Theater Project Will Launch New Season at DMK Black Box Theater
The season kicks off with HAVING OUR SAY, starring Gail Lou and Daaimah as the Delany sisters
The Theater Project announced that the Douglas Michael Krueger (DMK) Black Box Theater will serve as the new home for its mainstage summer theater series.
The DMK Theater is located in Union Township's new Arts Center and Library complex at 1980 Morris Avenue.
Because of the venue's proximity and the company's long collaboration with local libraries, The Theater Project will present four plays and events this summer, including ALABAMA STORY, which is a tribute to America's librarians fighting censorship.
“Union is proud to welcome The Theater Project to the Union Arts Center this summer,” said Mayor Patricia Guerra-Frazier. “For more than 30 years, The Theater Project has been a cornerstone of New Jersey's arts community, and we are excited to provide a new home where that tradition can continue to thrive. Their presence will not only enrich our local cultural scene, but also draw visitors to our downtown, supporting local businesses while giving our residents access to outstanding live performances close to home.”
The 2026 summer season will comprise four shows:
Having Our Say
June 11 – 21
Emily Mann's drama about Sadie and Bessie Delany, both over 100 years old, who recount their family's history from slavery to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and beyond. The play, which ran on Broadway in 1995 and received a Tony Award nomination, is an adaptation of the New York Times-bestselling book by the Delany sisters, written in collaboration with journalist Amy Hill Hearth
Too Fat for China
July 17 – 19
Phoebe Potts's poignant and funny one-woman show in which she delves into her experiences as a middle-class Jewish woman navigating the ins and outs of international adoption
Kaleidoscope Kabaret
July 24 – 26
An annual festival of songs and short plays by participants in The Theater Project's Playwrights Workshop and Young Playwrights Competition
The Alabama Story
August 6 – 16
By Kenneth Jones, a drama in which an Alabama librarian and two reunited childhood friends, encounter the forces of censorship and segregation during the American civil rights movement.
“Coming to the DMK Black Box Theater feels like coming home,” said Mark Spina, artistic director of The Theater Project. “It's the culmination of a decade of our working to be part of the exciting changes in Union's downtown. We look forward to bringing new and old patrons to the Union Arts Center and this beautiful new space.”
Victoria Duncker, arts director for the Union Arts Center, said, “We are honored to have The Theater Project on our stage and look forward to building a strong and lasting partnership together.”
Spina noted that live theater has faced many obstacles over the last few years, but “our audience has grown steadily since we resumed in-person performances in 2022, producing plays featuring the area's rising actors and playwrights.”
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