Centenary Stage Company To Host Veteran Symposium With Rolling World Premiere Of BACKWARDS, FORWARDS BACK

 As a part of the Rolling World Premiere Production of Backwards, Forwards, Back by Jaqueline Goldfinger, following the performance on April 7th at 2:00, CSC is hosting a Symposium following the show, where a panel of veterans and professionals serving the veteran community will join together onstage to host a discussion about veterans’ affairs, the content of the play, current PTSD therapies, and more.

The symposium is free to attend and currently will feature 7 guest panelists: Annette Conforti Smith, Dennis Higgins, Tim Nicinski, Emily Romero, Gregory Somjen, Ray Chimileski, Paul Frabizzio, and Margie Pavlichko.

Centenary Stage Company is also offering a multitude of performances for patrons to attend, but is also offering a special 50% discount for Active or Veteran Service Members to attend on April 7th at 2:00 PM and April 13th at 2:00 PM. Centenary Stage Company is featuring these discounted tickets to welcome Veterans to attend the performances as the material may be relevant to their experiences and was developed with the input and support of veteran focused projects and foundations. The play, which runs April 4 – 14 in the Kutz Blackbox Theatre at the Lackland Performing Arts Center, focuses on the story of a war veteran who has recently returned from a tour of active duty and suffers from debilitating PTSD, and their journey with treatment through Virtual Reality Therapy. The play was also commissioned and developed with support from the Sloan Foundation and Operation Warrior Resolution.

Annette Conforti Smith is a native of Hackettstown, NJ who spent 6 years in the Marine Corps and later received her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Centenary University in 2011. As a licensed counselor, Ms. Smith has worked in community mental health, private practice and at Centenary’s Counseling Center. Dennis Higgins is a student success specialist in Centenary’s Disability Services Office and is a service-connected disabled veteran, having served in the United States Army as a Ground Surveillance Systems Operator and Human Intelligence Collector. Prior to joining Centenary, Dennis also worked at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America as a veteran transition manager for their national case management program. Dennis is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and is active with the veteran non-profits Team Red White and Blue and The Mission Continues. Tim Nicinski served in the United States Marine Corps from 1988-1991 with the 2nd Light Armored Infantry Division in Operation Desert Storm. Upon his return Tim served in law enforcement for the Union County Sheriff's Office and Hanover Township Police Department.  He transferred into public education, where he taught social studies and history before retiring from an administrative position. He then felt the call and has been a United Methodist Church clergy member since 2008 and is currently the Chaplain and Director of Campus Ministry at Centenary University. Emily Romero was in the Marine Corps for 8.5 years where she served as a Avionics Technician. Emily completed multiple small missions inside the U.S., and then deployed twice to combat arenas in the Middle East during her time with the Marine Attack Squadron 223 unit. In 2019, she was sent to CNATT (Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training) to become an Avionics instructor after which, she taught young Marines for 3 years until the end of her service in February of 2022. She has now returned to school is a Sophomore majoring in Equine Studies at Centenary University. Gregory Somjen is a recent graduate of Centenary University and a United States Marine Corps veteran where he served as an infantry rifleman and rifle squad leader and as a Marine explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician before his return to study Criminal Justice at Centenary University. Ray Chimileski founded and directs OPERATION CHILLOUT - New Jersey’s only all volunteer mobile outreach serving homeless veterans, men and women, on-mission since December 21, 2000. OCO covers all 21 counties of NJ, northeast Pennsylvania and the entire state of Rhode Island. Paul Frabizzio is a retired veteran of the US Army, and is currently interning at the VA in the Brick Outpatient Clinic, in the Post 9/11 Military To VA Case Management Office, under the supervision of Jennifer Garcia MSW/LCSW. Paul aspires to be an LCSW with a focus on veteran mental health, Polytrauma/Combat PTSD, and veteran crisis needs.  Margie Pavlichko is the Director of the Office Veteran Services at Centenary University, a One-Stop depot for student veterans and veteran dependents attending the university.  She is a member of the New Jersey Association of Veterans’ Program Administrators (NJAVPA) as well as the National Association of Veterans’ Program Administrators (NAVPA).

Specific performances for Backwards, Forwards, Back include: Thursdays April 4 & 11 at 7:30 PM; Fridays April 5 & 12 at 8:00 PM; Saturdays April 6 & 13 at 8:00 PM; Sundays April 7 & 14 at 2:00 PM; with additional matinee performances on Thursday April 4, Wednesday April 10, and Saturday April 13 all at 2:00 PM. The symposium will take place following the matinee performance on Sunday April 7th. All performances will take place in the Kutz Blackbox Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center located on the campus of Centenary University at 715 Grand Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ.

Ticket prices range $22.50 – $29.50 for adults with discounts for children under 12 on select performances. Special 50% off tickets for active and veteran service members are available for the April 7th and April 13th performances at 2:00 PM. Thursday evening performances feature family night with buy one get one rush ticket special.

Tickets and More Information

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit centenarystageco.org or call the Centenary Stage Company box office at (908) 979-0900. The Centenary Stage Company box office is open Monday through Friday from 1:00-5:00 pm and two hours prior to performances. The box office is located in the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the campus of Centenary University at 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown, NJ. 

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