Bean and the Babysitter screens at the Spring 2023 New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, February 3

by Nicole Ewing - published 2023-02-03
Bean and the Babysitter is a twenty-minute short film directed by Jason Michael Roberts and written by Jimmy Barker. A young college student Pam (Katelin Dirr) is hired to babysit a young boy Bean (Liam Eddy) while his parents go out for the evening. Initially Pam is resistant to bond with Bean to focus on her biology homework, but their relationship takes a turn when Bean’s parents don’t return from their night out. The two of them are stuck at the family farmhouse, far from civilization and have no way to communicate with the outside world. Isolated and scared, Pam and Bean are forced to confront their internal struggles, and each other.

Mysterious short Duplicitous Minds screens at the New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, February 3

by Nicole Ewing - published 2023-02-03
Duplicitous Minds is written and directed by Robert Rippberger. The seventeen-minute short film tells the story of the deceitful exploits of three unnamed characters, The Magician (Matthew Palumbo), his assistant (Catalina Yue), and The Artist (Rob LaColla Jr.). An ominous monologue opens up the film, hinting at the deceptive nature of what’s to come. While performing a show, The Magician is heckled by The Artist. After the performance, The Artist goes backstage and blackmails The Magician to steal for him, or The Artist will give up video footage of a previous heist. The Magician agrees, but little does The Artist know what he has gotten himself into.

Finding the Rhythm: An Interview with Performing Artist, Educator Yahaya Kamate

by Rachel Alban, JerseyArts.com - published 2023-02-02
To Yahaya Kamate, the work of a performer and an educator is inseparable. Every class he teaches is a dynamic performance, and public performances usually offer opportunities for audience participation, if not a full-length dance lesson. Born and raised in the West African country of Côte d’Ivoire and a former member of the National Ballet of the Ivory Coast, Kamate came to the United States in 1994, and immediately found work as a lead dancer, choreographer and teacher of modern dance, ballet, African dance and music. Kamate has been living in New Jersey since 1999, working at respected local arts organizations including NJPAC, City Lore, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bronx Art Ensemble, and the Institute of Music for Children. We recently had the opportunity to spend time with this engaging artist at The Center for Modern Dance Education, (CMDE) where he has been offering classes and public performances for over 20 years.

Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...2/2/23

by Danny Coleman - published 2023-02-02
“Rob has always done the lyrics and vocal melodies etcetera but I write pretty much all of the music with the band guys," states guitarist Chris Impellitteri of the band Impellitteri. "The line-up is myself; Rob Rock is the lead singer and he's done the majority of all the records. We have James Pulli on bass who's been with us since the late 80s, early 90s; so, pretty much the same bass player and you know we're a bit like Spinal Tap when it comes to drummers. We’ve had drummers who have toured with Slayer and some other hard-core metal bands like The Hollywood Vampires so, we've been all over the place with our drummers but that's pretty much the nucleus of the band and occasionally we'll use a keyboard player at times.” 

Passaic County Arts Center to Hold Opening Reception for Two Exhibits on Saturday

(HAWTHORNE, NJ) -- Passaic County Arts Center will hold an Opening Reception for two exhibits (The Way I See It by June Fisher-Markowitz and Icarus and Friends by Kate Dodd) on Friday, February 4, 2023 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Additionally, an installation from a recent exhibit will also be on view, Texture In Nature, by Susan Zulauf. The event is free to attend.

Basie Center Cinemas presents Free Film Series for Black History Month

(RED BANK, NJ) -- Count Basie Center for the Arts kicks off its recognition of Black History Month on Saturday, February 4 with its free film series at Basie Center Cinemas, 36 White Street in downtown Red Bank. A Journal For Jordan, the 2021 film starring Michael B. Jordan, will be shown at 4:30pm with a post-screening talkback with Pulitzer Prize-winning Dana Canedy, whose memoir provides the story behind the Denzel Washington-directed film. Canedy’s fiancé, First Sgt. Charles Monroe King, was killed in Iraq in 2006, but not before penning a series of letters to their unborn son, which are included throughout the memoir.

Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Announces 2023 Season

(MADISON, NJ) -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) has announced its roster of productions for its 61st season — featuring an eclectic mix of comedy, romance, historical drama, and a fantastical holiday offering. The company will present five plays on its Main Stage at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre and one summer production on the Outdoor Stage - the Greek amphitheater on the campus of Saint Elizabeth University in Florham Park. The 2023 season will include several contemporary classics never before seen on the STNJ stage, one Shakespeare play on the Main Stage, as well as a number of Shakespeare add-on options.

Complex short Voiceless screens at the New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, February 3.

by Claire Apel - published 2023-02-02
Voiceless, a featured short from director Cindy Di Xin, tells the story of an international high school girl who finds herself trapped in a nightmare that she has never experienced before involving inappropriate attention from one of her teachers. Cindy made this short in Pasadena, California, but it is presented in Chinese and English with subtitles. Despite being a short, this is a measured, layered, and complex piece of art.

New Jersey Stage: Daily Edition 02-02-23

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!