Last Chance to See THE BOX - FEAR EDITION at Jersey City Theater Center

You have one more chance to experience Fear at Merseles Studios, in Jersey City, when Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) presents The BOX: Fear Edition - an evening of Music, spoken-word, poetry, dance and other performances exploring the many forms of Fear on December 8th.

The BOX - named for the 'black box' theater at Merseles Studios - concludes JCTC's latest thematic series, Fear. JCTC selects topics global in scope, yet relevant to the community then explores that theme using visual arts, theater, dance, monologues, and other performances.

Fear, which kicked off in September with the opening reception of the Art Show, featured more than a dozen separate events, looked at the many facets of Fear, asking thought-provoking questions - on social, political and philosophical levels - as to why sometimes fear paralyzes us into action, while other times it provokes us to achieve things W. May not have thought possible before feeling so scared.

JCTC solicited submissions for The BOX: Fear Edition, through notices in Backstage and other publications, as well as entertainment and theater blogs and social media. A panel, including members of JCTC's Creative Board, reviewed all the submissions, using as a criteria artistic excellence, originality and how effectively the work reflected the Fear theme.

Fear may inspire inaction in some circumstances, but when it came to The BOX, the theme inspired an extraordinary number of submissions. In addition, some submissions were from well-known Hudson County performers who created pieces specifically for The BOX: Fear Edition.

"What's most intriguing about this theme is that the artists were really honest in the work they submitted," said Dan Pieraccini, Manager, JCTC, who is also the curator for The BOX: Fear Edition. "It's amazing the range of fear represented. We have superficial fears, and we have deeper, more existential ones."

In addition to such local music-scene stalwarts such as Nick Ciavatta, Sylvana Joyce, the Sensational Country Blues Wonders and a Super-Group formed specifically to debut at The BOX: Fear Edition: Terry Haman, Ariel Guidry and Alishia Taiping (of Forget the Whale), other performances feature Fernando Ayres, Kenny Jaworski, Frank Ippolito, MahJ, Alicia Rivas (performing a monologue written by Summer Reyes), Jason Coletta, Rachel Therres, Zeynep Jane Bozok, Max DiBiaggio, Nancy Mendez-Booth, Gina Tolentino and Shaun Fletcher. Co-emcees for the BOX: Fear Edition are Anthony Wills Jr. and Elena Zazanis.

Audience members might well be advised to expect the unexpected: "I'm curious to see how the audience will react to the dimly lit path these performers have chosen," said Pieraccini. "As a major fan of the late 1800s Gothic literature of Britain, I appreciate progressive ideas and forces - personified as 'monsters' - that threaten the established order. Dracula, Dr. Jekyll, Dorian Gray all represent agents of change and social transgression. The Greek myths hid similar taboos in their Minotaurs and Medusas. I'm excited to see what our performers identified as their 'monsters,' and how terrible we'll find them."

The BOX also closes the Fear Art Show in the gallery at Merseles Studios. Curated by Lucy Rovetto, Visual Arts Coordinator, the gallery is open during all JCTC events. The BOX is the last opportunity to view the Fear exhibition, which includes site-specific installation pieces and about 20 individual artists.

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IF YOU GO:

THE BOX - FEAR EDITION

Friday December 8

Jersey City Theater Center
Merseles Studios
339 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07302

Doors: 7:00/Show: 7:30
$5 (Suggested Donation)

For more information, call (201) 795-5386 or visit www.JCTCenter.org.

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Jersey City Theater Center, Inc. (JCTC) presents programming at Merseles Studios and White Eagle Hall. JCTC is a nonprofit, 501c3 arts organization committed to inspiring conversations about the important topics of our times through innovative and progressive performing and visual arts that celebrates diversity, bringing communities closer together and enhancing the quality of life.

Pictured: Sylvana Joyce of Sylvana Joyce & The Moment, will perform a new song, I am Disease at The BOX/Fear Edition, presented by Jersey City Theater Center at Merseles Studios in Jersey City.

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