From American Theater Group:
American Theater Group (ATG) has proudly announced the cast and creative team of its 2025-26 Season Opener, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Our Town by Thornton Wilder, running Oct. 23 through Nov. 9th at the DMK Theater in Union and at the Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge.
Timothy Ware-Hill, who starred in ATG’s March production of Purlie as the title character, returns to ATG, leading the cast as the Stage Manager. Carrie Keating (After Forever, Amazon Prime, Emmy-winning) will portray Emily Webb, Chase Pittman (Dogman the Musical, Intn’l Tour, TheatreWorks) will play George Gibbs, Jamie LaVerdiere (The Producers, Orig. Broadway cast) will play Mr. Webb, Gabrielle Lee (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, Pittsburgh CLO) will play Mrs. Webb, Stacey Linnartz (Life Sucks @ Theatre Row; Drama Desk Nom and OBA Award) has been cast as Mrs. Gibbs, Rudy Martinez (In The Heights, Signature Theatre) has been cast as Dr. Gibbs, Max Evans (The Mighty Four, Vivid Stage) as Howie Newsome, Carly Giuliano as Rebecca Gibbs and Bob Vaias as Simon Stimson. Casting by Michael Cassara, CSA.
Timothy Ware-Hill
Cast as townsfolk are local drama teachers Amy Bauer (Morris Catholic High School, Denville) as Mrs. Soames, Lauren Lipman (The Albrook School, Basking Ridge) as Sam Craig, Joseph Mancuso (Mason Gross School of the Arts, New Brunswick) as Joe Stoddard, Monica Ross (Piscataway Arts) as Professor Willard, Tatum Thompson (The Studio for Kids, Union) as the woman in balcony and box, and Brendan Wahlers (Bayone High School) as Constable Warren/Man in Auditorium.
The production will be led by Director Merete Muenter, whose numerous credits include serving as Associate Director of the 2022 Off Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof directed by Joel Grey and ATG’s 2019 production of Bridges of Madison County. Joining Muenter will be Cat Murphy (Production Manager), Griffin O’Connor (Stage Manager), Max Evans (Asst. Stage Manager), Doug Macur (Lighting Design), Isabella Rossi (Costume Design), Gaya Maria Chatterjee (Scenic Design), Ben Merrick (Technical Director), and Madeline Leong (Wardrobe). Composer and Music Director Keith Levenson, who previously worked with ATG on A Little Night Music and Bridges of Madison County, has composed original music for the production.
Carrie Keating
Beloved by many, Our Town is set in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, and explores the universal themes of life, love, community and mortality. Since it was first performed in 1938, it has been widely considered one of the best American dramas of all time, combining humor, tenderness and powerful storytelling.
Performance dates are Oct. 23-Nov. 2nd at the DMK Theater at the new Union Arts Center in Union, NJ and Nov. 6-9th at the Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge, NJ. Tickets range from $40 to $60, with student and group rates available, and can be purchased at: americantheatergroup.org. Our Town is presented by arrangement through Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com
Chase Pittman
“We have assembled a stellar cast and outstanding creative team and are excited to bring this classic American drama to life,” noted ATG Producing Artistic Director Jim Vagias. “Having the NJ drama teachers as part of the production will add an interesting new dimension, as we engage the community and reach new audiences.”
Following Our Town, ATG will present It’s a Wonderful Life Radio Play based on the classic film. Performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast in front of a studio audience, five actors perform the dozens of characters in the radio drama and produce the necessary sound effects and musical jingles. Joseph Discher, the former Associate Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, will direct the production, which will run Dec. 5-7th at the Sieminski Theater and Dec. 12-14th and 19-21st at the DMK Theater at the Union Arts Center. The play is presented by arrangement through Dramatists Play Service. www.dramatists.com. The remainder of the 2025-26 Season will be announced shortly.
ATG recently announced a partnership with the Township of Union to bring professional theater and diverse arts programming to the newly constructed DMK Black Box Theater. Under the partnership, ATG will produce three major theatrical productions annually, along with a range of monthly community events such as play readings, cultural celebrations, interviews with theater professionals, and cabaret performances.
Merete Muenter
The Union Arts Center is located within the new, state-of-the-art Public Library at 1980 Morris Avenue in Union. The Arts Center includes the DMK Black Box Theater, the Union Art Gallery curated by Les Malamut, Union TV studios, classrooms, and The Center Café. Please visit https://www.uniontownship.com for more information. Our Town will be presented Thur. Oct. 23rd at 7pm. Fri. Oct. 24th at 7pm. Sat. Oct. 25th (Official Opening Night) at 7pm, Sun. Oct. 26th at 2pm. Thurs. Oct. 30th at 7pm, Fri. Oct. 31st at 7pm, Sat. Nov. 1st at 7pm and Sun. Nov. 2nd at 2pm.
The Sieminski Theater is located on the scenic campus of Fellowship Village at 8000 Fellowship Road in Basking Ridge, NJ. This beautiful, 257-seat state-of-the-art theater boasts an innovative design that exudes professionalism while maintaining an intimate ambiance. Performances of Our Town will be Thurs. Nov. 6th at 7:30pm. Fri., Nov. 7th at 7:30pm, Sat. Nov. 8th at 7:30pm and Sun. Nov. 9th at 2:30pm. Tickets are available at www.sieminskitheater.org.
American Theater Group (ATG), founded in 2012, produces new and classic works primarily by American playwrights with an emphasis on the development of new works and the rediscovery of undeservedly neglected older ones. It also provides quality arts-in-education initiatives, including its New Works/New Voices playwriting program for high school students and its PlayLab program for BIPOC and queer playwrights. More information can be found at www.americantheatergroup.org.
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