Pia Wilson's BACK TO THE REAL Set for NJPAC This June

Pia Wilson: Back to the Real is set for Friday, June 23 at 7pm, co-commissioned with Crossroads Theatre Company (New Brunswick), as part of NJPAC Stage Exchange, in partnership with the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

Back to the Real is a play about a brother and sister who must navigate the potholes along the way to becoming actual adults. The play explores race, colorism within the African-American community, sexism, and anti-LGBTQ sentiment. How are the brother and sister going to (or not going to) stand up for each other?

Pia Wilson is a 2017 resident with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Process Space program on Governor's Island, 2015 Sundance fellow, and a recipient of the 2014 Sarah Verdone Writing Award. She is a 2012-2013 resident with LMCC's Workspace program, a member of the 2008 Emerging Writers Group at The Public Theater, and a 2009 playwriting fellow with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Her play Generation T was produced at Adelphi University in 2014, and her full-length play, The Flower Thief, was co-produced in 2012 by Horse Trade Theater Group and The Fire This Time play festival. Her full-length drama, Red Rooster, was part of the Future Classics reading series as well as the Emerging Writers Spotlight Series at The Public Theater in 2009. Her play All the Pretty Girls was featured in The Looking Glass Theatre's Spring 2009 Writer/Director Forum. For more information, visit piawilson.com.

Founded in 1978 by Ricardo Khan and L. Kenneth Richardson, Crossroads Theatre Companyembraces the vision that African-American theater is intended for a broad-based, diverse audience. As a major force in the development of new ideas and the introduction of formerly marginalized writers, Crossroads produces works that enrich and diversify the representation of African American culture on the American stage. Crossroads was the winner of the 1999 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater in the United States.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States and is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey - where Great Performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than 10 million visitors (including over 1.5 million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.

New Jersey Theatre Alliance unites, promotes, strengthens, and cultivates New Jersey's professional theatres. We advance the theatre community by developing innovative, collaborative, and engaging programs and services for member theatres and their diverse audiences. We also have public programs such as the annual Stages Festival offering free and low-cost theatre events throughout the state, and NJArtsTix, an online ticket service. Our member theatres are both large and small with a wide variety of repertoires, each a fully functioning business that pays its staff and artists (designers, technicians, directors, and actors). Through their programming, these theatres inspire, challenge, and entertain about one million theatre-goers annually, and enrich communities through outreach programs and arts education. For more information, visit njtheatrealliance.org. NJPAC Stage Exchange is presented in partnership with New Jersey Theatre Alliance, with support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.