Premiere Stages to Present Free Readings of BRICK CITY

Premiere Stages at Kean University will present three free readings of Nicole Pandolfo's Brick City, a recipient of the 2017 NJPAC Stage Exchange Commission, October 20th through 22nd in the Miron Student Center Little Theatre at Kean University. In this topical and compelling new play, worlds collide inside a failing Newark public school. Jessie, a combative high school senior with a disability, and Darnell, the star player of the basketball team, find themselves together in extended study hall during the most important marking period of their lives. As Darnell inches dangerously close to throwing away a lucrative college scholarship and Jessie a potential career as an artist, both discover that things aren't always as simple as they may seem. Producing artistic director John J. Wooten directs.

Now in its third year, the NJPAC Stage Exchange pairs cutting-edge play development with insightful community dialogue. An innovative partnership between the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, and three professional producing theatres, the program annually commissions three new plays by three Garden State playwrights, presents free readings of the plays with public commentary at NJPAC in Newark, and ultimately results in three full productions of the plays at the collaborating theatres the following season. In addition to Ms. Pandolfo and Premiere Stages, the 2017 recipients of the NJPAC Stage Exchange Commission are Joel Stone for New Jersey Repertory Company and Pia Wilson for Crossroads Theatre Company.

As the founder and producing artistic director of Premiere Stages, Mr. Wooten has developed and directed numerous new plays, including The Beautiful Dark, The Good Counselor and Follow Me to Nellie's, all of which were honored by the American Theatre Critics Association. Earlier this season, he directed the New Jersey Premiere of Dominique Morisseau's Obie Award-winning Skeleton Crew.

"We are excited to further expand the opportunities we can afford New Jersey dramatists through the NJPAC Stage Exchange Commission," said Mr. Wooten. "And the richly topical themes Nicole explores in Brick City make the play a particularly good fit for our mission."

Ms. Pandolfo is a 2017 Dramatist Guild Fellow. Her work has been developed at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center as a Playwright Observer, at Tofte Lake as a Jerome Foundation Fellow, and the Lark. She was a finalist for the Stanley Drama Award, the Edward Albee Foundation Fellowship, and the Leah Ryan Fund for Emerging Women Writers. She is a member of The Actors Studio in the Playwright/Director Unit and received her MFA at Hunter College.

Brick City runs Friday, October 20 at 7:00 pm, Saturday, October 21 at 3:00 pm, and Sunday, October 22 at 3:00 pm. All readings take place in the Miron Student Center Little Theatre, located on the Kean University campus at 1000 Morris Avenue in Union. Admission is free, and reservations are highly recommended. All unclaimed seats at the time of curtain will be released to the waitlist. To reserve seats, please call the box office at 908-737-7469 or email ticket@kean.edu. For more information, please visit Premiere Stages online at www.premierestagesatkean.com.

Premiere Stages offers affordable prices, air-conditioned facilities and free parking close to the theatre. Premiere Stages also provides free or discounted tickets to patrons with disabilities. All Premiere Stages facilities are fully accessible spaces, and companion seating is available for patrons with disabilities. Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available at all times; publications in alternate formats are available with advance notice. Please call 908-737-4077 for a list of sign-interpreted, audio-described or open-captioned performances. For more information, please visit Premiere Stages online at www.premierestagesatkean.com.

Premiere Stages is made possible in part through funding from The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Northfield Bank Foundation, The Wallerstein Foundation for Geriatric Life Improvement, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Union Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, Investors Foundation, The Union County HEART Grant, and through the generous support of individual patrons and local organizations. Discover Jersey Arts is our marketing partner. Visit www.JerseyArts.com for more information about other arts programming happening around the Garden State.

ABOUT PREMIERE STAGES

Created in 2004, Premiere Stages is the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University. Through its unique partnership with Kean, Premiere's play development programs, educational initiatives, and professional development opportunities actively embrace the university's academic curriculum while expanding the scope, accessibility, and prestige of the professional programming on campus. For more information, please visit Premiere Stages online at www.premierestagesatkean.com.

ABOUT KEAN UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1855, Kean University has become one of the largest metropolitan institutions of higher education in the region, with a richly diverse student, faculty and staff population. Kean continues to play a key role in the training of teachers and is a hub of educational, technological and cultural enrichment serving nearly 15,000 students. The University's five undergraduate colleges offer more than 50 undergraduate degrees over a full range of academic subjects. The Nathan Weiss Graduate College offers four doctoral degree programs and more than 60 options for graduate study leading to master's degrees, professional diplomas or certifications. With campuses in Union and Toms River, New Jersey, and Wenzhou, China, Kean University furthers its mission by providing an affordable and accessible world-class education. Visit www.kean.edu.

To post a comment, you must register and login.