Following is the press release detailing the upcoming season at Centenary Stage Company. Centenary College's professional Equity theater doesn't get a lot of notice, probably because geography (Hackettstown) separates them from a lot of New Jersey's theater-loving population. But using a mix of Equity pros along with theater students at the college, they do a decent job of classics and new works. They also are dedicated to supporting female playwrights by staging a reading festival of plays by women and select one to premiere during their main-stage season.
Their three-play 2007-08 season is business as usual, opening with a "costume" classic (Moliere's "School for Wives") and wrapping with this year's Women Playwright Series winner, Eugenie Chan's "Daphne Does DimSum."
Personally, I tend to favor their contemporary works over the classics, which are done better and closer to home. But at a top price of $22.50, with discounts available, Centenary qualifies as a legitimate "best-kept secret" theater nominee. So think about giving them a look-see. I'll be reviewing all of their main-stage shows, so check back for Review Previews.
PS: Last day of a vacation largely sacrificed of a lingering back injury. But I did catch a tasty sea bass and saw "The Simpsons Movie" (woo-hoo!). And, if the weather holds, I'll be sailing over Central Jersey at 6:30 p.m. today in the Everready Energizer Bunny hot-air balloon. So weep not for Willie, life goes on, o bla dee, o bla da.
Centenary release below:
The Centenary Stage Company will continue its tradition of presenting classic theatrical treasures by opening its 2007-08 season with the timeless classical comedy, School for Wives by Molière October 5th -October 21st. Out of his own experience and personal suffering Molière crafted the play School for Wives, a witty perfectly constructed gem of confusion that manages to chronicle the biggest hopes and lowest agonies of love.
CSC will continue its season with a production for the Holiday Season from Nov. 23rd - Dec 9th. My Three Angels by Sam and Bella Specwack is an old fashioned and wonderfully crafted holiday fable that take a warm and witty romantic look at our long standing moral convictions of what is right and what is wrong.
The CSC season wouldn't be complete without the annual World premiere of a new play from the Women Playwrights developmental series. Eugenie Chan's wonderfully crafted comedy Daphne Does Dim Sum will premiere on our very own stage Feb. 22nd -March 9th. Don't miss this delightful new play by San Francisco playwright Eugenie Chan.
The Women Playwrights Series will reconvene in April once again, bringing three new plays in workshop presentations to the CSC audiences. For three Wednesday evenings, April 9th , April 16th and April 23rd , audiences will be invited to experience the talents of three exciting new women authors from around the country, and to play their own part in the development of new work through lively discussions with the playwright and cast following each presentation
Tickets for the CSC 2007-08 productions are $22.50 for adults, $17.50 for seniors/ students, and $15 for children under twelve on Saturday evenings, $20 for adults $17.50 for seniors/students, and $15 for all other evening performances. Ticket prices for all Matinee performances will $17.50.
The popular "Family Night" option will be presented once again, offering affordable two-for-one "rush seats" available at the door only on the evening of the performance. ADA performances will be offered Oct 21st at 2:30pm, Dec. 9th at 2:30pm and March 9th at 2:30pm.
Season subscriptions are also now available, including all plays in the CSC season at the "best deal in the state" price of $45. Tickets may be purchased through the Centenary Stage Company Box office at 908-979-0900, or online at www.centenarystageco.org.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Free Willie (Shakespeare)
Details follow for the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Next Stage touring ensemble production of "The Tweltfh Night" at the Washington Twp. Public Library, 37 E. Springtown Rd, Long Valley.
Shakespeare good. Free better. Go watch.
Not exactly an eloquent endorsement, but I'm on vacation.
908-876-3596
Note Date Change!
Twelfth Night
August 2, 2007 at 7:00 p.m
In one of Shakespeare's most lyrical comedies, a twin brother and sister are separated by a disastrous shipwreck and cast ashore in the land of Illyria , each thinking that the other is dead. As they cross paths with scheming servants, a grieving beauty, and a wise fool, the result is a compelling, funny and bittersweet tale of unrequited love, newfound hope, and irrepressible festivity.
Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Approximate running time: 1 hour.
This play is performed by the Next Stage Ensemble. One of the divisions of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Summer Professional Training Program, the Next Stage Ensemble was created to foster the work of early-career actors. Participants take advanced classes in voice and movement, while working on hour-long productions of classic and contemporary plays. These productions bring theatre to a variety of locations throughout the region including libraries, retirement communities, summer camps, and schools. Acting as "ambassadors" of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey during the summer months, the Next Stage Ensemble brings theatre to communities throughout New Jersey.
Call the Library at 908-876-3596 or go to www.wtpl.org under Adult Programs to sign up for this exciting program!
Shakespeare good. Free better. Go watch.
Not exactly an eloquent endorsement, but I'm on vacation.
908-876-3596
Note Date Change!
Twelfth Night
August 2, 2007 at 7:00 p.m
In one of Shakespeare's most lyrical comedies, a twin brother and sister are separated by a disastrous shipwreck and cast ashore in the land of Illyria , each thinking that the other is dead. As they cross paths with scheming servants, a grieving beauty, and a wise fool, the result is a compelling, funny and bittersweet tale of unrequited love, newfound hope, and irrepressible festivity.
Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Approximate running time: 1 hour.
This play is performed by the Next Stage Ensemble. One of the divisions of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Summer Professional Training Program, the Next Stage Ensemble was created to foster the work of early-career actors. Participants take advanced classes in voice and movement, while working on hour-long productions of classic and contemporary plays. These productions bring theatre to a variety of locations throughout the region including libraries, retirement communities, summer camps, and schools. Acting as "ambassadors" of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey during the summer months, the Next Stage Ensemble brings theatre to communities throughout New Jersey.
Call the Library at 908-876-3596 or go to www.wtpl.org under Adult Programs to sign up for this exciting program!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Sweeney Todd auditions: no singing required
If you've always wanted to act in "Sweeney Todd" but don't have the pipes, here's your chance.
Pax Amicus Caslte Theatre in (on, really) Budd Lake, is doing the nonmusical dramatization of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Open call; beginners welcome. Details follow below.
I'll be on vacation next week, but will keep checking in. No theater on the vacation schedule, but I (and Mrs. Willie) am booked for a flight on the Everready Bunny hot-air balloon. And if you're at Sandy Hook, and think you see a beached whale, give a wave. It just maybe your friendly neighborhood bloggerman. Except the day I'll be bunny-hopping over Central Jersey.
My wife says, if nothing else, I take her to the most unusual places. Coincidentally, I was speaking to a press representative about a restaurant when it came up that she also represents musician Gail Anne Dorsey, who I recalled played bass in David Bowie's band when he co-headlined a tour with shock-rockers Nine Inch Nails (1995?). I then recalled that was the first concert I took Mrs. Willie to when we were first dating.
And she married me anyway.
But she still tells the story.
TITLE: Open Cast Call
DESCRIPTION: The Pax Amicus Castle Theatre, Lake Shore Road, Budd Lake will hold an Open Cast Call for its Fall production of the classic melodrama, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by C.G. Bond.
This non-musical version will be directed by Stan Barber and tells the story of a man falsely accused and banished from his home in London, who returns years later to wreak havoc on the people who destroyed his life.
Roles include Sweeney; his innocent teen age daughter, Johana; Anthony Hope a sailor who falls in love with her; the lecherous Judge Turpin; the conniving Beadle; Mrs. Lovett who makes meat pies from the bodies of the men Sweeney kills; her helper, Tobias and several men and women in smaller roles who fall prey to Sweeney's rage.
Beginners are welcome. The Open Cast Call is being held on Saturday, July 21st at Noon and Tuesday, July 24th at 7:00 pm at the Castle Theatre in Budd Lake. There is no singing, as this is the non-musical play upon which Stephen Sondheim based his famous operetta.
Sweeney Todd will be presented September 28, 29, October 6 and 13 at 8:00 pm. For additional information/reservations please call 973-691-2100.
Thank you,
Jean
PAX AMICUS CASTLE THEATRE
23 Lake Shore Road – Budd Lake, NJ 07828
973-691-2100
FAX: 973-691-5783 – Group Sales: 973-691-4900
Pax Amicus Caslte Theatre in (on, really) Budd Lake, is doing the nonmusical dramatization of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Open call; beginners welcome. Details follow below.
I'll be on vacation next week, but will keep checking in. No theater on the vacation schedule, but I (and Mrs. Willie) am booked for a flight on the Everready Bunny hot-air balloon. And if you're at Sandy Hook, and think you see a beached whale, give a wave. It just maybe your friendly neighborhood bloggerman. Except the day I'll be bunny-hopping over Central Jersey.
My wife says, if nothing else, I take her to the most unusual places. Coincidentally, I was speaking to a press representative about a restaurant when it came up that she also represents musician Gail Anne Dorsey, who I recalled played bass in David Bowie's band when he co-headlined a tour with shock-rockers Nine Inch Nails (1995?). I then recalled that was the first concert I took Mrs. Willie to when we were first dating.
And she married me anyway.
But she still tells the story.
TITLE: Open Cast Call
DESCRIPTION: The Pax Amicus Castle Theatre, Lake Shore Road, Budd Lake will hold an Open Cast Call for its Fall production of the classic melodrama, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by C.G. Bond.
This non-musical version will be directed by Stan Barber and tells the story of a man falsely accused and banished from his home in London, who returns years later to wreak havoc on the people who destroyed his life.
Roles include Sweeney; his innocent teen age daughter, Johana; Anthony Hope a sailor who falls in love with her; the lecherous Judge Turpin; the conniving Beadle; Mrs. Lovett who makes meat pies from the bodies of the men Sweeney kills; her helper, Tobias and several men and women in smaller roles who fall prey to Sweeney's rage.
Beginners are welcome. The Open Cast Call is being held on Saturday, July 21st at Noon and Tuesday, July 24th at 7:00 pm at the Castle Theatre in Budd Lake. There is no singing, as this is the non-musical play upon which Stephen Sondheim based his famous operetta.
Sweeney Todd will be presented September 28, 29, October 6 and 13 at 8:00 pm. For additional information/reservations please call 973-691-2100.
Thank you,
Jean
PAX AMICUS CASTLE THEATRE
23 Lake Shore Road – Budd Lake, NJ 07828
973-691-2100
FAX: 973-691-5783 – Group Sales: 973-691-4900
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Blues Traveler stiffs C-N;Club Bene awaits
FYI: Blues Traveler stiffed my reporter who was promised an interview to run in the Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning special section, which I just finished, but you'll have to wait until Sunday to read.
Yo, Popper, put the gun down, put the bong down, and pick up the phone, or you're going to end up begging for gigs at Club Bene. Wasn't their last hit record in like, 1968?
