The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark is featuring cutting-edge new play development by New Jersey playwrights throughout the 2014-15 season in a series titled NJPAC Stage Exchange.
Remaining NJPAC Stage Exchange productions include Little Rock, The Talented Tenth, Generation T and Hoodwinked. The series includes readings of works-in-progress, followed by an expert panel discussion on important issues reflected in the plays. A question and answer session will focus on concerns facing the state and nation, leading the way to deeper understanding. All events are free.
“The most exciting new playwright voices today react to the current moment,” according to Andy Donald, NJPAC’s Producer, Artistic Development and Community Programming, who is overseeing the new series. “Playwrights, in particular, get to work in a medium that insists on it. The live theater is our best proven vessel for having conversations with a diverse number of people. The NJPAC Stage Exchange takes it a step further by formalizing reactions and engagement between artists and audiences with post-performance talkbacks.”
Immigration and the plight of working-class women, civil rights and religious fanaticism are among the topics expected to generate strong opinions and talk. A decidedly New Jersey perspective interlaces the social and political issues reflected by the works.
“The diversity of subjects covered in this inaugural season reflects the diversity of the Garden State today,” says Donald. “Theater, at its best, is a democratic forum accessible to all, and worth repeat visits that further the conversation.”
NJPAC Stage Exchange will be held on and off the NJPAC campus beginning October 2014 and will run through May 2015.
Little Rock by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj
Saturday, January 17, 2015 – 7 p.m.
NJPAC’s Chase Room, 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ
The Talented Tenth by Richard Wesley
Friday, February 27, 2015 – 7 p.m.
NJPAC’s Chase Room, 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ
Generation T by Pia Wilson
Friday, March 27, 2015 – 7pm
Venue to be announced.
Hoodwinked by Emily Mann
Friday, May 22, 2015 – 7pm
NJPAC’s Chase Room, 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ
Visit www.njpac.org or call 1-888-GO-NJPAC for more information.
