and creative practice—and make art of our own along the way. Now, let's explore the history of the land, traditions (like teatime!) and even the animals of Australia!

LET'S GET STARTED

Meet Awesome, Aussie Artists Join Jacqy, from Australia's Slingsby (The Young King, 2018) as she as she introduces you to her off-the-grid lifestyle (including an outback outhouse). Then, discover what some of our other favorite Australian artists are up to!

Act Wild! Lizards & kangaroos & koala bears, oh my! Show off your amazing acting skills as New Victory Teaching Artist Ugo teaches you how to transform into a wild animal. Then, see if your friends and family can correctly guess which creature you are!

 

Plan a Koala-tea Tea Party It’s 6 o'clock somewhere (Australia's traditional tea hour) which means it’s time to plan your perfect tea party—real or imaginary! Who would you invite? What’s on the menu? And don’t forget to put your pinky up.

JCTC's Voices Fest Features International Plays

 

2^ND ANNUAL VOICES INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL

WHEN: RUNS OCT 16 TO 25 WITH LIVE OPENING CEREMONY SUN., OCT 18
WHERE: Zoom
ADMISSION: Tickets for the opening ceremony are $35 (for the live event) and $15 online.  Festival passes with access to all shows and events are $120, $10 for individual shows
For Festival tickets passes visit www.jctcenter.org

Running from Friday, October 16, to Sunday, October 25, the 2^nd annual Voices International Theatre Festival is a unique hybrid of virtual and live events featuring 23 productions from 21 groundbreaking theatre companies hailing from a total of 20 countries—in Europe, Eastern Europe, South Asia, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the US (New York-NJ).

The festival’s opening ceremony on Sunday, October 18, is a specially designed, socially distanced live-assembly gathering in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, combining both live and virtual elements, including classes during the afternoon and a performance-ceremony broadcast live at 6pm EDT. 

The Festival is divided into three parts:

1. The Conversations section includes “Meet the Artists” (Fri Oct 16) and a Festival Forum about the work (Fri Oct 23). 
2. Performances are livestreamed in their entirety over four days—Oct 16, 17, 24 and 25. 
3. Classes and collaborative workshops take place on Sun Oct 18 and the Festival’s closing day, on Sun Oct 25. 

South African playwright Palesa Mazamisa’s biting satire, Shoes and Coups, is one of several shows in the 2^nd annual Voices International Theatre Festival that look courageously and compassionately at the fractured state of the world, showing the human, psychological and spiritual tolls of systemic injustice. Having premiered at the Market Theater in Johannesburg in 2018, Shoes and Coups opens the Festival, which is produced by the Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC), on Friday, October 16, at 10am EDT, in a live Zoom performance.

Three theatre companies from protest-torn Belarus will also be represented: The internationally acclaimed underground Belarus Free Theatre sends us Burning Doors, about persecuted artists living under dictatorship (who will not be silenced). Co-created by the company’s co-leaders—the playwright and journalist Nikolai Khalezin and theater producer Natalia Koliada—the show is made with the complicity of Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina, who provided much of the testimony and who performs in the scorchingly physical production in her stage debut. Burning Doors is paired with the documentary Alone, also made with the participation of Alyokhina, about the political awakening of a Ukrainian pop star as he attempts to free a Crimean dissident.

Mogilev Theatre shares Second Hand Time, by the Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Aleksievich, from Belarus, who is currently under threat of arrest and sequestered in her home, with a rotating cordon of diplomats protecting her around the clock. The adaptation of Aleksievich’s novel telling the story of Soviet life from Stalin to Putin performs on Sat., Oct 17, at 2pm.  

Also from Belarus, which is currently gripped by mass protests sparked by the rigged election of dictator Alexander Lukashenko, the Grodno Regional Puppet Theatre offers Poem Without Words, a parable of resistance against oppression about a little person in a glass cube and the futile pursuit of a paradise that doesn’t exist but that beckons just the same.  Conceived and directed by Oleg Zhiugzhda and Larisa Mkikina-Probodyak, this unique puppet theatre play performs on Sun., Oct 18, at 8pm.