I know, it's closed, but we used to love recognizing Club Bene as Club Has-been-ay, where the headliners were either on the way up or the way down. I've been to gigs there where there were more musicians onstage than there were people in the audience (King Sunny Ade and his African Beats had us outnumbered 2 to 1).
Loudon Wainwright used to play there for their infamous "dinner and a concert" shows and would always take a poll--"OK, show of hands, who had the chicken and who had the fish?"
Yo, Popper, put the gun down, put the bong down, and pick up the phone, or you're going to end up begging for gigs at Club Bene. Wasn't their last hit record in like, 1968?
I know, it's closed, but we used to love recognizing Club Bene as Club Has-been-ay, where the headliners were either on the way up or the way down. I've been to gigs there where there were more musicians onstage than there were people in the audience (King Sunny Ade and his African Beats had us outnumbered 2 to 1).
Loudon Wainwright used to play there for their infamous "dinner and a concert" shows and would always take a poll--"OK, show of hands, who had the chicken and who had the fish?"
Cakes and Ale at Playwrights Theatre
Release follows for a one-off one-act musical at Playwrights Theatre. A lot of people arounf the Jersey Stage scene know Jewel Seehaus-Fisher, a resident of Highland Park who writes a lot of plays and is even better at getting them produced and promoted.
Here, she's put a book to some old songs. Sounds like fun. I recently enjoyed the premiere of her drama, "My Sister Underground," at the Womens Theater Company. So, if you are looking for something old and new, go for "Baroque" and head to Madison.
Off to work--put my home and garden editor hat on.
****CAKES AND ALE, a one-act musical comedy set in an early 18th century alehouse. Book by Jewel Seehaus-Fisher, lyrics and music by 18th century song-writers.
*****The plot: Julia, fears her husband Sir Toby's reaction if he discovers her first fling with a singing actor.She turnsfor help to out-of-work drinking musicians in the Cakes and Ale.
****Tuesday evening, August 14 at 7:30, at Playwrights Theatre of NJ, 33 Green Village Road, Madison, NJ Tickets: $10. Call Jewel Seehaus-Fisher at 732-572-7340 for further info and reservations. Tickets may be purchased at the door, but seating is limited to 100.
****Our unforgettable cast of eccentric characters will feature John Lamb (Randolph, NJ), Laine Sutton (Hillsborough), Bryan Jamieson (Bergenfield), E Michael Markwis (Newark), Anthony Bevilacqua (Garfield) and Maestro Robert W.Butts (Boonton). Jewel Seehaus-Fisher (photo attached) is from Highland Park.
****CAKES AND ALE is one night during the week-long Summer Festival of Baroque Music, with Robert W. Butts, Music Director. For info about the entire festival, Email www.baroqueorchestra.org or call 973-572-7340
****Jewel Seehaus-Fisher is the 2007 recipient of the NJ State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship in Playwriting (her second time receiving this prestigious award)
Here, she's put a book to some old songs. Sounds like fun. I recently enjoyed the premiere of her drama, "My Sister Underground," at the Womens Theater Company. So, if you are looking for something old and new, go for "Baroque" and head to Madison.
Off to work--put my home and garden editor hat on.
****CAKES AND ALE, a one-act musical comedy set in an early 18th century alehouse. Book by Jewel Seehaus-Fisher, lyrics and music by 18th century song-writers.
*****The plot: Julia, fears her husband Sir Toby's reaction if he discovers her first fling with a singing actor.She turnsfor help to out-of-work drinking musicians in the Cakes and Ale.
****Tuesday evening, August 14 at 7:30, at Playwrights Theatre of NJ, 33 Green Village Road, Madison, NJ Tickets: $10. Call Jewel Seehaus-Fisher at 732-572-7340 for further info and reservations. Tickets may be purchased at the door, but seating is limited to 100.
****Our unforgettable cast of eccentric characters will feature John Lamb (Randolph, NJ), Laine Sutton (Hillsborough), Bryan Jamieson (Bergenfield), E Michael Markwis (Newark), Anthony Bevilacqua (Garfield) and Maestro Robert W.Butts (Boonton). Jewel Seehaus-Fisher (photo attached) is from Highland Park.
****CAKES AND ALE is one night during the week-long Summer Festival of Baroque Music, with Robert W. Butts, Music Director. For info about the entire festival, Email www.baroqueorchestra.org or call 973-572-7340
****Jewel Seehaus-Fisher is the 2007 recipient of the NJ State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship in Playwriting (her second time receiving this prestigious award)
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Dodge Grants: any comments?
Press releases follow below for the announcement of the 2007 arts grants from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
Any comments, peaople?
I ask because it had been suggested to me earlier this year that Dodge was cutting back and, to paraphrase, "getting out of the arts business." This came to me from the principal of an organization I believe to be a qualifying organization, and one which is not on the list below. So, I'm wondering if this was a case of sour grapes or if there still is something I don't know.
Anyway, Jersey Stages is a great place for those involved to chime in on the subject of arts grants. Do the big theaters get too much, at the expense of smaller groups, or do the big fellas earn it? (I notice Paper Mill is not on the list). Are there groups that are denied grants for subjective reasons (i.e., personal, political or moral)? I'm not suggesting there are, but certainly, all these factors have an impact on arts funding, at least on the federal level.
Who got too much, not enough or was completely hosed?
Or should we just thank the lucky stars for Dodge and groups like them for doing the good they do?
What do you know? What do you think? Anyone can chime in here without fear of reprisal.
Although I think I might have blown my grant for 2008.
John Pietrowski of Playwrights Theatre speaks more, and more intelligently, on the subject of grants and funding than anyone I know. Perhaps I should touch base with him and get back to you. So many questions, so little time.
And half the world is on vacation. Me, too, starting Tuesday.
FYI: The Courier staff met its new publisher today. My former boss and fellow Morris Catholic alum, Charie Nutt, has gone home to Vineland. Good luck, Charlie.
And good luck to my new boss, who I will not name because I think I've breached a news embargo just by telling you as much as I have already.
I just can't resist the urge to say, "you read it here first."
Read on, soldiers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 16, 2007
GERALDINE R. DODGE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES
$4.1 MILLION DOLLARS OF FUNDING TO SUPPORT
NEW JERSEY ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND ARTISTS
(MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY) The Trustees of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation have announced their approval of $4.1 million dollars in 2007 Arts grants. Ninety-six grants have been made to museums and galleries, community and media arts organizations, and performing arts organizations in the disciplines of theater, dance, and music, throughout the state of New Jersey. These grants also include a variety of organizations that provide services to the arts field and to New Jersey artists.
“The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is proud to support New Jersey’s outstanding creative community,” stated David Grant, the Foundation’s President and CEO. “The arts are an essential part of our civil society, bringing both joy and meaning into our lives, individually and collectively.”
“The arts are making a difference in communities throughout our state, from small rural hamlets to large urban centers,” agreed Laura Aden, the Foundation’s Program Director for the Arts. “As a recent study from the Americans for the Arts pointed out, non-profit arts organizations play a key role in strengthening our economy while also providing opportunities to stimulate and nurture the creative and intellectual spirit.”
This year, the Dodge Foundation provided grants to arts organizations in nineteen of the state’s twenty-one counties. Two organizations received the Foundation’s largest grant amount of $175,000: Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Madison) and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (Newark). Other grants of note include $170,000 to The Newark Museum and George Street Playhouse (New Brunswick); $100,000 to the Jersey City Museum, Montclair Art Museum and WheatonArts; $95,000 to the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and New Jersey Performing Arts Center; and $75,000 each to Appel Farm Arts & Music Center (Elmer), the Nonprofit Finance Fund and New Jersey Network (to support the Emmy-Award winning “State of the Arts”). The Princeton-based New Jersey Opera Theatre received a $30,000 grant; and the Westfield Symphony, in honor of their 25th anniversary, received a $25,000 grant plus a $12,500 matching grant.
Of the ninety-six announced grants, ten were new to the Arts docket this year including four visual arts organizations: Paul Robeson Gallery at Rutgers-Newark ($7,500), Arts Council of Princeton ($7,500), Mercer County Community College ($7,500) and the soon to be reopened State Museum ($25,000). Other new grants were awarded to Digital Stone Project in Hamilton for an artist residency ($5,000); Dreamcatcher Repertory Company, South Orange, for general operating support ($7,500): ValleyArts for a community mural project in Orange ($10,000); and SHUA Group, a dance company based in Jersey City ($5,000). Two grants were made to provide support for new works by New Jersey composers: $7,500 to the Pro Arte Chorale for the commissioning of a new choral work by Robert Cohen; and $10,000 to Montclair State University for the premiere of Robert Aldridge’s new opera, Elmer Gantry.
The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation was established in 1974 through the foresight and generosity of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge. The Foundation’s areas of giving are the Arts, Education, Environment, and Morris County. 12 Miles West Theatre Company, Inc.
Bloomfield, NJ
Contact: Mr. Lenny Bart: (973) 960-0994
$30,000 for general operating support.
Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre
Old Bridge, NJ
Contact: Ms. Eva Lucena-Gruby: (732) 255-4071
$10,000 for general operating support.
Aljira
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Victor L. Davson: (973) 622-1600
$75,000 for general operating support.
American Music Center
New York, NY
Contact: Ms. Joanne Cossa: (212) 366-5260
$50,000 for the Live Music for Dance New Jersey grantmaking program.
American Repertory Ballet
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Mr. Graham Lustig: (732) 249-1254
$85,000 for general operating support.
Appel Farm Arts and Music Center
Elmer, NJ
Contact: Mr. Mark E. Packer: (856) 358-2472
$75,000 for general operating support and Community Arts Outreach Programs.
Art Omi International Arts Center
New York, NY
Contact: Ms. Ruth Adams: (212) 206-5660
$10,000 to support two residencies for New Jersey artists.
ArtPRIDE New Jersey, Inc.
Bordentown, NJ
Contact: Ms. Ann Marie Miller: (609) 443-3582
$60,000 for general operating support.
The Arts Council of Princeton
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jeff Nathanson: (609) 924-8777
$7,500 to support the inaugural exhibition of the Paul Robeson Center for Arts.
The Arts Guild of Rahway
Rahway, NJ
Contact: Mr. Lawrence Cappiello: (732) 381-7511
$10,000 for general operating support.
Bay-Atlantic Symphony
Bridgeton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Paul D. Herron: (856) 451-1169
$70,000 for general operating support.
Boheme Opera New Jersey
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Sandra M. Pucciatti: (609) 581-9551
$10,000 for general operating support.
