CARRIE: THE MUSICAL to Open Ferrell Studios Fifth Season

Ferrell Studios Community Theatre opens its fifth season with Carrie: The Musical, running November 12–15 at Plainfield Performing Arts Center. The Metuchen-based nonprofit will present five performances of the musical based on Stephen King's 1974 novel, directed by Kristin Field and Noah Manno.

Carrie White is an outsider at school and at home, where she lives under the control of her deeply religious mother. An invitation to prom offers her a chance at acceptance, but a cruel prank and the mysterious power she has begun to discover set the stage for a devastating confrontation.

The musical features music by Michael Gore, lyrics by Dean Pitchford and a book by Lawrence D. Cohen. Its 1988 Broadway production closed after 16 previews and five performances, and the writers later revisited the show for a 2012 Off-Broadway revival.

In preparing this production, Field and Manno went back to King's novel. In their joint note for the playbill, they describe the story as more than a warning about bullying: it is also about the people who witness Carrie's suffering and look away. Their staging draws on color and recurring imagery, including the school's ram mascot and figures in Sue Snell's hallucinations.

'We believe that horror DOES have a place in musical theatre, and when executed correctly, it can move the audience in inspiring ways,' Field and Manno write.

Field previously directed a Ferrell Studios original musical that won a 2025 NJACT Perry Award. Manno, a New Jersey-based actor, director and vocalist, has also appeared in the company's productions of Merrily We Roll Along and Spring Awakening.

Gabie Hocson, a pediatric speech-language pathologist who appeared as Martha in Ferrell Studios' Spring Awakening, takes on the title role. Amelia Kreski makes her company debut as Margaret White, while Holly Stefanik returns for her eighth Ferrell Studios production as Sue Snell. The cast also features Nick Najarian as Tommy Ross, Louise Brum-Suchmacher as Chris Hargensen, Frankie Perez as Billy Nolan and Samantha Egge as Miss Gardner.

Music direction is by Miles Keaton, choreography by Lauren Bromberg and stage management by Owen Hahner, with fight and intimacy direction by Katie Sillitti. Luke Ferrell serves as producer.

Carrie opens RECKONING, Ferrell Studios' 2026–27 season, which explores choices and their consequences through theatre.

Performance and Ticket Information

Thursday, November 12, at 8 p.m.

Friday, November 13, at 8 p.m.

Saturday, November 14, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m.

Venue: Plainfield Performing Arts Center, 724 Park Avenue, Plainfield, NJ 07060

Tickets: $25 adults; $20 students and seniors

Tickets and information: https://www.ferrellstudios.com/events/carrie

Carrie: The Musical is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com

Content Advisory

The production contains mature themes, bullying, religious abuse and extremism, strong language, depictions of violence and death, references to sexual violence and theatrical blood. It may also include intense theatrical lighting and sound. Audience discretion is advised.

About Ferrell Studios Community Theatre