Among the other notable companies and artists participating are Ranan from India; Roman Viktyuk Theatre from Russia; RAAAM Theater Group of Estonia; Manuel Vignoulle from France; Matara from Israel; New York-based Sidra Bell Dance; Los Escultores del Aire from Spain, and Haeboma from South Korea. (Full list below)

“Many of the artists and groups we are inviting are acclaimed in their home countries as well as internationally,” says Olga Levina, the artistic director of the Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC), who is originally from Belarus.  “Their work is a direct response to the state of our world and the need for greater equity and unity.  Their stories are eloquent, forceful and often surprising, and their messages and testimony are riveting and shattering.  They deserve as wide an audience as we can give them.”

The 2020 Voices International Theatre Festival is supported by the City of Jersey City (Mayor Steven M. Fulop); the Jersey City Municipal Council, Office of Cultural Affairs; the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism; Hudson County Cultural Affairs; businesses and organizations across the State, as well as several neighborhood groups in Jersey City.  Adds Levina: “We are proud of our partnership with Jersey City, the Golden Gateway of America which has one of the highest concentrations of ethnic groups by population density in the country.  Our mission is to be an annual festival that is as local as it is global.”

"ATTEND" THE NEWARK ARTS FESTIVAL, OCTOBER 8-11

2020 Newark Arts Festival!

Art + Tech: Perception | Access | Power

NAF will promote concurrent artistic offerings throughout Newark, including media, dance, theatre, poetry and arts education.

The festival kicks off virtually this Thursday!

Panel - Perception: Exploring Sonic Geometries with Wolfgang Gil and Victor Davson

 Thursday, October 8, 6pm 

In partnership with Newark Arts Festival

Join us for an early look at our upcoming exhibition Wolfgang Gil: Sonic Geometries, opening to the public on November 7. Newark artists Wolfgang Gil and Victor Davson discuss their work with curator Tricia Laughlin Bloom, in the context of this multi-sensory show featuring Gil's sound sculptures and Davson's early abstract work, along with painting and sculpture from the Museum's collection.

Click here to register for Zoom session. Will also stream on Facebook Live.

Happy Hour: Art, Culture & Spirits

 Friday, October 9, 6pm 

In partnership with Newark Arts Festival

Join Darryl Dwayne & Lauren LeBeaux for this special edition of #HappyHourNMOA.

Featuring Cocktail Influencer/Mixologist Danielle Pearman aka Dannie from "Drinks With Dannie". #HappyHourNMOA  is all about art, culture & spirits. This episode we will explore the topic of women empowerment & women of color equality versus equity in the Art & Tech world.

Join us on Instagram Live.

This program is supported by Tito's Handmade Vodka

 Friday, October 9, 8pm 

In partnership with Newark Arts Festival
Note: takes place at the corner off Edison Place and Mulberry Street, Newark.

Click here for more information and to register for individual events.

Community Day: Game On!

 Saturday, October 10, 10am - 6pm 

In partnership with Newark Arts Festival

Explore puzzles, take on challenges, and learn new skills in our first game-themed Community Day! This program of engaging virtual events brings together themes of art, technology, and gaming for the whole family.

Click here for more information and to register for individual events.

Featured Community Day: Game On! Event 

Escape from the Ballantine House

 Saturday, October 10, 10am, 1pm & 3pm 

You’ve been invited to dine with the Ballantines, but this invitation comes with some strings attached! Race the clock as you try to find the hidden Ballantine Beer recipe and escape the house before you get caught. Will you be able to locate it and escape in time? Experience a virtual hosted Escape Game played in small teams over zoom. When you join the game, you will be randomly assigned to a group to play. Use your observational & deductive skills to explore the Ballantine House and discover its secrets. Recommended: Families and individuals 14+

Click here to register. This program will be on Zoom only. Limited capacity.

 Featured Community Day: Game On! Event 

Art Olympics: US vs UK

 Saturday, October 10, 11:30am 

Two Museums go head to head, but there can only be one winner! In this audience-driven competition, you get to decide which Museum has the best hairstyle, craziest eyes, tastiest meal, and creepiest object, just to name a few. Get a look inside the collections of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (UK) & The Newark Museum of Art as they show off their best and most unique works. Each round the Museums will share their artwork that best fits the different categories.

Click here to register for Zoom session. Will also stream on Facebook Live.

Wednesday, October 14, 12pm 

Recorrido de Museo: Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte de la Universidad de Puerto Rico

Haga clic aquí para más información. 

Thursday, October 17, 10am 

Virtual Creative Play

Click here for more info

NEW JERSEY THEATRE ALLIANCE OFFERS A FALL LINE-UP OF VIRTUAL THEATRE APPRECIATION OFFERINGS 

New Jersey Theatre Alliance (“the Alliance”) is proud to announce a series of upcoming events showcasing the diversity and excellence of New Jersey’s professional theatre community. All events will be ASL-interpreted and open-captioned. 