Brodsky Center
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Ms. Amy Lebo: (732) 932-2222
$10,000 for general operating support for artist residencies, exhibitions, and K-12 programs.
Cape May New Jersey State Film Festival
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. Todd Land: (609) 884-6700
$7,500 for the Young Filmmakers' Summer Institute.
Cape May Stage
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. Joseph S. Pannullo: (609) 884-1341
$25,000 for general operating support of the 2007 season.
Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company
Union, NJ
Contact: Mr. Tom Werder: (908) 687-8855
$80,000 for general operating support.
Centenary Stage Company & Performing Arts Guild
Hackettstown, NJ
Contact: Mr. Carl Wallnau: (908) 979-0900
$15,000 for general operating support.
Center for Community Arts
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. Steve Bacher: (609) 884-7525
$15,000 for general operating support and community arts and humanities programs.
Center for Modern Dance Education, Inc.
Hackensack, NJ
Contact: Ms. Elissa M. Machlin-Lockwood: (201) 342-2989
$10,000 to support the "Open Door Dance Project".
City Without Walls
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Ben Goldman: (973) 622-1188
$30,000 for general operating support.
Cleo Mack Dance Project
Edison, NJ
Contact: Ms. Cleo Mack: (201) 927-7208
$6,400 for support of "All Voices In: Being Everything."
Dance New Jersey
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Ms. Macada Brandl: (973) 222-8844
$35,000 for general operating support.
Digital Stone Project, Inc.
Mercerville, NJ
Contact: Mr. Christoph Spath: (609) 587-6699
$5,000 to support Digital Stone Project's Artist Residency pilot program.
The Discovery Orchestra
Warren, NJ
Contact: Mr. George Mariner Maull: (908) 226-7300
$45,000 for educational Discovery Concerts, outreach and related staffing.
Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, Inc.
South Orange, NJ
Contact: Ms. Laura Ekstrand: (973) 378-7754
$7,500 for general operating support.
Freespace Dance
Upper Montclair, NJ
Contact: Ms. Donna Scro Gentile: (973) 743-8078
$10,000 for general operating support.
Friends of Cape May Jazz, Inc.
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. David J. Greenspun: (609) 884-7200
$10,000 for general operating support.
Friends of the New Jersey State Museum
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Barbara Moran: (609) 394-5310
$25,000 to support the reopening exhibition in the fall of 2007.
George Street Playhouse
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Mr. David Saint: (732) 846-2895
$170,000 for general operating support.
The Growing Stage Theatre for Young Audiences
Netcong, NJ
Contact: Mr. Stephen L. Fredericks: (973) 347-4946
$40,000 for general operating support.
Haddonfield Symphony
Haddonfield, NJ
Contact: Mr. Trevor Orthmann: (856) 429-1880
$70,000 for general operating support.
HANDS, Inc.
Orange, NJ
Contact: Mr. Patrick Morrissy: (973) 678-3110
$10,000 to support Valley Arts’ Creative Community Mural Project.
Harmonium Choral Society
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Dr. Anne Matlack: (973) 701-1732
$5,000 for the professional orchestration of an original choral piece.
Hunterdon Museum of Art
Clinton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Marjorie Frankel Nathanson:
(908) 735-8415
$60,000 for general operating support.
Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Mr. Gregory J. Perry: (732) 932-7237
$30,000 for general operating support.
Jersey City Museum, Inc.
Jersey City, NJ
Contact: Ms. Marion Grzesiak: (201) 413-0303
$100,000 for general operating support.
Joseph P. Hayes Surflight Theatre
Beach Haven, NJ
Contact: Mr. Steve Steiner: (609) 492-9477
$15,000 for general operating support.
Kean University Foundation
Union, NJ
Contact: Mr. Doug Nelson: (908) 737-4360
$15,000 for support of the Premiere Stages Play Festival.
Luna Stage Company Inc.
Montclair, NJ
Contact: Ms. Charlotte McKim: (973) 744-3309
$37,000 for general operating support.
The MacDowell Colony
Peterborough, NH
Contact: Ms. Cheryl A. Young: (212) 535-9690
$6,500 to support one fellowship for a New Jersey artist.
McCarter Theatre
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jeffrey Woodward: (609) 258-6514
$130,000 for support of the New Play Development program.
Mercer County Community College
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Tricia Fagan: (609) 570-3250
$7,500 for support of the art exhibition "Dangerous Women."
Monmouth County Arts Council
Red Bank, NJ
Contact: Ms. Mary Eileen Fouratt: (732) 212-1890
$30,000 to support the Community Outreach and Arts Planning Project.
Montclair Art Museum
Montclair, NJ
Contact: Mr. Patterson Sims: (973) 746-5555
$100,000 for general operating support.
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
Fort Lee, NJ
Contact: Mr. Andrew Chiang: (800) 650-0246
$80,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Ballet Company
Livingston, NJ
Contact: Ms. Carolyn Clark: (973) 597-9600
$65,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Network
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Elizabeth G. Christopherson:
(609) 777-5001
$75,000 to support "State of the Arts," NJN's Emmy award-winning series.
New Jersey Opera Theater
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Lisa S. Altman: (609) 799-7700
$30,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Lawrence P. Goldman: (973) 642-8989
$95,000 to support the "Alternate Routes" program and facility rental subsidies for NJ arts organizations.
New Jersey Repertory Company
Long Branch, NJ
Contact: Dr. Gabor Barabas: (732) 229-3166
$75,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. André Gremillet: (973) 624-3713
$175,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Tap Ensemble, Inc.
Bloomfield, NJ
Contact: Ms. Susan A. Simek: (973) 743-0600
$35,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Theatre Alliance
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Mr. John McEwen: (973) 540-0515
$95,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Inc.
Laurel Springs, NJ
Contact: Ms. Tracey I. Batt, Esq.: (856) 627-0428
$25,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Youth Theatre
Westfield, NJ
Contact: Mr. Theodore J. Agress: (908) 233-3200
$10,000 for general operating support.
Newark Arts Council
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Linwood J. Oglesby: (973) 460-7661
$40,000 for general operating support.
Newark Museum
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mary Sue Sweeney Price: (973) 596-6550
$170,000 for general operating support.
Newark Public Radio
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Cephas Bowles: (973) 624-8880
$95,000 for support of the WBGO-produced "JazzSet" national radio program.
Newark School of the Arts
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Stephen L. Shiman: (973) 642-0133
$75,000 to support arts education programs.
Nonprofit Finance Fund
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Ms. Joyce Jonat: (973) 285-9446
$75,000 to support advisory and financial services for New Jersey cultural organizations.
The Noyes Museum of Art
Oceanville, NJ
Contact: Mr. Michael Patrick Cagno: (609) 652-8848
$55,000 for general operating support.
Office of Arts and Cultural Programming
Montclair, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jedediah Wheeler: (973) 655-3049
$10,000 to support the premiere of "Elmer Gantry."
Office for Academic & Public Partnerships in the Arts & Humanities
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Ms. Isabel Nazario: (732) 932-4391
$15,000 for the Community Artist Residency Training Series (CARTS).
Passage Theatre Company
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. June Ballinger: (609) 392-0766
$65,000 for general operating support.
Paul Robeson Gallery of Rutgers University-Newark Campus
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jorge Daniel Veneciano: (973) 353-1625
$7,500 for general operating support.
Perkins Center for the Arts
Moorestown, NJ
Contact: Mr. Alan Willoughby: (856) 235-6488
$60,000 for general operating support.
Peters Valley Craftsmen
Layton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jimmy R. Clark: (973) 948-5200
$75,000 for general operating support.
Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey
Madison, NJ
Contact: Mr. John Pietrowski: (973) 514-1787
$50,000 for general operating support of new play development and statewide education programs.
Princeton Symphony Orchestra
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Melanie Clarke: (609) 497-0020
$10,000 for general operating support.
Pro Arte Chorale
Paramus, NJ
Contact: Mr. Hugh Dougan: (212) 858-1131
$7,500 for the commissioning of a new choral work.
Pushcart Players
Verona, NJ
Contact: Ms. Ruth Fost: (201) 857-1115
$40,000 for general operating support.
Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts
Millville, NJ
Contact: Mrs. Carolyne Krull: (856) 327-4500
$23,000 for general operating support.
Roxey Ballet Company
Lambertville, NJ
Contact: Mr. Mark A. Roxey: (609) 397-7616
$15,000 for general operating support.
Running Rabbit Family Theatre
Glen Ridge, NJ
Contact: Mr. Paul Whelihan: (973) 744-3309
$10,000 for general operating support.
Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts
Camden, NJ
Contact: Ms. Virginia Oberlin Steel: (856) 225-6610
$50,000 to support the Community Arts Programs in Camden.
School of the Garden State Ballet
Newark, NJ
Contact: Ms. Jody L. Jaron: (973) 623-1033
$20,000 for general operating support.
Sculpture Space
Utica, NY
Contact: Ms. Sydney Waller: (315) 724-8381
$5,000 for support of a residency for one NJ artist.
Settlement Music School
Camden, NJ
Contact: Ms. Valerie Clayton: (856) 541-6375
$30,000 for general operating and financial aid support of the Camden branch.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
Madison, NJ
Contact: Ms. Bonnie J. Monte: (973) 408-3278
$175,000 for general operating support.
The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts
Long Branch, NJ
Contact: Mr. Douglas Ferrari: (732) 263-1211
$20,000 for general operating support.
SHUA Group
Jersey City, NJ
Contact: Mr. Joshua Bisset: (201) 433-9622
$5,000 for the creation and performance of a new work, "Soft Wall."
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture
New York, NY
Contact: Ms. Kate Haw: (212) 529-0505
$10,000 for Fellowship support of three New Jersey visual artists.
South Jersey Cultural Alliance
Pleasantville, NJ
Contact: Ms. Cynthia Lambert: (609) 645-2760
$60,000 for general operating support.
Terra Firma Dance Theatre
Highland Park, NJ
Contact: Mr. Stuart Loungway: (732) 207-6318
$7,000 for support of the development of "OF/YOU/OF/US."
The Theater Project at Union County College
Cranford, NJ
Contact: Mr. Mark Spina: (908) 659-5189
$10,000 for general operating support.
Thomas A. Edison Media Arts Consortium
Jersey City, NJ
Contact: Mr. John Columbus: (201) 200-2043
$25,000 for the Black Maria Film and Video Festival and the NJ Young Film and Videomakers Festival.
Trenton Downtown Association
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Taneshia Nash Laird: (609) 393-8998
$10,000 for general operating support of arts programming.
