There are so many great events to enjoy this first weekend in April! In addition to the Studio B: Story Slam! and the 16th Annual New Jersey Jewish Film Festival, Here are some other happenings in the Villages (and beyond) this weekend:
Maplewood Ideas Festival will honor Dan Barry with the Maplewood Literary Award on Saturday. Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and reporter for The New York Times and the author of four books, including the forthcoming The Boys in the Bunkhouse: Servitude and Salvation in the Heartland, set to be released in May 2016.
Maplewood Literary Award: Dan Barry
Saturday, April 2 at 2 pm
Maplewood Memorial Library, 51 Baker Street, Maplewood, NJ
Free
InterACT Theatre Productions will present the hilarious spoof The Complete Works of Williams Shakespeare (Abridged) at the Baird Center beginning on Friday night. The play takes you on a wild ride through the Bard’s 37 plays in under two hours, jumping from Romeo & Juliet to Titus Andronicus to Othello and Julius Caesar, and that’s just part of Act One! And in addition to the famous Shakespearean dialogue you’ve heard or read before, this show has Improv, rapping, choreography, and audience participation.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
April 1 – 10. Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 pm / Sunday matinees at 4 pm
The Baird, 5 Mead Street, South Orange, NJ
$10 general admission tickets can be purchased online here
Two young drifters hanging out behind a Vermont coffee shop discussing art and the nature of the universe decide to teach a lonely high school student everything they know— that’s the story behind The Aliens by Pulitzer Prize-Winner Annie Baker presented by The Theater Project this weekend at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts. Described as a play with music about friendship, art, love and death, The Aliens is part of a rich tradition of stories told from the point of view of the outsider, in this case the drop out or slacker who avoids commitment to a nine to five routine.
The Theater Project Presents The Aliens
April 1 – 3 at 8 pm
Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Road, Maplewood
Tickets are $ and can be purchased online here
Take the kids to see The BFG at SOPAC on Saturday. Humongous on humor and large on laughs, the story of The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) was Roald Dahl’s personal favorite(and my family’s too). On stage, his whizz-cracklingly wacky tale comes to life with puppets and people creating a fantastical world of towering giants and magical adventures.
The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)
Saturday, April 2 at 2 pm
SOPAC, One SOPAC Way, South Orange, NJ
Tickets are $25 children, $30 adults and can be purchased online here
Vessel by Donna Greenberg
Arts Unbound’s fourth annual Friends of Arts Unbound art exhibit will have its opening reception on Saturday. Several new artists are joining familiar favorites to raise funds for the non-profit gallery and art studio for people with disabilities and seniors. More than twenty-five regional artists will be supporting Arts Unbound programs through an exhibit and sale of their own work.
Friends of Arts Unbound art exhibit opening
Saturday, April 2nd from 5-8 pm
The Dora Stern Gallery, 544 Freeman Street, Orange, NJ
Free
Since his first public performance at the age of ten, 21-year-old pianist Nicolas Namoradze has given solo recitals in prestigious venues in several countries around the world. He will perform a special Juilliard @ SOPAC show on Sunday. Namoradze’s interest in contemporary music and lesser-known works of the piano repertoire has led him to present original and exciting programs that have included works such as Godowsky’s infamous Chopin Etude transcriptions, sets of Ligeti Etudes, rarities such as Dvorak’s Piano Concerto, and many works by the composers of today including his own compositions. Enthusiastic in communicating the content of his programs to audiences, Nicolas has written program notes and essays on various musical topics, and has also given pre-concert talks for his recitals.
Juilliard @ SOPAC: Nicolas Namoradze
Sunday, April 3 at 3 pm
SOPAC, One SOPAC Way, South Orange, NJ
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online here
Join Durand-Hedden House & Garden at The Woodland on Sunday for an illustrated lecture, Asher B. Durand’s Life in Art: From Jefferson Village to Maplewood. The talk will be presented by a well-known Durand expert Dr. Linda S. Ferber, Senior Art Historian and Museum Director Emerita at the New-York Historical Society and will provide insights into the life and work of a native son of Maplewood, Asher B. Durand (1796-1886), who became one of the most important artists of the 19th century. Following the lecture, the audience is invited to the Durand-Hedden House at 523 Ridgewood Road for refreshments and to view the House and collection.
Asher B. Durand’s Life in Art: From Jefferson Village to Maplewood
Sunday, April 3 at 2 pm
The Woodland, 60 Woodland Road, Maplewood, NJ
Free
Get cooking at Kings Cooking Studio in Short Hills on Sunday. The “Do Ahead Backyard BBQ-Southern Style” class will have you cooking up the perfect stick to your ribs spread.
Kings Cooking Studio: “Do Ahead Backyard BBQ-Southern Style”
Sunday, April 3 from 11 am – 2 pm
Kings Cooking Studio, 778 Morris Turnpike, Short Hills, NJ
Cost is $65. Register online here
This weekend is a Museums On Us weekend, which means that any Bank of America or Merrill Lynch cardholder will receive free museum admission to the following area museums:
- Montclair Art Museum (MAM), 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ.
- Newark Museum, 49 Washington Street, Newark, NJ.
- Aljira, A Center for Contemporary Art, 591 Broad Street, Newark, NJ.
- Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ.
- Liberty Science Center, 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.
- Whitney Museum of Art, 945 Madison Avenue, New York, NY.
- Children’s Museum of Manhattan, 212 W. 83rd Street, New York, NY.
- Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street, New York, NY
Museums on Us
Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3
Free admission for each cardholder (debit or credit) at participating museums
Check out our Events Calendar to see what else is happening in the towns and have a great weekend!
