Graphic by Dave Maulbeck/Yolanda Fundora
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary season, marking decades of bringing contemporary theatre to audiences in the state of New Jersey. This season, the company will present thirty performances of different kinds, in locations all over the region. Next up is the first episode of an original series, Gemstones, by Phoebe Farber. Episode 1 runs Saturday, September 21 at 8:00pm and Sunday, September 22 at 2:00pm.
To ensure that their 30th season is truly innovative and a unique experience for both artists and audience members, the Vivid Stage company is experimenting with what live theatre can be. Gemstones is a structured, longform improvisation series that mixes comedy and drama, and that can be viewed in its entirety or singly. Each performance will begin with a recap of previous episodes, so that audience members can either view the whole series throughout the season, or drop in as they wish. Written by Phoebe Farber, each monthly episode will feature recurring characters and special guests, much like a limited series that can be found on a streaming service, but with the freshness and excitement of live theatre.
A family jewelry business is in crisis. Estelle, the matriarch, is trying to maintain the company's aesthetic of "elegant, not fancy" in the wake of her husband's recent death and despite her children's bickering over the future path of Estelle Jewelry. Meanwhile, a pair of journalists have been invited to create content and promote the business on social media, so the family's dirty laundry is now embarrassingly on view. Which skeletons in whose closets will come to light? What romantic and financial shenanigans are brewing? And what will the personal and financial fallout be from the rapid transformation of the family business?
Episode 1 features Noreen Farley (Clinton) as Estelle, Clark Carmichael (Hewitt) and Laura Ekstrand (Livingston) as her children Gary and Miranda, Harriett Trangucci (Summit) as Norma, who married into the family, and Harry Patrick Christian (Montclair) and Daria M. Sullivan (Lyndhurst) as the two journalists who hope to create a story from the family’s travails. The episode is directed by Laura Ekstrand, with lighting design by Zach Pizza (Weehawken) and Sound Design by Jeff Knapp (Montville).
The first episode of Gemstones will appear at the Oakes Center on Saturday, September 21 at 8:00pm and Sunday, September 22 at 2:00pm. Tickets are $33, $28 for seniors and $25 for students 25 and younger. For advance ticket purchases, go to the website. Oakes Center is wheelchair accessible; assisted listening devices and large print materials are available upon request.
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. Their 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. They expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their own with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. They deepen the experience of all their 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, and many other corporations, foundations and individuals. Vivid Stage is an Equity Producing member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
Vivid Stage, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey.
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