Tri-State Actors Theater
Sussex, NJ
Contact: Mrs. Patricia Meacham: (973) 875-2950
$20,000 for general operating support.
Two River Theatre Company
Red Bank, NJ
Contact: Mr. Guy H. Gsell: (732) 345-1400
$80,000 for general operating support.
Vermont Studio Center
Johnson, VT
Contact: Mr. Jonathan Gregg: (802) 635-2727
$17,500 to support five residencies for New Jersey artists and writers.
Virginia Center for the Creative Arts
Amherst, VA
Contact: Ms. Suny Monk: (804) 946-7236
$21,000 to support ten residencies for New Jersey artists, writers, and composers.
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
Summit, NJ
Contact: Mr. Eric Pryor: (908) 273-9121
$20,000 for general operating support.
Westfield Symphony Orchestra
Westfield, NJ
Contact: Ms. Elizabeth Ryan: (908) 232-9400
$37,500 for general operating support of the Symphony's 25th anniversary season.
What Exit? Theatre Company
Maplewood, NJ
Contact: Ms. Beverly Sheehan: (973) 763-4029
$9,100 for general operating support.
WheatonArts and Cultural Center
Millville, NJ
Contact: Ms. Susan M. Gogan: (856) 825-6800
$100,000 for general operating support.
Women's Studio Workshop
Rosendale, NY
Contact: Ms. Ann Kalmbach: (845) 658-9133
$15,000 to support two Artist-In-Residence opportunities for NJ women artists.
Any comments, peaople?
I ask because it had been suggested to me earlier this year that Dodge was cutting back and, to paraphrase, "getting out of the arts business." This came to me from the principal of an organization I believe to be a qualifying organization, and one which is not on the list below. So, I'm wondering if this was a case of sour grapes or if there still is something I don't know.
Anyway, Jersey Stages is a great place for those involved to chime in on the subject of arts grants. Do the big theaters get too much, at the expense of smaller groups, or do the big fellas earn it? (I notice Paper Mill is not on the list). Are there groups that are denied grants for subjective reasons (i.e., personal, political or moral)? I'm not suggesting there are, but certainly, all these factors have an impact on arts funding, at least on the federal level.
Who got too much, not enough or was completely hosed?
Or should we just thank the lucky stars for Dodge and groups like them for doing the good they do?
What do you know? What do you think? Anyone can chime in here without fear of reprisal.
Although I think I might have blown my grant for 2008.
John Pietrowski of Playwrights Theatre speaks more, and more intelligently, on the subject of grants and funding than anyone I know. Perhaps I should touch base with him and get back to you. So many questions, so little time.
And half the world is on vacation. Me, too, starting Tuesday.
FYI: The Courier staff met its new publisher today. My former boss and fellow Morris Catholic alum, Charie Nutt, has gone home to Vineland. Good luck, Charlie.
And good luck to my new boss, who I will not name because I think I've breached a news embargo just by telling you as much as I have already.
I just can't resist the urge to say, "you read it here first."
Read on, soldiers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 16, 2007
GERALDINE R. DODGE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES
$4.1 MILLION DOLLARS OF FUNDING TO SUPPORT
NEW JERSEY ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND ARTISTS
(MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY) The Trustees of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation have announced their approval of $4.1 million dollars in 2007 Arts grants. Ninety-six grants have been made to museums and galleries, community and media arts organizations, and performing arts organizations in the disciplines of theater, dance, and music, throughout the state of New Jersey. These grants also include a variety of organizations that provide services to the arts field and to New Jersey artists.
“The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is proud to support New Jersey’s outstanding creative community,” stated David Grant, the Foundation’s President and CEO. “The arts are an essential part of our civil society, bringing both joy and meaning into our lives, individually and collectively.”
“The arts are making a difference in communities throughout our state, from small rural hamlets to large urban centers,” agreed Laura Aden, the Foundation’s Program Director for the Arts. “As a recent study from the Americans for the Arts pointed out, non-profit arts organizations play a key role in strengthening our economy while also providing opportunities to stimulate and nurture the creative and intellectual spirit.”
This year, the Dodge Foundation provided grants to arts organizations in nineteen of the state’s twenty-one counties. Two organizations received the Foundation’s largest grant amount of $175,000: Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Madison) and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (Newark). Other grants of note include $170,000 to The Newark Museum and George Street Playhouse (New Brunswick); $100,000 to the Jersey City Museum, Montclair Art Museum and WheatonArts; $95,000 to the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and New Jersey Performing Arts Center; and $75,000 each to Appel Farm Arts & Music Center (Elmer), the Nonprofit Finance Fund and New Jersey Network (to support the Emmy-Award winning “State of the Arts”). The Princeton-based New Jersey Opera Theatre received a $30,000 grant; and the Westfield Symphony, in honor of their 25th anniversary, received a $25,000 grant plus a $12,500 matching grant.
Of the ninety-six announced grants, ten were new to the Arts docket this year including four visual arts organizations: Paul Robeson Gallery at Rutgers-Newark ($7,500), Arts Council of Princeton ($7,500), Mercer County Community College ($7,500) and the soon to be reopened State Museum ($25,000). Other new grants were awarded to Digital Stone Project in Hamilton for an artist residency ($5,000); Dreamcatcher Repertory Company, South Orange, for general operating support ($7,500): ValleyArts for a community mural project in Orange ($10,000); and SHUA Group, a dance company based in Jersey City ($5,000). Two grants were made to provide support for new works by New Jersey composers: $7,500 to the Pro Arte Chorale for the commissioning of a new choral work by Robert Cohen; and $10,000 to Montclair State University for the premiere of Robert Aldridge’s new opera, Elmer Gantry.
The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation was established in 1974 through the foresight and generosity of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge. The Foundation’s areas of giving are the Arts, Education, Environment, and Morris County. 12 Miles West Theatre Company, Inc.
Bloomfield, NJ
Contact: Mr. Lenny Bart: (973) 960-0994
$30,000 for general operating support.
Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre
Old Bridge, NJ
Contact: Ms. Eva Lucena-Gruby: (732) 255-4071
$10,000 for general operating support.
Aljira
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Victor L. Davson: (973) 622-1600
$75,000 for general operating support.
American Music Center
New York, NY
Contact: Ms. Joanne Cossa: (212) 366-5260
$50,000 for the Live Music for Dance New Jersey grantmaking program.
American Repertory Ballet
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Mr. Graham Lustig: (732) 249-1254
$85,000 for general operating support.
Appel Farm Arts and Music Center
Elmer, NJ
Contact: Mr. Mark E. Packer: (856) 358-2472
$75,000 for general operating support and Community Arts Outreach Programs.
Art Omi International Arts Center
New York, NY
Contact: Ms. Ruth Adams: (212) 206-5660
$10,000 to support two residencies for New Jersey artists.
ArtPRIDE New Jersey, Inc.
Bordentown, NJ
Contact: Ms. Ann Marie Miller: (609) 443-3582
$60,000 for general operating support.
The Arts Council of Princeton
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jeff Nathanson: (609) 924-8777
$7,500 to support the inaugural exhibition of the Paul Robeson Center for Arts.
The Arts Guild of Rahway
Rahway, NJ
Contact: Mr. Lawrence Cappiello: (732) 381-7511
$10,000 for general operating support.
Bay-Atlantic Symphony
Bridgeton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Paul D. Herron: (856) 451-1169
$70,000 for general operating support.
Boheme Opera New Jersey
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Sandra M. Pucciatti: (609) 581-9551
$10,000 for general operating support.
Brodsky Center
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Ms. Amy Lebo: (732) 932-2222
$10,000 for general operating support for artist residencies, exhibitions, and K-12 programs.
Cape May New Jersey State Film Festival
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. Todd Land: (609) 884-6700
$7,500 for the Young Filmmakers' Summer Institute.
Cape May Stage
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. Joseph S. Pannullo: (609) 884-1341
$25,000 for general operating support of the 2007 season.
Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company
Union, NJ
Contact: Mr. Tom Werder: (908) 687-8855
$80,000 for general operating support.
Centenary Stage Company & Performing Arts Guild
Hackettstown, NJ
Contact: Mr. Carl Wallnau: (908) 979-0900
$15,000 for general operating support.
Center for Community Arts
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. Steve Bacher: (609) 884-7525
$15,000 for general operating support and community arts and humanities programs.
Center for Modern Dance Education, Inc.
Hackensack, NJ
Contact: Ms. Elissa M. Machlin-Lockwood: (201) 342-2989
$10,000 to support the "Open Door Dance Project".
City Without Walls
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Ben Goldman: (973) 622-1188
$30,000 for general operating support.
Cleo Mack Dance Project
Edison, NJ
Contact: Ms. Cleo Mack: (201) 927-7208
$6,400 for support of "All Voices In: Being Everything."
Dance New Jersey
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Ms. Macada Brandl: (973) 222-8844
$35,000 for general operating support.
Digital Stone Project, Inc.
Mercerville, NJ
Contact: Mr. Christoph Spath: (609) 587-6699
$5,000 to support Digital Stone Project's Artist Residency pilot program.
The Discovery Orchestra
Warren, NJ
Contact: Mr. George Mariner Maull: (908) 226-7300
$45,000 for educational Discovery Concerts, outreach and related staffing.
Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, Inc.
South Orange, NJ
Contact: Ms. Laura Ekstrand: (973) 378-7754
$7,500 for general operating support.
Freespace Dance
Upper Montclair, NJ
Contact: Ms. Donna Scro Gentile: (973) 743-8078
$10,000 for general operating support.
Friends of Cape May Jazz, Inc.
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. David J. Greenspun: (609) 884-7200
$10,000 for general operating support.
Friends of the New Jersey State Museum
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Barbara Moran: (609) 394-5310
$25,000 to support the reopening exhibition in the fall of 2007.
George Street Playhouse
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Mr. David Saint: (732) 846-2895
$170,000 for general operating support.
The Growing Stage Theatre for Young Audiences
Netcong, NJ
Contact: Mr. Stephen L. Fredericks: (973) 347-4946
$40,000 for general operating support.
Haddonfield Symphony
Haddonfield, NJ
Contact: Mr. Trevor Orthmann: (856) 429-1880
$70,000 for general operating support.
HANDS, Inc.
Orange, NJ
Contact: Mr. Patrick Morrissy: (973) 678-3110
$10,000 to support Valley Arts’ Creative Community Mural Project.
Harmonium Choral Society
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Dr. Anne Matlack: (973) 701-1732
$5,000 for the professional orchestration of an original choral piece.
Hunterdon Museum of Art
Clinton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Marjorie Frankel Nathanson:
(908) 735-8415
$60,000 for general operating support.
Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Mr. Gregory J. Perry: (732) 932-7237
$30,000 for general operating support.
Jersey City Museum, Inc.
Jersey City, NJ
Contact: Ms. Marion Grzesiak: (201) 413-0303
$100,000 for general operating support.
Joseph P. Hayes Surflight Theatre
Beach Haven, NJ
Contact: Mr. Steve Steiner: (609) 492-9477
$15,000 for general operating support.
Kean University Foundation
Union, NJ
Contact: Mr. Doug Nelson: (908) 737-4360
$15,000 for support of the Premiere Stages Play Festival.
Luna Stage Company Inc.
Montclair, NJ
Contact: Ms. Charlotte McKim: (973) 744-3309
$37,000 for general operating support.
The MacDowell Colony
Peterborough, NH
Contact: Ms. Cheryl A. Young: (212) 535-9690
$6,500 to support one fellowship for a New Jersey artist.
McCarter Theatre
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jeffrey Woodward: (609) 258-6514
$130,000 for support of the New Play Development program.
Mercer County Community College
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Tricia Fagan: (609) 570-3250
$7,500 for support of the art exhibition "Dangerous Women."
Monmouth County Arts Council
Red Bank, NJ
Contact: Ms. Mary Eileen Fouratt: (732) 212-1890
$30,000 to support the Community Outreach and Arts Planning Project.
Montclair Art Museum
Montclair, NJ
Contact: Mr. Patterson Sims: (973) 746-5555
$100,000 for general operating support.
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
Fort Lee, NJ
Contact: Mr. Andrew Chiang: (800) 650-0246
$80,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Ballet Company
Livingston, NJ
Contact: Ms. Carolyn Clark: (973) 597-9600
$65,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Network
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Elizabeth G. Christopherson:
(609) 777-5001
$75,000 to support "State of the Arts," NJN's Emmy award-winning series.
New Jersey Opera Theater
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Lisa S. Altman: (609) 799-7700
$30,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Lawrence P. Goldman: (973) 642-8989
$95,000 to support the "Alternate Routes" program and facility rental subsidies for NJ arts organizations.
New Jersey Repertory Company
Long Branch, NJ
Contact: Dr. Gabor Barabas: (732) 229-3166
$75,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. André Gremillet: (973) 624-3713
$175,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Tap Ensemble, Inc.
Bloomfield, NJ
Contact: Ms. Susan A. Simek: (973) 743-0600
$35,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Theatre Alliance
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Mr. John McEwen: (973) 540-0515
$95,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Inc.
Laurel Springs, NJ
Contact: Ms. Tracey I. Batt, Esq.: (856) 627-0428
$25,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Youth Theatre
Westfield, NJ
Contact: Mr. Theodore J. Agress: (908) 233-3200
$10,000 for general operating support.
Newark Arts Council
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Linwood J. Oglesby: (973) 460-7661
$40,000 for general operating support.
Newark Museum
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mary Sue Sweeney Price: (973) 596-6550
$170,000 for general operating support.
Newark Public Radio
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Cephas Bowles: (973) 624-8880
$95,000 for support of the WBGO-produced "JazzSet" national radio program.
Newark School of the Arts
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Stephen L. Shiman: (973) 642-0133
$75,000 to support arts education programs.
Nonprofit Finance Fund
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Ms. Joyce Jonat: (973) 285-9446
$75,000 to support advisory and financial services for New Jersey cultural organizations.
The Noyes Museum of Art
Oceanville, NJ
Contact: Mr. Michael Patrick Cagno: (609) 652-8848
$55,000 for general operating support.
Office of Arts and Cultural Programming
Montclair, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jedediah Wheeler: (973) 655-3049
$10,000 to support the premiere of "Elmer Gantry."
Office for Academic & Public Partnerships in the Arts & Humanities
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Ms. Isabel Nazario: (732) 932-4391
$15,000 for the Community Artist Residency Training Series (CARTS).
Passage Theatre Company
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. June Ballinger: (609) 392-0766
$65,000 for general operating support.
Paul Robeson Gallery of Rutgers University-Newark Campus
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jorge Daniel Veneciano: (973) 353-1625
$7,500 for general operating support.
Perkins Center for the Arts
Moorestown, NJ
Contact: Mr. Alan Willoughby: (856) 235-6488
$60,000 for general operating support.
Peters Valley Craftsmen
Layton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jimmy R. Clark: (973) 948-5200
$75,000 for general operating support.
Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey
Madison, NJ
Contact: Mr. John Pietrowski: (973) 514-1787
$50,000 for general operating support of new play development and statewide education programs.
Princeton Symphony Orchestra
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Melanie Clarke: (609) 497-0020
$10,000 for general operating support.
Pro Arte Chorale
Paramus, NJ
Contact: Mr. Hugh Dougan: (212) 858-1131
$7,500 for the commissioning of a new choral work.
Pushcart Players
Verona, NJ
Contact: Ms. Ruth Fost: (201) 857-1115
$40,000 for general operating support.
Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts
Millville, NJ
Contact: Mrs. Carolyne Krull: (856) 327-4500
$23,000 for general operating support.
Roxey Ballet Company
Lambertville, NJ
Contact: Mr. Mark A. Roxey: (609) 397-7616
$15,000 for general operating support.
Running Rabbit Family Theatre
Glen Ridge, NJ
Contact: Mr. Paul Whelihan: (973) 744-3309
$10,000 for general operating support.
Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts
Camden, NJ
Contact: Ms. Virginia Oberlin Steel: (856) 225-6610
$50,000 to support the Community Arts Programs in Camden.
School of the Garden State Ballet
Newark, NJ
Contact: Ms. Jody L. Jaron: (973) 623-1033
$20,000 for general operating support.
Sculpture Space
Utica, NY
Contact: Ms. Sydney Waller: (315) 724-8381
$5,000 for support of a residency for one NJ artist.
Settlement Music School
Camden, NJ
Contact: Ms. Valerie Clayton: (856) 541-6375
$30,000 for general operating and financial aid support of the Camden branch.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
Madison, NJ
Contact: Ms. Bonnie J. Monte: (973) 408-3278
$175,000 for general operating support.
The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts
Long Branch, NJ
Contact: Mr. Douglas Ferrari: (732) 263-1211
$20,000 for general operating support.
SHUA Group
Jersey City, NJ
Contact: Mr. Joshua Bisset: (201) 433-9622
$5,000 for the creation and performance of a new work, "Soft Wall."
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture
New York, NY
Contact: Ms. Kate Haw: (212) 529-0505
$10,000 for Fellowship support of three New Jersey visual artists.
South Jersey Cultural Alliance
Pleasantville, NJ
Contact: Ms. Cynthia Lambert: (609) 645-2760
$60,000 for general operating support.
Terra Firma Dance Theatre
Highland Park, NJ
Contact: Mr. Stuart Loungway: (732) 207-6318
$7,000 for support of the development of "OF/YOU/OF/US."
The Theater Project at Union County College
Cranford, NJ
Contact: Mr. Mark Spina: (908) 659-5189
$10,000 for general operating support.
Thomas A. Edison Media Arts Consortium
Jersey City, NJ
Contact: Mr. John Columbus: (201) 200-2043
$25,000 for the Black Maria Film and Video Festival and the NJ Young Film and Videomakers Festival.
Trenton Downtown Association
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Taneshia Nash Laird: (609) 393-8998
$10,000 for general operating support of arts programming.
Tri-State Actors Theater
Sussex, NJ
Contact: Mrs. Patricia Meacham: (973) 875-2950
$20,000 for general operating support.
Two River Theatre Company
Red Bank, NJ
Contact: Mr. Guy H. Gsell: (732) 345-1400
$80,000 for general operating support.
Vermont Studio Center
Johnson, VT
Contact: Mr. Jonathan Gregg: (802) 635-2727
$17,500 to support five residencies for New Jersey artists and writers.
Virginia Center for the Creative Arts
Amherst, VA
Contact: Ms. Suny Monk: (804) 946-7236
$21,000 to support ten residencies for New Jersey artists, writers, and composers.
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
Summit, NJ
Contact: Mr. Eric Pryor: (908) 273-9121
$20,000 for general operating support.
Westfield Symphony Orchestra
Westfield, NJ
Contact: Ms. Elizabeth Ryan: (908) 232-9400
$37,500 for general operating support of the Symphony's 25th anniversary season.
What Exit? Theatre Company
Maplewood, NJ
Contact: Ms. Beverly Sheehan: (973) 763-4029
$9,100 for general operating support.
WheatonArts and Cultural Center
Millville, NJ
Contact: Ms. Susan M. Gogan: (856) 825-6800
$100,000 for general operating support.
Women's Studio Workshop
Rosendale, NY
Contact: Ms. Ann Kalmbach: (845) 658-9133
$15,000 to support two Artist-In-Residence opportunities for NJ women artists.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Review Preview: Measure for Measure
Here's my draft of the review for "Measure for Measure" at the Shakespeare Theatre of new Jersey. One discussion point may be added, but I'm waiting on some information. But the "judgment" aspect of the review will not change.
Abstract: Pretty good production of a play that is not without problems, but is a good example of Shakespeare's uncanny timeliness, even after 400 years.
Note to regular readers: As the "Midsummer" lull beckons, I don't see a show to review on my schedule until "The Bald Soprano" at the Shakespeare Theatre on August 11. But posts will continue. Theater directors, get your audition notices to me and I'll get them up as soon as they arrive. The Fall season will be on you before you know it..
PS: I hear Bonnie Monte and I are sharing a similar problem: a bad back. Get well soon, Bonnie-it's always a tragedy to be betrayed by your vertabrae.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Measure for Measure”
When: through July 29
Where: F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Madison
How much: $28 to $52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shkespearenj.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The actor Jack Wetherall made a strong first impression earlier this year at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, playing the Chorus and Montjoy, the French envoy, in “Henry V”
Last week, the director Jack Wetherall made a promising company debut with his novel adaptation of “Measure for Measure,” solving some, if not all, of the challenges presented by one of Shakespeare’s notorious “problem plays.”
Essentially a drama about morality, politics and abuse of power, “Measure for Measure” finds modern relevance in the myriad scandals of our elected officials and power brokers. There’s no shortage of romance and comic relief, either, making for a rich and briskly paced (just short of three hours with the intermission) night of theater.
So, what’s the problem? While “Measure for Measure” is easy enough to follow, it is difficult to swallow. Shakespeare is no stranger to preposterous plot, and they are frequently part of the fun in his better comedies. But in a darkly dramatic setting, they simply can’t be taken seriously.