“We are thrilled to partner with such innovative organizations as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The New Jersey Historical Commission, Newark Arts, and New Jersey Performing Arts Center to bring this series of events to the public,” said John McEwen, Executive Director of New Jersey Theatre Alliance. “Although we are eager to once again gather in person at our theatres,  the online format of these events will offer the public an intimate, candid, and informative experience with some of New Jersey’s most well-respected artists and professionals.” 

On October 6 at 4pm, The Alliance will partner with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the live-streamed video series, Arts Across America. Four New Jersey artists connected with theatres from the membership of New Jersey Theatre Alliance will be featured. Suzzanne Douglas (left), an actor and singer representing Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, will perform music and spoken word poetry accompanied by a live bass player. 

Playwright Tony Meneses (below, right), representing Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, will share excerpts from his play twenty50, a political thriller about immigration and the American Dream. 

Playwright Tylie Shider, representing The Theater Project in Union, will share excerpts of his new play, The Sign in My Window, a piece he wrote during the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, about cosmopolitan-neighbors who discover they have dissenting opinions about how to protect their homes during an uprising.

Lewis Merkin, composer and performer, will collaborate with a young artist to share a duet from A Thousand Faces, a song between a deaf father and his hearing son, written for a deaf performer. The development and production of A Thousand Faces at Skyline Theatre Company in Fair Lawn was awarded a 2019 Innovator Award from the Cultural Access Network Project, a partnership between New Jersey Theatre Alliance and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. This showcase of exciting new work by some of New Jersey’s finest artists may be viewed for free as a live stream or an archived video on the John F. Kennedy Center’s Facebook page.

On October 8 at 7pm, in partnership with the New Jersey Historical Commission, New Jersey Theatre Alliance will present Women in New Jersey Theatre: Theatre and Civic Engagement. This third annual panel discussion featuring high-profile women in New Jersey Theatre will feature professionals who use their art to engage communities and promote social and civic change. The panel will include Dr. Paula Alekson, of McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, Ryanne Domingues of Passage Theatre Company in Trenton, Amanda Espinoza of Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, and Dr. Jessica Brater of Montclair State University. It will be moderated by the Alliance’s Deputy Director, Erica Nagel. This event is free and open to the public but does require registration. Registration is available here.

On November 16 at 7pm, New Jersey Theatre Alliance takes its annual Curtain Call celebration virtual! A highly-anticipated fall gathering for theatre artists, administrators, supporters, and the general public, Curtain Call is a yearly celebration of the people who make a big impact on theatre in the Garden State. This year's Star Award will be presented to Mills + Schnoering Architects, in honor of their outstanding commitment to universal design and access. Awards of Excellence will be given to Stage Managers of member theatres, offering a well-deserved moment in the spotlight to these essential artistic collaborators who so often stay behind the scenes. This event is open to the public but requires registration. You may register to attend on the New Jersey Theatre Alliance website, www.njtheatrealliance.org, beginning Wednesday, September 30.

Closing out the calendar year, on December 19 at 3pm, New Jersey Theatre Alliance partners with Newark Arts and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center to present Producing Black Theatre, a panel featuring Black theatre artists and administrators discussing their work and the intersection of theatre and social justice. Confirmed panelists include Aaron L. McKinney from Hi-Arts NYC, Andrew Binger of Yendor Theatre Company, and Damion Parran of Passage Theatre Company. It will be moderated by Marshall Jones, III of Rutgers University-New Brunswick and trustee of the Alliance. Additional panelists will be confirmed as the date approaches. The event will be part of NJPAC’s day-long Kwaanza celebration and registration will be available at www.NJPAC.org later this fall.   

For further information about these events, digital events of member theatres, and other programs and services of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, please visit www.njtheatrealliance.org.  

 

Founded in 1981, New Jersey Theatre Alliance was the first statewide service organization for professional, not-for-profit theatre companies in the United States, and is a leader in developing model programs that unite, promote, strengthen, and cultivate professional theatre in New Jersey. Funding for the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, a not-for-profit organization, is provided in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, and contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations including the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Grunin Foundation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Bank of America, The Shubert Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Investors Bank, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, Kessler Foundation, The F.M. Kirby Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, and The Union Foundation.