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!
If your arts organization sends out press releases, make sure you have info@newjerseystage.com on your media list for coverage.
theatre
MPAC to Hold Auditions for "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" 
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) will present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as its 2024 spring production. Trend Motors returns as the lead sponsor for the third consecutive year. Four performances will be held May 31-June 2. The show will be directed by Cathy Roy, MPAC Education Director, with music direction by Charles Santoro.
Brundage Park Playhouse presents "Damn Yankees" 
(RANDOLPH, NJ) -- Brundage Park Playhouse presents Damn Yankees at the playhouse on Carrell Road in Randolph across two weekends (January 26-28 and February 2-4, 2024). Would you do ANYTHING to help your favorite baseball team win the pennant? In the Faustian baseball musical, Damn Yankees, Joe Boyd sells his soul to the devil to be the home run hitter that will guide his favorite team, the Washington Senators, to a win against those "damn Yankees."
Paper Mill Playhouse Announces Entries for 2024 Rising Star Awards 
(MILLBURN, NJ) -- As one of the nation's leading theaters and recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, Paper Mill Playhouse has a well-earned reputation for launching both performers and shows to Broadway. Since their inception in 1996, the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater have ignited the careers of many notable performers, all of whom attended high school in New Jersey. Among previous nominees and winners are Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables), Tony Award winners Laura Benanti (Gypsy) and Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon), Tony nominee Rob McClure (Mrs. Doubtfire, Chaplin), Jelani Remy (The Lion King, Ain’t Too Proud), Josh De La Cruz (Blues Clues & You!, Aladdin), Shanice Williams, (NBC’s The Wiz Live!) and Olivier Award nominee Jared Gertner (The Book of Mormon).
Stockton's Dinner & Show Series Continues with Opera Production of "The Barber of Seville" 
(GALLOWAY, NJ) -- The New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera is set to present a full-scale, traditional Italian production of Rossini's "Il Barbiere Di Siviglia" ("The Barber of Seville") on the main stage of Stockton University's Performing Arts Center on Friday, February 9, 2024 at 7:30pm.
music
Woodstock Legend Melanie Safka, Dead at 76 
Melanie Safka, the "Uncrowned Queen of Woodstock" and one of the most significant and successful singer-songwriters of the 1970s, passed away on January 23, 2024. The artist attended high schools in New Jersey and still has relatives in the area. She was 76.
Music at Bunker Hill presents 100 Years of Women Composers 
(SEWELL, NJ) -- On Sunday, March 17, 2024, Music at Bunker Hill presents a concert of music by Women Composers from Florence Price to living composers Valerie Coleman, Rhiannon Giddens, Lena Frank, Caroline Shaw and Tania León. Audience members can enjoy music from the Romantic era, the African diaspora, Afro-Cuban traditions, and recent Pulitzer Prize winners. This concert marks the second appearance of the Harlem Chamber Players on this South Jersey stage.
New Jersey Symphony presents Respect: A tribute to the Queen of Soul 
The New Jersey Symphony presents Respect: A tribute to the Queen of Soul from February 15-18, 2024. This program features symphony favorite Capathia Jenkins and three-time Grammy® Award-nominee Ryan Shaw performing such iconic hits as "Respect," "Think," "A Natural Woman," "Chain of Fools," "Amazing Grace," and many others.
Newton Theatre presents Del McCoury Band 
(NEWTON, NJ) -- The Newton Theatre presents the Del McCoury Band on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 8:00pm. Even among the pantheon of music's finest artists, Del McCoury stands alone. From the nascent sound of bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honkytonks, rural schoolhouse stages and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry to the present-day culture-buzz of viral videos and digital streams, McCoury is the living link.
film
Can't make it out? You can watch the New Jersey Film Festival films at home 
If there is a bright side of the pandemic, it might be the way it forced the arts to take a look at offering events virtually. There are many challenges to doing this (costs, royalties, licensing issues, etc.) but many advantages as well. Virtual programming expands the reach of an arts event far beyond its local area, potentially opening up new markets; it offers a night out without the need to hire a babysitter; and it is wonderful for adding to the accessibility of the arts.
Moving Documentary about American Farmers screens at the Spring 2024 New Jersey Film Festival on Saturday, January 27! 
Muckville examines the ongoing mental health and suicide epidemic on American farms through the eyes of a 4th-generation onion farmer in New York’s Black Dirt region. Director Jeff Mertz responded to my questions about his important film Muckville via email. Here my interview with him:
dance
Kean Stage presents Carolyn Dorfman Dance 
(UNION, NJ) -- Kean Stage presents Carolyn Dorfman Dance on Sunday, January 28 at 4:00pm and Monday, January 29 at 10:30am at Wilkins Theatre (1000 Morris Avenue) in Union. In commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, choreographer and master teacher Carolyn Dorfman, a child of Holocaust survivors, takes audiences on a powerful historical and cultural journey. With depth and reverence, Dorfman draws on the rich Jewish legacy, history, traditions, gestures, and music to create The Legacy Project: A Dance of Hope, a performance that is honestly personal yet powerfully universal.
poetry
Dodge Foundation Announces Major Expansion of Dodge Poetry Throughout Newark 
(NEWARK, NJ) -- On January 24, 2024, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation (Dodge Foundation), New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced plans for 2024 Dodge Poetry initiative – a new collaboration that celebrates poetry as a catalyst for communities to advance social change.
community
"Citywide Youth Day" to Bring Safe Space for Newark Youngsters to Celebrate, Access Community Resources 
(NEWARK, NJ) -- Youth across Newark will get to come together on Sunday, January 28, 2024 for a day of education, empowerment and celebration at YBGEnterprise's "Citywide Youth Day." The event, which will be held Sunday from noon – 4:00pm at the West Side Community Park Center in Newark, is aimed to create safe spaces for young individuals from across the city to enjoy a day of fun activities, entertainment, and an opportunity to access various youth-focused community resources.
Actor's latest role: Student in Rutgers Executive MBA Program 
(NEWARK, NJ) /PRNewswire/ -- Being led away in handcuffs isn't the best look for someone in business school – unless, of course, you're Michael Worden.
Morristown ONSTAGE to Take Place February 29th 
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- The Morris Educational Foundation (MEF) presents its premier fundraiser, Morristown ONSTAGE, on Thursday, February 29, 2024 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) in Morristown. This event brings people of all ages together to celebrate and discover unique local talent. The 17th annual event will showcase 15 inspiring acts with diverse performances spanning rock, R&B, theater, and-up comedy, pop, jazz and more, all to benefit the Morris School District. Doors open at 6:30pm, showtime is 7:00pm.
books
RomCom Romp: Tessa Bailey Coming to Ocean County Library Virtual Author Talk Series 
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Tessa Bailey's recipe for "spice, spirit and swoon" keeps her bubbling atop the New York Times bestseller lists. She'll divulge details of Fangirl Down, the first half of her hot new sports romance duology, in an Ocean County Library Virtual Author Talk on Thursday, February 8. The event begins at 8:00pm.
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