Duke Vincentio (David Manis) gets things rolling by leaving Verona, leaving hard-liner Angelo (Michael Milligan) in charge of a city in moral decay. Angelo immediately revives an old law that condemns fornicators to death.
He makes an example of young Claudio (Stephen Tyrone Williams), who has put his beloved Juliet (Jo Williamson) in the family way. His sister, Isabella (January LaVoy), a novice nun, pleads with Angelo for mercy, but balks when Angelo offers to spare Claudio if she sleeps with him.
Meanwhile, the Duke has gone under cover (specifically, under hood) as a friar to spy on everyone. When he learns of Angelo’s scandalous hypocrisy, he cooks up a complex plot to right several wrongs in one fell swoop.
The happy ending and an endless supply of mercy (a Shakespeare staple) have never sat well with scholars or audiences, and it doesn’t help that the Duke hits on Isabella before it’s all over.
Wetherall wisely makes light of the problem points—some key lines are delivered with dry humor that say to the audience, “yeah, we know,” with a metaphorical wink. Manis gets the best of it. When the Duke must inexplicably exit a key scene to resume his friar disguise, he declares, “I, for a while, will leave you,” as Ed McMahon would deliver a straight line to Carson. The audience howled. Problem solved.
Wetherall also shows a nice touch with his actors, particularly the supporting players. Kristie Dale Sanders, as Mariana, gets laughs and tears in less than 10 minutes of stage time. Elizabeth Sheperd, who usually plays stuffy Victorians, is a bawdy and buxom Mistress Overdone. Non-Equity company members Roderick Lapid and Christopher McFarland also shine, respectively, as a charming rogue and a dazed executioner.
None of the leads really stands out, although all get the job done. Manis looks more like an accountant than a king, but grows in the role, seemingly feeding off the cumulative silliness of the story. Milligan seethes as Angelo, but can’t quite convince us of his character’s motivation, which is partly the fault of the author.
Wetherall also chose to reset the play in America’s post Civil War Southwest, where Union soldiers, Confederates, free former slaves and assorted reprobates populated a dangerous, untamed territory. His director notes logically link these seemingly conflicting places, but in execution, the switch is more curious than crucial.
A stage of unpainted hardwood, with two walls of similar construction in back, provide a simple, unvarnished platform for a play that is anything but simple.
In short, and by any measure, Wetherall has given us a credible production of a play that struggles for credibility, but is ultimately worth the effort.
Abstract: Pretty good production of a play that is not without problems, but is a good example of Shakespeare's uncanny timeliness, even after 400 years.
Note to regular readers: As the "Midsummer" lull beckons, I don't see a show to review on my schedule until "The Bald Soprano" at the Shakespeare Theatre on August 11. But posts will continue. Theater directors, get your audition notices to me and I'll get them up as soon as they arrive. The Fall season will be on you before you know it..
PS: I hear Bonnie Monte and I are sharing a similar problem: a bad back. Get well soon, Bonnie-it's always a tragedy to be betrayed by your vertabrae.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Measure for Measure”
When: through July 29
Where: F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Madison
How much: $28 to $52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shkespearenj.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The actor Jack Wetherall made a strong first impression earlier this year at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, playing the Chorus and Montjoy, the French envoy, in “Henry V”
Last week, the director Jack Wetherall made a promising company debut with his novel adaptation of “Measure for Measure,” solving some, if not all, of the challenges presented by one of Shakespeare’s notorious “problem plays.”
Essentially a drama about morality, politics and abuse of power, “Measure for Measure” finds modern relevance in the myriad scandals of our elected officials and power brokers. There’s no shortage of romance and comic relief, either, making for a rich and briskly paced (just short of three hours with the intermission) night of theater.
So, what’s the problem? While “Measure for Measure” is easy enough to follow, it is difficult to swallow. Shakespeare is no stranger to preposterous plot, and they are frequently part of the fun in his better comedies. But in a darkly dramatic setting, they simply can’t be taken seriously.
Duke Vincentio (David Manis) gets things rolling by leaving Verona, leaving hard-liner Angelo (Michael Milligan) in charge of a city in moral decay. Angelo immediately revives an old law that condemns fornicators to death.
He makes an example of young Claudio (Stephen Tyrone Williams), who has put his beloved Juliet (Jo Williamson) in the family way. His sister, Isabella (January LaVoy), a novice nun, pleads with Angelo for mercy, but balks when Angelo offers to spare Claudio if she sleeps with him.
Meanwhile, the Duke has gone under cover (specifically, under hood) as a friar to spy on everyone. When he learns of Angelo’s scandalous hypocrisy, he cooks up a complex plot to right several wrongs in one fell swoop.
The happy ending and an endless supply of mercy (a Shakespeare staple) have never sat well with scholars or audiences, and it doesn’t help that the Duke hits on Isabella before it’s all over.
Wetherall wisely makes light of the problem points—some key lines are delivered with dry humor that say to the audience, “yeah, we know,” with a metaphorical wink. Manis gets the best of it. When the Duke must inexplicably exit a key scene to resume his friar disguise, he declares, “I, for a while, will leave you,” as Ed McMahon would deliver a straight line to Carson. The audience howled. Problem solved.
Wetherall also shows a nice touch with his actors, particularly the supporting players. Kristie Dale Sanders, as Mariana, gets laughs and tears in less than 10 minutes of stage time. Elizabeth Sheperd, who usually plays stuffy Victorians, is a bawdy and buxom Mistress Overdone. Non-Equity company members Roderick Lapid and Christopher McFarland also shine, respectively, as a charming rogue and a dazed executioner.
None of the leads really stands out, although all get the job done. Manis looks more like an accountant than a king, but grows in the role, seemingly feeding off the cumulative silliness of the story. Milligan seethes as Angelo, but can’t quite convince us of his character’s motivation, which is partly the fault of the author.
Wetherall also chose to reset the play in America’s post Civil War Southwest, where Union soldiers, Confederates, free former slaves and assorted reprobates populated a dangerous, untamed territory. His director notes logically link these seemingly conflicting places, but in execution, the switch is more curious than crucial.
A stage of unpainted hardwood, with two walls of similar construction in back, provide a simple, unvarnished platform for a play that is anything but simple.
In short, and by any measure, Wetherall has given us a credible production of a play that struggles for credibility, but is ultimately worth the effort.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Crossroads announces new season
Read it here first cuz I I only got it at 11 p.m. last night--the press release for the new season at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick follows.
Highlights include an autobiographical musical writtenand performed by Melba Moore and a new doo-wop musical (!) Sounds very promising. Read on ...
CROSSROADS THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2007-2008 SEASON
New Brunswick, NJ Crossroads Theatre Company of New Brunswick, NJ, has announced three plays, including a world premiere, for the 2007-2008 season followed by the Genesis Festival of New Voices.
The opening play is Melba Moore: Sweet Songs of the Soul which is an autobiographical musical production written and performed by Melba Moore. The audience follows Moore's life with its trials and tribulations along with her many successes revealed through dialogue and a heady mix of jazz, gospel, and Broadway melodies. This petite woman with a with a four octave range holds nothing back as she shares her personal story with the audience. Melba Moore began her Broadway career in the ground breaking musical Hair in 1969 where she originated the role of Dionne. She went on to the role of Lutiebelle, the innocent southern domestic who falls in love with a fast-talking preacher, in the long running musical Purlie, the role which launched her successful television and recording career. Her show-stopping performance in Purlie won Melba the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress In A Musical, making her the first African-American actress to do so. Melba was born in New York and studied piano and voice at the High School for Performing Arts and went on to receive a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Montclair State College in New Jersey. Melba Moore: Sweet Songs of the Soul can be seen on the Crossroads' stage September 28 through October 7.
In November, Crossroads presents Daniel Beaty's highly acclaimed Emergence-See! This explosive new play begins on a clear blue day with the supernatural emergence of a slave ship in front of the Statue of Liberty sending New York into a whirlwind of emotion and exploration. Daniel Beaty's solo tour de force features slam poetry, multi-character transformation, and song. New York Magazine praised Beaty and Emergence-See! stating that his play "revealed him to be a dynamic and forceful performer, as well as an intelligent and provocative new writer--on both counts, the strongest debut of the year." Beaty portrays numerous characters including an 11- year-old boy from the projects, a scientist, a business executive and homeless man--throughout which the audience is treated to a poetry slam already in progress. Beaty is the recipient of the 2007 Obie Award for Excellence in Off-Broadway Theater for this production along with a 2007 Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination for a Solo Performance. Previously Beaty was seen on HBO's Russel Simmons Presents Def Poetry and as a guest artist on NBC's Showtime at the Apollo. Daniel was the 2004 Grand Slam Champion at the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe and has performed with artists including Jill Scott, MC Lyte, Mos Def, Deepak Chopra and Phylicia Rashad. Emergence-See! and Daniel Beaty will be at Crossroads November 28 through December 9.
Doo-wop comes to the Crossroads stage in March with the world premiere musical Great Googley Moo which had been a part of the 2007 Genesis Festival . Written by Michael Thomas Murray, Great Googley Moo is a lively celebration of the early 1950's roots of doo-wop, the group singing style that dominated youth pop music into the mid-1960's. The inspiration for this musical play comes from Murray's friendship with Jimmy Guilford who was an original member of the 1940's swing group the Inkspots. Guilford went on to a long career as a doo-wop and soul singer with pop groups including the Dominos and Orioles. Great Googley Moo is the fictionalized story of those R & B artists who opened the doors for every rock star to follow but who, at the time, did not receive the recognition, credit, or compensation they deserved. The play also depicts the internal dynamics of a racially integrated vocal group who experience the racial bigotry prevalent in the music industry of the day. Great Googley Moo is a toe-tapping hit parade of highly entertaining renditions of songs like Sincerely, Sixty Minute Man, and Lovers Never Say Goodby that become a powerful message using street-corner harmony as a metaphor for creating peaceable relations in the world.
The Genesis Festival of New Voices will take place May 1-4. The Genesis Festival began more that a decade ago as the brainchild of Artistic Director Ricardo Khan and then New Play Development Director Sydne Mahone as a means of giving voice to young writers and new, cutting edge forms of theatre in a nurturing and creative environment. Among plays that have found their way from Genesis to the world's stages are Sheila's Day, George C. Wolfe's Spunk, Anna Deveare Smith's Dream and original works by Ntozoke Shange, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.
For Tickets call 800-766-6048. Single tickets are $40-$55 with discounts for subscribers, students and groups. For further information call the customer service line at 732-545-8100 or visit www.CrossroadsNB.com.
Highlights include an autobiographical musical writtenand performed by Melba Moore and a new doo-wop musical (!) Sounds very promising. Read on ...
