(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, formerly Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, will present the world premiere production of Portrait of the Widow Kinski by Sara Jean Accuardi from September 30 through October 10. All audience members will be asked to show proof of vaccination at the box office.

Portrait of the Widow Kinski has received several readings around the country on its way to this production. In the play, a promising artist falls into obscurity. Decades later, his widow works tirelessly to find an audience for his neglected work. Vera Kinski grapples with their complicated past when she finds the opportunity to finally secure her husband’s legacy. Now, her pursuit forces her to take a hard look at the past and what was left behind.

Sara Jean Accuardi, 2021 Oregon Literary Fellowship Recipient, is also the author of full-length plays The Delays, BREAK, The Storyteller, < 3, and Love Scenes. Her writing has been produced and developed around the country, including with Theatre Vertigo, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, Something Marvelous, Victory Gardens, Portland Center Stage, Chicago Dramatists, The Blank Theatre, and Spooky Action Theater. The Delays received the 2019 Drammy Award for Outstanding Original Script, and The Storyteller won the 2020 International Thomas Wolfe Playwriting Competition. Sara Jean holds an MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage from Northwestern University, and is a member of the Dramatist Guild and LineStorm Playwrights. Her plays are available on The New Play Exchange.

Directed by Clark Carmichael and assistant directed by Daria M. Sullivan (Montclair), the cast includes Vivid Stage ensemble members Noreen Farley (Clinton), and Jason Szamreta (Rahway), and guests Shabazz Green (Hoboken) and Stephanie Windland (New York).

Vivid Stage will require all visitors to show proof of vaccination and a photo ID for all events, and to mask throughout their time in the facility. Proof of vaccination may include a valid paper vaccination record, a photo of a valid vaccination record, the NJ Docket App, or equivalent app from your state. Visitors who are under 12 years old—and therefore ineligible for vaccination—are exempt from the requirement, but must be accompanied by a vaccinated adult and masked throughout the performance. 

Portrait of the Widow Kinski will be presented by Vivid Stage at Oakes Center (120 Morris Avenue) in Summit from September 30 through October 10. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2:00pm. Special dates: Thursday, September 30 is a preview performance; all tickets $25. Sunday, October 3 is Senior Sunday; seniors age 65+ pay $25. Talkbacks follow the October 3 and October 10 matinees. 

Tickets range from $25 to $39, with special rates for subscribers and groups. Touchless advance ticket purchases are available for purchase online. For more information, call 908-514-9654. The theatre at Oakes Center is wheelchair accessible. The parking lot is accessible from Ashwood Avenue, behind the theatre. For information on any of Vivid Stage's programs, please call 908-514-9654.

Vivid Stage was founded in 1994 as Dreamcatcher Rep, and is a non-profit professional ensemble of actors who build community with the audience by sharing contemporary, life-affirming stories that challenge, energize and entertain. Our work has at its heart a belief in the essential goodness of people and the power of live performance to connect people through our shared humanity. We expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their own with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. We deepen the experience of all our patrons with personal contact through receptions, talkbacks, and interactive programs.

The company’s activities include mainstage productions, improvisational comedy and cabarets, new play readings and a variety of educational and senior outreach programs.

Vivid Stage’s programs are funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and many other corporations, foundations and individuals.  Vivid Stage is an Equity Producing member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.