UPCOMING READINGS AND EVENTS
PAST READINGS AND EVENTS
The Montclair State University Department of Theatre & Dance, the New Jersey Play Lab, and Jersey City Theater Center have partnered to commission, develop, and produce New Jersey stories in New Jersey communities, written by New Jersey playwrights. Jersey City playwright Ravin Patterson inaugurates this partnership with her new play, Dante’s Renaissance.
Dante’s Renaissance is a vibrant, theatrical story of art, friendship, and purpose, set against the backdrop of a city in transition. The piece focuses around Dante, a film student from Jersey City whose world is enlightened after a year of studying abroad in Italy. Armed with exciting, new experiences to share, he enthusiastically returns home expecting to receive accolades and admiration. Instead, he discovers that the people and hometown he left behind have evolved as much as he has. Balancing the changes won’t be as easy as he imagined, especially when his journey to self-discovery may cost him more than he expects to pay.
Public Performance Saturday, Dec 09, 2023 at 3pm at Jersey City Theatre Center
Please join us for Developmental Readings of two of our 2022 Residency Plays
Un Hombre: A Golem Story by Stephen Kaplan
Directed by Stephen Nachamie
Tuesday May 16th, 2023 @ 7:30pm
Luna Stage 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052
Rebecca Wolfson, a sculptor, is struggling to get back on track after the untimely death of her husband. She is suffering from intense artist’s block, and her son is withdrawn, failing Spanish, and unprepared for his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. All seems hopeless until a lot of wine and a little magic transform a hunk of clay into the hunky answer to all of their problems. But when her creation begins questioning his own purpose and existence, both mother and son are forced to confront their grief and grow in ways they never expected.
The reading will be followed by a discussion with the playwright.
Cast:
Rebecca………..…………………Evy Ortiz*
Josh…………………………..Loren Turner
Adam…………………………..John P. Keller *
STAGE DIRECTIONS: Alexa Teebo
Exit 1 by Ravin Patterson
Directed by Diane Parker
Saturday May 13th, 2023 @ 7pm
HUUB 35 & 47 Cleveland St Orange, NJ 07050
Employees and patrons at a rest stop on the Jersey Turnpike struggle to overcome the challenges their lives have placed before them, one hour at a time. Set in the early 90s amidst the national backdrop of racial and political tensions, Exit 1 offers a glimpse into the determination of everyday survivors and shows that family are the people who show up, everyday, or just at the end of a long haul.
The reading will be followed by a discussion with the playwright.
Cast
FEY Sheleah Harris
CHARLOTTE Sara Parcesepe
STRETCH Mike Burdick
JUNE Maria Diaz
WILBUR Gary Martins
CHARLIE Joey Palazzo
WALKER Turron Kofi Alleyne
JAMES James Walsh
STAGE DIRECTIONS Darin F. Earl II
DRAMATURGY Emily Dzioba
This event is part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2023 Stages Festival, made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Foundation; Fund for the New Jersey Blind; New Jersey Manufacturers; and Customers Bank.
www.njtheatrealliance.org/stages
Join us for Please join us for Developmental Readings of two of our 2022 Residency Playsa Developmental Reading of
AND EVERY CREEPING THING
In collaboration with Vivid Stage, The NJPL is proud to present a developmental reading of And Every Creeping Thing by Eric Craft
This play is currently in development through The NJPL 2022 Residency Program.
Wednesday June 1st, 2022
7:30pm
120 Morris Ave, Summit, NJ 07901
The reading will be followed by a discussion with the playwright.
Tickets are $10 admission fee.
Please purchase advance tickets at this link.
The Cast
Harry Patrick Christian
Benjamin Cruz
Mitchell Leigh Gordon
Nicolette Lynch
Scott McGowan
Harriett Trangucci
Directed by Laura Ekstrand
About the Play
In the beginning, the angels are hard at work designing and managing logistics for Creation, but in the Department of Beasts, an unbalanced food chain threatens to destroy the world before it even starts. One little angel’s passion project may just hold the key to saving Creation, and the creatures that may just be the world’s secret hope. Bugs. In this office comedy of biblical proportions, corporate politics clash with spiritual and artistic fulfillment in a story from before time itself.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for a staged reading of
COME RAIN, COME HURRICANE!
This play is a 2022 NJPL Residency play selection.
April 9th @ 7pm
The HUUB
35 & 47 Cleveland St, Orange, NJ
View photos at our Gallery page!
The Cast
DJ X-TRAVAGANCIA: Irene Rivera
DON ALBERTO REMEDIOS: Gilbert Cruz*
RICO MURIENTE: Marc Reign
RAY PEREÑA: Rudy Galvan *
SANTOS REMEDIOS: Mel Nieves *
NIDIA OTERO MURIENTE: Irene Rivera
DOÑA SASA: Wilemina Olivia-García *
FINA: Angelica Ubiera
JUAN ZORILLO/FISHERMAN: Carlo Albán*
Stage Directions: Janeena Piñero
*A member of Actors Equity Association
About the Artists
Edwin Rivera-Arias‘ first play, In the Palace of the Planet King, was produced in 2019 at the Wild Project in NYC as part of the Downtown Urban Arts Festival, where it won second prize for Audience Favorite. He was a Norman Mailer Fiction Fellow and a recipient of the Willapa Bay AiR residency.
