CURTAIN CALL A Virtual Celebration of Theatre in New Jersey, Announced November 16

On Monday, November 16 at 7pm, New Jersey Theatre Alliance ("the Alliance") takes its annual Curtain Call celebration virtual. A highly-anticipated annual gathering for theatre artists, administrators, supporters, and the general public, celebrating the people who make a big impact on theatre in the Garden State.

This year's online event will feature performances from two extraordinary talents. First to perform is Kathryn Allison, a Broadway performer, content creator, and recording artist, born and raised in New Jersey. Her long-awaited debut solo album "Something Real" was released in February 2019. Her debut single "Real Love" by Mary J Blige is now available on all streaming platforms. She is also the co-founder of @ICTA_BIPOC and a Board Member at Community League of the Heights. A graduate of Morristown-Beard school and a recipient of a Rising Star Award from Paper Mill Playhouse, her broadway credits include: Company, Wicked, and Aladdin.

The program will also feature singer-songwriter Jennifer Msumba. Jen Msumba won the top prize in the 2020 Easterseals Disability challenge as a filmmaker. Her ever-increasing tribe of 30k followers enjoy a steady diet of her films and interviews at her YouTube channel Rebranding Autism. Jen also uses her music to take abstract feelings and write them into a relatable tune that everyone can get behind. You can find her original tunes here. Your respect for Jen will deepen when you realize how far she's come. She now lives a full life with meaningful employment, advocacy work, and continual production of films that equip persons with autism to manage the challenges that come their way. She vlogged for the #AmtrakTakeMeThere campaign, was featured on A&E's The Employables, and plays keys for the worship team at her church. Jen's first book will be published soon.

2020 is the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the "year of the Stage Manager." In recognition of these milestones, this year's Star Award will be presented to Mills + Schnoering Architects, in honor of their outstanding commitment to universal design and access, and Awards of Excellence will be given to Stage Managers of member theatres.

This event is open to the public but requires registration. You may register to attend on the New Jersey Theatre Alliance website, www.njtheatrealliance.org.

Proceeds from this year's Curtain Call event will specifically support the Alliance's Reopening Campaign, providing a wide range of services and resources to help ensure each of our member theatres can open safely. Alliance member theatres are large, mid-sized, and small non-profit theatres that produce musicals, classics, contemporary dramas, new works, and/or children's plays. Each is a fully functioning business that pays its staff and artists (designers, technicians, directors, and actors) while contributing substantially to the state's economy.