CROSSROADS THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2007-2008 SEASON
New Brunswick, NJ Crossroads Theatre Company of New Brunswick, NJ, has announced three plays, including a world premiere, for the 2007-2008 season followed by the Genesis Festival of New Voices.
The opening play is Melba Moore: Sweet Songs of the Soul which is an autobiographical musical production written and performed by Melba Moore. The audience follows Moore's life with its trials and tribulations along with her many successes revealed through dialogue and a heady mix of jazz, gospel, and Broadway melodies. This petite woman with a with a four octave range holds nothing back as she shares her personal story with the audience. Melba Moore began her Broadway career in the ground breaking musical Hair in 1969 where she originated the role of Dionne. She went on to the role of Lutiebelle, the innocent southern domestic who falls in love with a fast-talking preacher, in the long running musical Purlie, the role which launched her successful television and recording career. Her show-stopping performance in Purlie won Melba the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress In A Musical, making her the first African-American actress to do so. Melba was born in New York and studied piano and voice at the High School for Performing Arts and went on to receive a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Montclair State College in New Jersey. Melba Moore: Sweet Songs of the Soul can be seen on the Crossroads' stage September 28 through October 7.
In November, Crossroads presents Daniel Beaty's highly acclaimed Emergence-See! This explosive new play begins on a clear blue day with the supernatural emergence of a slave ship in front of the Statue of Liberty sending New York into a whirlwind of emotion and exploration. Daniel Beaty's solo tour de force features slam poetry, multi-character transformation, and song. New York Magazine praised Beaty and Emergence-See! stating that his play "revealed him to be a dynamic and forceful performer, as well as an intelligent and provocative new writer--on both counts, the strongest debut of the year." Beaty portrays numerous characters including an 11- year-old boy from the projects, a scientist, a business executive and homeless man--throughout which the audience is treated to a poetry slam already in progress. Beaty is the recipient of the 2007 Obie Award for Excellence in Off-Broadway Theater for this production along with a 2007 Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination for a Solo Performance. Previously Beaty was seen on HBO's Russel Simmons Presents Def Poetry and as a guest artist on NBC's Showtime at the Apollo. Daniel was the 2004 Grand Slam Champion at the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe and has performed with artists including Jill Scott, MC Lyte, Mos Def, Deepak Chopra and Phylicia Rashad. Emergence-See! and Daniel Beaty will be at Crossroads November 28 through December 9.
Doo-wop comes to the Crossroads stage in March with the world premiere musical Great Googley Moo which had been a part of the 2007 Genesis Festival . Written by Michael Thomas Murray, Great Googley Moo is a lively celebration of the early 1950's roots of doo-wop, the group singing style that dominated youth pop music into the mid-1960's. The inspiration for this musical play comes from Murray's friendship with Jimmy Guilford who was an original member of the 1940's swing group the Inkspots. Guilford went on to a long career as a doo-wop and soul singer with pop groups including the Dominos and Orioles. Great Googley Moo is the fictionalized story of those R & B artists who opened the doors for every rock star to follow but who, at the time, did not receive the recognition, credit, or compensation they deserved. The play also depicts the internal dynamics of a racially integrated vocal group who experience the racial bigotry prevalent in the music industry of the day. Great Googley Moo is a toe-tapping hit parade of highly entertaining renditions of songs like Sincerely, Sixty Minute Man, and Lovers Never Say Goodby that become a powerful message using street-corner harmony as a metaphor for creating peaceable relations in the world.
The Genesis Festival of New Voices will take place May 1-4. The Genesis Festival began more that a decade ago as the brainchild of Artistic Director Ricardo Khan and then New Play Development Director Sydne Mahone as a means of giving voice to young writers and new, cutting edge forms of theatre in a nurturing and creative environment. Among plays that have found their way from Genesis to the world's stages are Sheila's Day, George C. Wolfe's Spunk, Anna Deveare Smith's Dream and original works by Ntozoke Shange, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.
For Tickets call 800-766-6048. Single tickets are $40-$55 with discounts for subscribers, students and groups. For further information call the customer service line at 732-545-8100 or visit www.CrossroadsNB.com.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Plays for Pets?
Here's a cool thing going on in Hillsborough:
The Somerset Valley Players will offer two free tickets to anyone who adopts a pet during an upcoming run of performances of the play, “Sylvia,” which runs July 20 to Aug. 5.
“Sylvia” is described as “a heart-warming tale of a man who adopts a dog, and the problems and joy associated with the experience.”
The Plainfield Area Humane Society (www.petfinders.com ) will display information about its pet adoption programs at the theater and have pictures of pets currently available for adoption.
Anyone who adopts a pet will receive coupons for two free tickets to any upcoming SVP performance.
Shows will be performed at 8 p.m.on Friday and Saturday nights. Matinees will be offered at 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $14 or $12 for seniors.
The Somerset Valley Playhouse is at 689 Amwell Road (Route 514) in Hillsborough. For more information, visit www.svptheatre.org.
The Plainfield Area Humane Society is a nonprofit organization that has been in continuous operation since 1933, located at 75 Rock Ave. in Plainfield. For information, call (908) 754-0300.
The Somerset Valley Players will offer two free tickets to anyone who adopts a pet during an upcoming run of performances of the play, “Sylvia,” which runs July 20 to Aug. 5.
“Sylvia” is described as “a heart-warming tale of a man who adopts a dog, and the problems and joy associated with the experience.”
The Plainfield Area Humane Society (www.petfinders.com ) will display information about its pet adoption programs at the theater and have pictures of pets currently available for adoption.
Anyone who adopts a pet will receive coupons for two free tickets to any upcoming SVP performance.
Shows will be performed at 8 p.m.on Friday and Saturday nights. Matinees will be offered at 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $14 or $12 for seniors.
The Somerset Valley Playhouse is at 689 Amwell Road (Route 514) in Hillsborough. For more information, visit www.svptheatre.org.
The Plainfield Area Humane Society is a nonprofit organization that has been in continuous operation since 1933, located at 75 Rock Ave. in Plainfield. For information, call (908) 754-0300.
"'Midsummer' extended at STNJ
Release from the Shakespeare Theatre follows regarding the extended run of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Seriously, folks, if you've never been to the magnificent outdoor Greek Theatre at the College of St. Elizabeth, that alone should put it on your destination list. The outdoor show here has been one of the highlights of my summer for the last six years. And bring a picnic.--you can even bring your food and wine inside and claim some extra space (at least if its not too crowded, but they even let people do that on a crowded opening night), or picnic before the show on the lawn.
And it's a cheap ticket for a show that's every bit as good as the mainstage shows that people willingly pay a lot more for.
Release follows:
"Due to popular demand The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey announces a week-long, 5 performance extension of A Midsummer Night's Dream on its Outdoor Stage
Performances now are through July 28th"
Madison -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey today announced a one week extension of its Outdoor Stage production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed at the outdoor Greek Theatre on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth at Convent Station. This replica of an ancient Greek theatre nestled into the hillside of the park-like campus offers a theatrical event unique on the East Coast.
Originally scheduled to close on July 22, A Midsummer Night's Dream will continue performances Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 8:15 p.m. through Saturday evening, July 28th. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Shakespeare Theatre box office by calling 973-408-5600 or visiting www.ShakespeareNJ.org. Tickets are available at the door based on availability.
Seriously, folks, if you've never been to the magnificent outdoor Greek Theatre at the College of St. Elizabeth, that alone should put it on your destination list. The outdoor show here has been one of the highlights of my summer for the last six years. And bring a picnic.--you can even bring your food and wine inside and claim some extra space (at least if its not too crowded, but they even let people do that on a crowded opening night), or picnic before the show on the lawn.
And it's a cheap ticket for a show that's every bit as good as the mainstage shows that people willingly pay a lot more for.
Release follows:
"Due to popular demand The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey announces a week-long, 5 performance extension of A Midsummer Night's Dream on its Outdoor Stage
Performances now are through July 28th"
Madison -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey today announced a one week extension of its Outdoor Stage production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed at the outdoor Greek Theatre on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth at Convent Station. This replica of an ancient Greek theatre nestled into the hillside of the park-like campus offers a theatrical event unique on the East Coast.
Originally scheduled to close on July 22, A Midsummer Night's Dream will continue performances Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 8:15 p.m. through Saturday evening, July 28th. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Shakespeare Theatre box office by calling 973-408-5600 or visiting www.ShakespeareNJ.org. Tickets are available at the door based on availability.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Bickford Auditions--Equity/nonEquity
The summer slowdown is in full effect on the Jersey Stages scene, as most professional theaters are dark for the summer. But new seasons loom, so I'm expecting a slew of audition notices. Performers should check back regularly for updates--I'll post as soon as I get.
Also, we run an auditions column in the Courier every week in the Kicks section, so don't say you would have auditioned if you knew about it.
Cause we told you, all you Olivias and Oliviers.
Starting with the Bickford, whose info follows.
Bickford Theatre will hold auditions for the comedy, The Owl & The Pussycat by Bill Manhoff. Auditions for Equity members will be held Friday July 27 from 9:30am to 1:30pm at the AEA Audition Center, 165 W. 46th Street, NYC, also Saturday July 28 from 10am to 1:30pm at the Bickford Theatre, 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown. Sign up both days is at 9am. Auditions for non-Equity members will be held Saturday, July 28 from 2pm to 5pm. Artistic Director Eric Hafen will direct.
Character breakdown: Doris: African-American woman; 25-35; prostitute who claims to be a model/actress; feisty, alert; protected at every human point by a thick shell; yet possesses a warm heart and soul; Felix: 30-40; bookstore clerk who claims to be a novelist; highly organized; pseudo-intelligence; his superficial emotions reflect his unsuccessful writing
There will be cold readings from the script. A reader will be provided. Sides are available at www.BickfordTheatre.org under Auditions.
Production dates: September 13, 2007 through October 7, 2007. Rehearsal process begins August 27, 2007. Rehearsal schedule will be determined and will include weekdays, evenings and weekends. For additional information and directions, see the website or call 973.971.3706.
Also, we run an auditions column in the Courier every week in the Kicks section, so don't say you would have auditioned if you knew about it.
Cause we told you, all you Olivias and Oliviers.
Starting with the Bickford, whose info follows.
Bickford Theatre will hold auditions for the comedy, The Owl & The Pussycat by Bill Manhoff. Auditions for Equity members will be held Friday July 27 from 9:30am to 1:30pm at the AEA Audition Center, 165 W. 46th Street, NYC, also Saturday July 28 from 10am to 1:30pm at the Bickford Theatre, 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown. Sign up both days is at 9am. Auditions for non-Equity members will be held Saturday, July 28 from 2pm to 5pm. Artistic Director Eric Hafen will direct.