Victor Almanzar is a New York-based actor who came from the Dominican Republic at an early age. His theater credits include: Oswaldo in Between Riverside and Crazy, Joey Fresco in Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven, Oscar in Grand Concourse, Luis in Man in the Ring, and Herbert in Medea. Some of his TV and Film credits include: 11:55, Homeland, Power, Empire, Blue Bloods, Chicago PD, High Maintenance. Before turning his attention to acting, Victor was a United States Marine. He was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award and for an Irne award. Victor received his MFA from the Actors Studio Drama School and is now a proud lifetime member of the Actors Studio and the Labyrinth Theater Company.
Carlo Albán (JUAN ZORILLO/FISHERMAN) has been acting in theater, film and television for over thirty years. He has appeared on television shows ranging from Sesame Street to Prison Break, and in films such as Margaret, Whip It and 21 Grams. He most recently starred opposite Mark Wahlberg and Ronda Rousey in Peter Berg’s Mile 22. As a writer, he developed his solo show Intríngulis, dealing with his experiences growing up as an undocumented immigrant, with Labyrinth Theater Company. He originated the role of Oscar in Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize winning SWEAT, for which he received a 2017 Theatre World Award for an outstanding Broadway debut. Carlo is a member of Labyrinth Theater Company and a 2010 recipient of New Dramatists’ Charles Bowden Award.
Gilbert Cruz (DON ALBERTO) Most recently seen at Barrington stage in Boca, other theaters around the country, Hangar theatre, Shakespeare theater DC, Seattle rep, GeVa. Old Globe, McCarter, Portland stage, In NYC, Roundabout, Classical theater of Harlem, Intar, Women’s project, HERE space, Ensemble Studio theater (member) TV- Walking Dead:world Beyond as Dr. Ebersole.
Rudy Galvan (RAY) is an NYC based actor formerly from Chicago. Theatre credits include Sweat (Asolo Rep), Lord of the Flies (Steppenwolf Theatre), The Gentleman Caller (Raven Theatre), A Life Extra Ordinary (The Gift Theatre Company) and Our Lady of 121st Street (Eclipse Theatre). TV/Film credits include Chicago PD and Chicago Fire (NBC), Shameless (Showtime), Slice (A24) and the infamous Megan is Missing (Trio Pictures).
Mel Nieves (SANTOS) New York City native. A graduate of The William Esper Studio and a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company and The Actors Studio Playwright-Director Unit. He is a two time semi-finalist for the New Dramatist Princess Grace Playwright Fellowship. His plays, PROSPECT AVENUE and THE SPIRIT, THE BODY & THE BLOOD are published by Next Stage Press.
Wilemina Olivia-García (DOÑA SASA) Member of LAByrinth Theater Co., Halfway Birches Go Straight To Heaven, Sonia, by Stephen Adly Guirgis; Currently directing, The Traci Syndrome, by Mel Nieves for LAB’S 2022 annual Barn Series.” It’s about the work and the Love!”
Janeena Piñero (Stage Directions) is an Actor, Director, Poet, and Theatre Practitioner from New Jersey. She is a recent graduate of Montclair State University where she received her Master’s in Theatre. Her most recent credits in acting include the Vaccine Confidence musical Don’t Throw Away Your Shot (Swing), a short thriller film Lengua Blanca (Nuni), and the staged reading DROUGHT (Jada). Janeena has directed several pieces but her most recent is Yemaya’s Belly, written by Quiara Alegria Hudes, and is now currently available on Youtube and Vimeo.
Marc Reign (RICO) is a Puerto Rican full time Artist from Spanish Harlem, NYC. Former Mechanical Engineer (AAS in Mechanical Engineering Technology) turned Actor in 2012 after gaining a BA in Theatre from CCNY. At the same time he found and fell in love with the Art of Photography & Filmmaking. After 10 years of doing it all, from Acting, Directing, Editing, Producing, Marc has become a force in the Art of Storytelling.
Irene Rivera (DJ X-TRAVAGANCIA, NIDIA) is a native New Yorker, born and raised between the lower east side and the Bronx. She is a LaGuardia High School alum and studied Meisner at the Maggie Flanigan Studio. This past summer she had the pleasure of participating in the Intensive Ensemble with the LAByrinth Theater Company and she recently made her TV debut on ‘Law & Order: SVU.’
Angelica Ubiera (FINA) was recently in a Miller Lite commercial featuring J. Balvin. She also co-starred in the CBS series FBI. Angelica graduated from Montclair State University as a BFA Acting Major in 2018. Some of her recent works include Josie in the time travel fiction podcast TimeStorm.
This event was part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2022 Stages Festival, made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Foundation; New Jersey Historical Commission. www.njtheatrealliance.org/stages
The New Jersey Play Lab 