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Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Once I Wake Up" by Sam Tunkel

by Bob Makin

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Once I Wake Up" from "The Sting of the Blade," the recently released sophomore full-length from Central Jersey singer-songwriter Sam Tunkel.



 

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American Repertory Ballet to Close Out Season with "Americana"

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- American Repertory Ballet's 2025/26 season finale at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) will shine bright with Americana — a vibrant mixed-repertoire performance that celebrates the spirit of our country in honor of its 250th anniversary. Presented May 1-3, 2026, this dynamic program features two iconic works by George Balanchine - Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux and an excerpt from Stars and Stripes - plus World Premieres by ARB Company Dancer Michelle Quiner and ARB's acclaimed Artist in Residence, Ethan Stiefel.



Bestselling Author Marjan Kamali to Discuss Courage, Turmoil, and the Transformative Power of Love during Virtual Talk

(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Be part of an exciting conversation with internationally acclaimed author Marjan Kamali on her New York Times bestselling novel, The Lion Women of Tehran, during a virtual author talk on Thursday, May 7, 2026. The event presented by the Ocean County Library begins at 7:00pm.



Garden State Wine Growers Association presents SIPS, STARS & STRIPES: A NJ Wine Revolution on May 30th

(TRENTON, NJ) -- The Garden State Wine Growers Association (GSWGA) presents SIPS, STARS & STRIPES: A NJ Wine Revolution, an exciting and immersive wine event taking place on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at the historic War Memorial in Trenton. In partnership with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the NJ wine community is ready to celebrate America 250 at this truly historic moment.



Step Into Social Dancing at West Windsor Arts

(PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ) -- This spring, West Windsor Arts is offering a series of dance lessons—just in time for wedding season—on Sunday nights starting on May 3, 2026.



2026 Jersey Shore Young Playwrights Festival to Take Place April 25th

(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Stargazer Performing Arts is proud to announce the plays and playwrights for the 2026 Jersey Shore Young Playwrights Festival. This is the second year for the festival which showcases original plays written by students ages 13 to 18. Staged reading of the plays will premiere on Saturday, April 25 in the Gia Maione Prima Black Box Theatre at the Grunin Performing Arts Academy in Toms River.



2026 Jersey City Jazz Festival to Take Place May 29-31

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- The Jersey City Jazz Festival returns in 2026 with its biggest event yet, inviting music fans of all ages to experience jazz from across the spectrum including straight-ahead, Latin jazz and more throughout an unforgettable three-day celebration. Presented by Exchange Place Alliance, the free event runs from Friday evening, May 29 through Sunday, May 31 along the Hudson River waterfront at Exchange Place Plaza, offering sweeping views of lower Manhattan.



Music at Bunker Hill presents Trio Zimbalist

(SEWELL, NJ) -- Music at Bunker Hill presents Trio Zimbalist in their first appearance on their series on May 10, 2026 at 3:00pm. Trio Zimbalist has been celebrated for its "highly charged performances" (The Strad) and its "liveliness and vigor of playing" (Athinorama).



João Bosco Quartet - 80th Birthday Celebration of Brazilian Music Legend João Bosco to take place at McCarter Theatre on April 25th

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center presents the João Bosco Quartet in a special performance celebrating the legendary Brazilian artist's 80th birthday and more than five decades of groundbreaking music-making on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 7:30pm. Presented in association with Brazil LAB, this performance celebrates João Bosco’s extraordinary career.



Broadcast Legend Sid Mark to be Remembered at Ocean Grove Event on June 7th

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Sid Mark, the popular and iconic radio host, sadly passed away four years ago, on April 18th, 2022. Sid’s son Brian Mark, Executive Producer of Orange Productions' nationally syndicated radio program The Sounds of Sinatra with Sid Mark, will be a very special host/guest speaker, at a musical event which will highlight the legacy of his father and celebrate the 70th Anniversary of The Sounds of Sinatra broadcast program.



Daily Edition 04-17-26

Here is the morning update from New Jersey's arts newswire. We regularly publish between 8-15 new articles and news reports each day. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!










EVENT PREVIEWS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY | KIDS

To narrow results by date, categories,
or region of New Jersey click here.

Long Island University's Post Theatre Company presents "Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical"

(NEW YORK, NY) -- In collaboration with legendary rock band FOREIGNER, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and Long Island University's Post Theatre Company have announced the creative team and performance schedule for the first production of Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical. The show will take place at the Little Theatre on LIU's Brookville campus, where it will play eleven performances beginning Friday, April 17, 2026, through Sunday, April 26, 2026.


Killer Queen to Perform at Scottish Rite Auditorium

(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- Killer Queen, the award-winning UK-based Queen Tribute featuring the incredible Patrick Myers as Freddie Mercury, will perform at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. The group's ambitious twelve-week 2026 US Tour runs from April 16 to October 23. 


