New Jersey Theatre Alliance's Theatre and Health Bridge Project Brings Patients' Stories to the Stage in WHAT IT TAKES

New Jersey Theatre Alliance, in collaboration with Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center and Alliance member theatres Vivid Stage and Epic Actors' Workshop, will present What It Takes, a powerful evening of theatrical storytelling featuring stories inspired by patients of the Atlantic Health Carol G. Simon Cancer Center. The event is free and open to the public. No reservations required.

The live presentation will take place Monday, September 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Vivid Stage, 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, New Jersey. 

Through one-on-one conversations between patients and playwrights, participants have had the opportunity to share their experiences, reflections, challenges and perspectives. Those conversations have been transformed into original scripts that will be brought to life onstage by professional theatre artists.

The resulting performance will offer audiences an intimate, engaging and insightful look at the experiences of patients participating in Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center's integrative programs while demonstrating the unique role the arts can play in creating connection, empathy and understanding.

“Theatre gives us the extraordinary ability to listen to another person's story and, for a moment, experience the world through their eyes,” said John McEwen, Executive Director of New Jersey Theatre Alliance. “What It Takes reflects what is at the heart of our Theatre and Health Bridge Project: bringing artists, healthcare professionals and community members together in ways that honor individual experiences and strengthen our shared humanity. We are deeply grateful to the patients who entrusted these artists with their stories and to all of our partners who recognize the profound value the arts can bring to health and well-being.”

What It Takes is part of New Jersey Theatre Alliance's Theatre and Health Bridge Project, an initiative that builds connections between the professional theatre community and healthcare organizations through creative engagement and storytelling.

What It Takes

Theatre and Health Bridge Project
Monday, September 14 | 6:30 p.m.
Vivid Stage
120 Morris Avenue
Summit, NJ 07901

Presented through a collaboration between Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center, New Jersey Theatre Alliance, Vivid Stage and Epic Actors' Workshop.