Character breakdown: Doris: African-American woman; 25-35; prostitute who claims to be a model/actress; feisty, alert; protected at every human point by a thick shell; yet possesses a warm heart and soul; Felix: 30-40; bookstore clerk who claims to be a novelist; highly organized; pseudo-intelligence; his superficial emotions reflect his unsuccessful writing
There will be cold readings from the script. A reader will be provided. Sides are available at www.BickfordTheatre.org under Auditions.
Production dates: September 13, 2007 through October 7, 2007. Rehearsal process begins August 27, 2007. Rehearsal schedule will be determined and will include weekdays, evenings and weekends. For additional information and directions, see the website or call 973.971.3706.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Review Preview: Valhalla
Finally got to see a Theater Project show Friday night and glad I did.
Funny how the rain-delayed fireworks coincided with intermission. Very cool and added to the evening.
Overheard on the way out:
"I liked it. I mean, it was too long, and I think at one point I fell asleep. But it was zany."
Vox populi.
My vox below, in draft. Should run Wednesday with pix in the Courier.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Valhalla”
When: through July 29
Where: The Theater Project, Union County College, Cranford
How much: $20 adults, $10 students (Fridays, Saturday, Sunday); $12 (Thursday)
Info: (908) 659-5189; www.theaterproject.com
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Talk about opening a show with a bang. The intermission of Friday’s premiere performance of “Valhalla” at the Theater Project featured an Independence Day-worthy fireworks display.
You don’t get that kind of pizzazz on Broadway, let alone a Central Jersey theater with less than 100 seats. And the play was pretty good, too.
Full disclosure reveals that Cranford’s rain-delayed fireworks in Nomahegan Park coincided with this performance across the street at Union County College, where the pyrotechnics were limited to a few staged gunshots. But some combustible and fearless performances helped the audience survive Paul Rudnick’s wild and occasionally exhausting comedy.
Piscataway native Rudnick’s abstract and edgy history lesson ties two seemingly random places in time—19th century Bavaria and 1940s Texas. The former introduces us to Ludwig (Dennis DaPrile), the infamous “Mad King” who was dethroned for the madness of some building beautiful castles that are now part of the region’s identity.
The latter subject is equally mad and dangerously angry. Abused by his parents, James (Kevin Sebastian) becomes a delinquent who eventually beds the prom queen, Sally (Jenelle Sosa), but prefers her fiancé, the varsity quarterback, Henry Lee (Stephen Medvidick).
Ludwig, we learn in alternating scenes, also prefers the company of men, giving us the first link between Bavaria and James’ backwater, Bible Belt town. The second is that both, in their own, very unique ways, are seeking true beauty at all costs.
With the two Equity professionals in the cast, Gail Lou and Rick Delaney, playing multiple roles, these four talented young actors romp through madcap scenes overflowing with comedy ranging from dry one liners to shockingly profane bursts of intensity. Early on, Rudnick pushes too hard, almost daring the audience to take offense. But if you stick with it, his dysfunctional characters become more sympathetic than you could possibly imagine at intermission.
“Valhalla” takes liberties with, but follows some real history, as Ludwig deals with a Prussian invasion and an obsession with Wagnerian opera. James and Henry Lee end up on a troop ship to Europe, where they parachute to within visiting distance of Ludwig’s castles. There, they rediscover their attraction.
Tragedy ends both story lines, but the attraction of “Valhalla” is the laughs and, in the case of this production, a tremendously entertaining cast.
DaPrile somehow endears a whiny fop of a free-spending, clueless monarch, never losing the childlike innocence of the character, even as he ages from 10 to adulthood. Sebastian has the tougher job of selling James, who revels in ruining the lives of classmates who never wronged him. He smolders with James Dean intensity, but is even better in more subtle moments, such as when Sally accuses him of stealing.
“I didn’t steal it,” he says quietly and unapologetically. “I needed it.”
Sosa has fun playing Sally as a Legally Blonde airhead, obsessed with superficial beauty. She admires the deeds of Eleanor Roosevelt, but wonders, “Can you imagine how much more she could have accomplished if she was pretty?”
Medvidick also works hard, fearlessly fending off, and succumbing to, James’ advances.
Lou and Delaney work the perimeter, hamming it up in roles of various genders, accents and octaves. Sosa also multitasks as a humpback princess who finds a soulmate, if not a bedmate, in Ludwig, and becomes the nexus for a series of humpback jokes that yank guilty laughs from the audience. Bad boy Rudnick also includes some absurdly inspired song-and-dance numbers, one of which would fit well in a Mel Brooks movie.
Artistic director Mark Spina keeps a complex production on course, spilling over a Spartan, but functional stage, which in this intimate space is only four rows from the back of the room.
“Valhalla” may not be for the faint of heart, but it’s a comedy of operatic proportion. Don’t expect fireworks, but the floor show is a gas.
Funny how the rain-delayed fireworks coincided with intermission. Very cool and added to the evening.
Overheard on the way out:
"I liked it. I mean, it was too long, and I think at one point I fell asleep. But it was zany."
Vox populi.
My vox below, in draft. Should run Wednesday with pix in the Courier.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Valhalla”
When: through July 29
Where: The Theater Project, Union County College, Cranford
How much: $20 adults, $10 students (Fridays, Saturday, Sunday); $12 (Thursday)
Info: (908) 659-5189; www.theaterproject.com
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Talk about opening a show with a bang. The intermission of Friday’s premiere performance of “Valhalla” at the Theater Project featured an Independence Day-worthy fireworks display.
You don’t get that kind of pizzazz on Broadway, let alone a Central Jersey theater with less than 100 seats. And the play was pretty good, too.
Full disclosure reveals that Cranford’s rain-delayed fireworks in Nomahegan Park coincided with this performance across the street at Union County College, where the pyrotechnics were limited to a few staged gunshots. But some combustible and fearless performances helped the audience survive Paul Rudnick’s wild and occasionally exhausting comedy.
Piscataway native Rudnick’s abstract and edgy history lesson ties two seemingly random places in time—19th century Bavaria and 1940s Texas. The former introduces us to Ludwig (Dennis DaPrile), the infamous “Mad King” who was dethroned for the madness of some building beautiful castles that are now part of the region’s identity.
The latter subject is equally mad and dangerously angry. Abused by his parents, James (Kevin Sebastian) becomes a delinquent who eventually beds the prom queen, Sally (Jenelle Sosa), but prefers her fiancé, the varsity quarterback, Henry Lee (Stephen Medvidick).
Ludwig, we learn in alternating scenes, also prefers the company of men, giving us the first link between Bavaria and James’ backwater, Bible Belt town. The second is that both, in their own, very unique ways, are seeking true beauty at all costs.
With the two Equity professionals in the cast, Gail Lou and Rick Delaney, playing multiple roles, these four talented young actors romp through madcap scenes overflowing with comedy ranging from dry one liners to shockingly profane bursts of intensity. Early on, Rudnick pushes too hard, almost daring the audience to take offense. But if you stick with it, his dysfunctional characters become more sympathetic than you could possibly imagine at intermission.
“Valhalla” takes liberties with, but follows some real history, as Ludwig deals with a Prussian invasion and an obsession with Wagnerian opera. James and Henry Lee end up on a troop ship to Europe, where they parachute to within visiting distance of Ludwig’s castles. There, they rediscover their attraction.
Tragedy ends both story lines, but the attraction of “Valhalla” is the laughs and, in the case of this production, a tremendously entertaining cast.
DaPrile somehow endears a whiny fop of a free-spending, clueless monarch, never losing the childlike innocence of the character, even as he ages from 10 to adulthood. Sebastian has the tougher job of selling James, who revels in ruining the lives of classmates who never wronged him. He smolders with James Dean intensity, but is even better in more subtle moments, such as when Sally accuses him of stealing.
“I didn’t steal it,” he says quietly and unapologetically. “I needed it.”
Sosa has fun playing Sally as a Legally Blonde airhead, obsessed with superficial beauty. She admires the deeds of Eleanor Roosevelt, but wonders, “Can you imagine how much more she could have accomplished if she was pretty?”
Medvidick also works hard, fearlessly fending off, and succumbing to, James’ advances.
Lou and Delaney work the perimeter, hamming it up in roles of various genders, accents and octaves. Sosa also multitasks as a humpback princess who finds a soulmate, if not a bedmate, in Ludwig, and becomes the nexus for a series of humpback jokes that yank guilty laughs from the audience. Bad boy Rudnick also includes some absurdly inspired song-and-dance numbers, one of which would fit well in a Mel Brooks movie.
Artistic director Mark Spina keeps a complex production on course, spilling over a Spartan, but functional stage, which in this intimate space is only four rows from the back of the room.
“Valhalla” may not be for the faint of heart, but it’s a comedy of operatic proportion. Don’t expect fireworks, but the floor show is a gas.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
More outdoor Shakespeare in Basking Ridge
While the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey continues its fine outdoor production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Trilogy Repertory Company in Basking Ridge opens its 20th season of Plays in the Park July 13 (Friday the 13th or the Ides of March be damned, I guess) with the premiere of its production of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”
Performances continue through July 21 at the outdoor amphitheater at Pleasant Valley Park, Valley Road.
The cast includes Christine Marquet of Basking Ridge, Hugh Wallace of Parsippany and Tim Murphy of Denville. Admission is free and attendees are welcome to bring picnic baskets, lawn chairs and blankets.
The festival continues with “Kiss Me Kate,” which runs from July 26 to Aug. 4. For more information, call (908) 204-3003.
Can't say I've seen any of their shows, but at minimum, it fits into one of my favorite categories:
Free is good.
If we haven't given you enough outdoor Shakespeare for one summer, here's a link to a story in today's Courier News Kicks section. Covers the scene in detail.
http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070705/ENTERTAIN01/707050317/1035
Performances continue through July 21 at the outdoor amphitheater at Pleasant Valley Park, Valley Road.
The cast includes Christine Marquet of Basking Ridge, Hugh Wallace of Parsippany and Tim Murphy of Denville. Admission is free and attendees are welcome to bring picnic baskets, lawn chairs and blankets.
The festival continues with “Kiss Me Kate,” which runs from July 26 to Aug. 4. For more information, call (908) 204-3003.
Can't say I've seen any of their shows, but at minimum, it fits into one of my favorite categories:
Free is good.
If we haven't given you enough outdoor Shakespeare for one summer, here's a link to a story in today's Courier News Kicks section. Covers the scene in detail.
http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070705/ENTERTAIN01/707050317/1035
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