New Jersey Theatre Alliance to Present THE STAGES FESTIVAL, March 2014

The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, its 32 professional member theatres and partner organizations are happy to offer the seventeenth annual Stages Festival throughout the month of March 2014.

"New Jersey's professional theatres have so much to offer," says Nick Paleologos, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts - a leading sponsor of the program. "The Stages Festival serves as a month-long open-house to the state's residents - giving them a chance to see the wide variety of programming that exists right in their own back yard - with shows, sample classes or play-development events at little to no cost."

The Stages Festival began 17 years ago as a one-week program for young people and their families (originally called Family Week at the Theatre), but the program was so popular with the public, and member theatres wanted to offer new events for people of all ages, so the Theatre Alliance - with the help of their funding partners - expanded it beyond the original week. The organization and its member theatres now provide a full month of performances, workshops and programs for theatre lovers in all the stages of their lives. The Stages Festival - with events held at member theatres, partner performing arts centers, local libraries, schools, hospitals and senior centers is the state's largest celebration of live theatre.

For the second, the Alliance and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) have created a "festival-within-the-festival" at NJPAC on Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22. The event includes readings from Playwrights Theatre's Newark Young Writers Festival; workshops and performances of The Music Man - a collaboration between NJPAC and Alliance member Two River Theater. This re-imagined concert version of the popular Meredith Wilson musical will be offered with an African-American cast. Additional funding support for the events at NJPAC are provided by Bank of America, Prudential Foundation and The Victoria Foundation.

Horizon Foundation for New Jersey sponsoring events in Burlington and Ocean counties, and their 'Blue to You' van will be stopping at several locations to help Medicare Advantage customers and Medicare-eligible customers get better access to one-on-one care and information before going to see one of the free Stages Festival events.

Pushcart Players is offering its new production of Celebrating New Jersey - a musical for the entire family - in honor of New Jersey's 350th Anniversary - in Atlantic, Bergen, Mercer, Morris and Ocean counties.

Two plays for bi-lingual audiences are offered during The Stages Festival: Mi Casa Tu Casa - featuring Latin American folklore and music performed by storytellers and a band - from Luna Stage, and Cuentos Del Arbol (Tree Tales) - a musical featuring stories from Spanish and Latin Amerian folklore is offered by Pushcart Players. These two shows appear at several venues throughout the month.

For the seventh year, the Theatre Alliance is sponsoring a private event for service men and women and their families on McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County.

The mission of The Stages Festival is to give families the opportunity to experience the richness and diversity of New Jersey's professional theatres by offering affordable, exciting and educational programming at member theatres and other venues throughout the state.

"Each year the Stages Festival highlights the state's vast cultural resources and provides important access to the theater for New Jersey residents and visitors alike," said Bob Doherty, New Jersey President, Bank of America. "The Festival both enriches our communities while helping to strengthen the New Jersey economy."

Ocean County teacher Joanne Betancourt has been hosting a Stages Festival event in her district for many years. "Though all the years that I've worked with this wonderful program, I've seen how families share the bonding experience and how kids light up. If the Theatre Alliance didn't bring this program to our school, there are many children who wouldn't have the chance to go to the theatre with their families."

Performances aren't the only part of the program; classes and workshops have always been a popular aspect The Stages Festival and this year over 20 offerings give theatre lovers of all ages a chance to participate in a variety of workshops under the guidance of professional artists ... a great way to unleash creativity.

Examples of workshops from north to south include: Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre (Union county) - is offering an All-in-One theatre workshop for middle and high school students; East Lynne Theater Company (Cape May county) - is offering a performance juggling class for all ages and Paper Mill Playhouse (Essex county) offers teens and adults the chance to work together to create scenes from renowned theatre pieces in their theare workshop. Other member theatres will be offering acting workshops, pre- and post- show discussions, and more for all ages.

Older children and adults will appreciate the dynamic programming provided by some of the most exciting companies in the region, while younger children will delight in the experience of seeing many familiar fairy tales and fables enacted in a live format.

Some highlights of this year's Stages Festival include:

Familiar stories told with laughter and adventure serve as a wonderful way to introduce children to the delights of live theatre, while keeping their parents happily entertained.

Touring productions from Pushcart Players (Verona), Centenary Stage Company (Hackettstown) and Surflight Theatre (Beach Haven) will be performing all over the state - with several productions including: Happily Ever After - A Cinderella Tale; Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Junie B. Jones; Stone Soup and Other Stories; If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and the delightful sequels If You Give a Pig a Pancake; and If You Give a Moose a Muffin

George Street Playhouse (New Brunswick) provides the opportunity to see their acclaimed production IRL: In Real Life - about how young people can take an active role to end cyber bullying - and Surflight Theatre (Beach Haven) also provides a play that takes on ways to deal with mean-spirited behavior in Bullies in the Hall. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's (Madison) Shakespeare LIVE! Company will bring the best of the Bard to audiences with a productions of Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night's Dream (specifically adapted for younger audiences), at their Madison, NJ theatre.

There are several opportunities to catch one of East Lynne Theater Company's (Cape May) popular "radio plays" Holmes and Carter Mysteries at their performance space in Cape May. Breakfast at Paper Mill (Paper Mill Playhouse - Millburn) is a theatre lovers salon where topics are explored over a continental breakfast.

Cuentos del Arbol (Tree Tales) will be performed by Pushcart Players (Verona) and Mi Casa Tu Casa is offered by Luna Stage (West Orange). Sharing delightful stories with universal themes, these language-enriching shows inspire an appreciation for other cultures.

New Jersey Repertory Company (Long Branch) and Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn) are offering buy-one/get-one ticket deals to Stages Festival patrons for their main-stage productions. New Jersey Repertory Company's World Premiere musical Date of a Lifetime from March 6 - 27th, and Papermill Playhouse's The Other Josh Cohen from March 1 - 16th. Some restrictions may apply; check www.stagesfestival.org for more.

The New Jersey Theatre Alliance is committed to making all of its programs and services fully accessible to the public. All venues participating in The Stages Festival are wheelchair accessible. Contact the venue directly for details regarding physical access (e.g. parking, wheelchair seating, rest-room access). Any attendees requiring assisted services such as sign language interpretation or assistive listening may contact the New Jersey Theatre Alliance at 973-731-6582 x15 at least two weeks prior to the scheduled event. The Alliance will work with the venue to meet accessibility needs.

The highlights listed here are only a sampling of the diversity of this years' schedule of events, and reservations are necessary for most of them. For an up-to-the-minute schedule of The Stages Festival, please visit the website at www.stagesfestival.org.

Founded in 1981, the New Jersey Theatre Alliance is the first statewide organization for professional, not-for-profit theatre companies in the United States, and is a leader in developing model programs that foster collaboration, cooperation and audience development. The Alliance provides member theatres and arts patrons a wide range of supportive services and programs, assists member theatres in their growth and development - as well as in the promotion of their programs - helping them reach their full potential. For arts patrons, the Alliance provides a variety of services to enhance their theatre-going experience.