NIGHT OF JANUARY 16TH Comes to Ruth Stage

Ruth Stage will continue its residency at the Jersey Shore Arts Center with Night of January 16th, following its acclaimed productions of Edward Albee's The Zoo Story and At Home at the Zoo. In Ayn Rand's gripping courtroom drama, Karen Andre stands accused of murdering her powerful and enigmatic lover, Bjorn Faulkner. As District Attorney Flint and Defense Attorney Stevens wage a calculated battle over ambition, loyalty and moral responsibility, witnesses take the stand to paint radically different portraits of the woman on trial. Is Karen a devoted secretary caught in the wreckage of a titan's fall or a calculating opportunist who refused to be discarded? The truth fractures with every testimony—turning the courtroom into a psychological chess match where perception is everything.

In Ruth Stage's immersive staging, twelve audience members are selected each night to serve as the jury, deliberating live onstage to determine the verdict. With two possible endings, no two performances unfold the same way.

Making her Ruth Stage debut, Rivera Reese stars as Karen Andre. Her television credits include recurring roles on Long Bright River starring Amanda Seyfried and on Law & Order: Organized Crime, opposite Christopher Meloni.

The production is directed by nationally recognized director and choreographer, Elizabeth Troxler, whose regional credits include West Side Story, Newsies and numerous original narrative ballets. A former professional ballerina and Certified Teacher of the prestigious Royal Academy of Dance (London), she brings decades of artistic leadership and rigorous storytelling to the production.

This exclusive three night engagement takes place April 2 at 7pm, April 3 at 8pm and April 4 at 8pm.

All shows will be performed at the Jersey Shore Arts Center – 66 South Main Street – Ocean Grove, NJ