Count Basie Center for the Arts presents Melissa Etheridge: RISE TOUR

(RED BANK, NJ) -- Count Basie Center for the Arts presents Melissa Etheridge: RISE TOUR on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Etheridge has remained one of America's favorite female singers for more than two decades. A limited number of tickets remain for the show.


The Chatham Playhouse presents "The Drowsy Chaperone"

(CHATHAM, NJ) -- The Chatham Community Players presents the musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone weekends from April 17 to May 2, 2026. Featuring music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, this is a fast-paced musical comedy that bursts to life with outrageous characters and catchy, clever tunes to deliver a family-friendly, heartfelt tribute to the golden age of Broadway.


Cumberland Players presents "The Last Five Years"

(VINELAND, NJ) -- Cumberland Players presents The Last Five Years across two weekends from April 17-26, 2026. An emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years.







LATEST FEATURES

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY | KIDS

2026 Jersey Shore Young Playwrights Festival to Take Place April 25th
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Stargazer Performing Arts is proud to announce the plays and playwrights for the 2026 Jersey Shore Young Playwrights Festival. This is the second year for the festival which showcases original plays written by students ages 13 to 18. Staged reading of the plays will premiere on Saturday, April 25 in the Gia Maione Prima Black Box Theatre at the Grunin Performing Arts Academy in Toms River.



João Bosco Quartet - 80th Birthday Celebration of Brazilian Music Legend João Bosco to take place at McCarter Theatre on April 25th

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center presents the João Bosco Quartet in a special performance celebrating the legendary Brazilian artist's 80th birthday and more than five decades of groundbreaking music-making on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 7:30pm. Presented in association with Brazil LAB, this performance celebrates João Bosco’s extraordinary career.




Victoria Clark, Norm Lewis, Tony Yazbeck, Rashidra Scott, and Lea DeLaria to Perform at George Street Playhouse Gala

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- George Street Playhouse (Christopher J. Bailey, Scott Goldman, and Laiona Michelle, Artistic Producing Triumvirate; Edgar Herrera, Executive Director) have announced the performers for their 2026 Gala Benefit, taking place on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. The evening will begin with a champagne reception and dinner at Stage Left/Catherine Lombardi followed by a cabaret and awards presentation at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.




The 17th annual Elephant Talk Indie Music festival Takes Place This Weekend in AC

(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- The 17th annual Elephant Talk Indie Music Festival will take place at Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City from April 17-19, 2026. The festival features performances from over 70 acts.




Hey Bulldog to Pay Tribute to The Beatles at Liberty Science Center

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Hey Bulldog will perform a tribute to The Beatles in the Planetarium at Liberty Science Center on Thursday, April 30, 2026 from 8:00pm to 10:00pm. Come see one of the area's best Beatles cover bands perform some good old fashioned no fuss rock and roll!




New Release Review - "Thrash"

If the premise of Thrash sounds familiar you might have run across the movie when it was announced back in 2024 under its original title "Beneath the Storm." Or perhaps in 2025, when it was retitled "Shiver" and set for a theatrical release in August of that year. Now the movie has been renamed once again and its cinema release scrapped. Sony have sold it off to Netflix, who have dumped it on their platform with all the ceremony of an unwanted goldfish being flushed down a toilet.




McCarter presents Steven Mackey's "Memoir"

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center, in partnership with the Department of Music at Princeton, is thrilled to present MEMOIR, a theatrical musical work by GRAMMY Award-winning composer and William Shubael Conant Professor of Music Steven Mackey, and director Mark DeChiazza. Performances take place at the Berlind Theatre on Saturday, April 18 at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 2:00pm.




Grunin Center for the Arts presents The Brit Pack on Saturday

(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Grunin Center for the Arts presents The Brit Pack on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 7:30pm. They are the most authentic British Invasion experience this  side of the Atlantic.  Limited tickets remain.










UPCOMING EVENTS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




LATEST COLUMNS
"I'm doing good man, what's happening?" Laughed a very energized Alastair Greene as he discussed his upcoming April 30 show at Tuckerton's Lizzie Rose Music Room and his new EP, "Live in Sin City" as well as his thoughts on touring overseas. 



Comedy Shows This Weekend: April 16-19, 2026

Here's a look at comedy shows taking place across the state from April 16-19, 2026. New Jersey Stage compiles this list from comedy clubs, casinos, and performing arts centers. You can send information on shows to infoatnewjerseystage.com for consideration in future columns.



Lighty's Corner: April 13, 2026

I’m one of those guys who hates it when people say that rock and roll is dead. That there’s no good new music today. I actually think there may be more good music now than ever, but it’s just harder to find. Since we get a ton of new music sent to us at New Jersey Stage each week, I decided to try something new - a recorded DJ hosted radio show and a column spotlighting new works. The plan is to have a new one every two weeks.


* Events This Week in New Jersey

* This Week in Music

* This Week in Theatre

* Top 15 Most Read Stories
from the Past Week



DAILY EDITION

Here is a look at the articles published on Thursday. The Daily Edition will be back on Monday with a recap of the articles published over the weekend.


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