Summer Theater Project Returns To Burgdorff Center In Maplewood For 2023

The Theater Project (TheTheaterProject.org), a leading incubator for rising talent and a showcase for New Jersey artists, is returning to Maplewood's Burgdorff Cultural Center, 10 Durand Road, for the second straight year for its highly anticipated Summer Season, July 6.

Award-winning writer Joseph Vitale's Sunset Park — three intertwining stories that prove no matter how old you get, love, longing, jealousy, and hope remain constant—kicks off the Summer Season July 6-16. The play was also a finalist in the 2022 NY Theater Fall Festival.

Kaleidoscope Kabaret, songs and short plays from The Theater Project's highly successful Playwrights Workshop and Young Playwrights Competition, is the second summer offering, July 28-30. Ken Davenport and Sarah Saltzberg's Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage, described as 'Dr. Ruth meets Emily Post,' rounds out the summer performances, August 17-27.

Made possible by funds from the Essex County Division of Cultural Affairs, and the New Jersey Arts and Cultural Renewal Fund, show times are Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee. Sunset and Miss Abigail will feature post-show 'talkbacks' each Friday night while Kabaret will have meet-and-greets after each performance.

“Being back at the Burgdorff again is a thrill for our writers, performers and staff,” said The Theater Project's Artistic Director Mark Spina. “Our following in this area—people who appreciate the type of new and thought-provoking plays we produce—is large and growing.”

The Theater Project, which received another prestigious National Endowment for the Arts grant in 2021, has gained regional and national recognition for its ongoing projects including its annual Young Playwrights Competition, ARK (Actors Reading with Kids) program, the Think Fast short play competition—which attracted writers from throughout the county—and its The Theater Project Thinks About … podcasts.

As a means of celebrating its second consecutive summer in the intimate Burgdorff setting, The Theater Project—a 501(c)3 non-profit, professional theater producing off-Broadway quality shows for New Jersey audiences—is offering a multi-show FlexPass as well as discounted pricing for students and seniors.

Single ticket prices are $32 for general admission, $25 for seniors and students. Senior Sunday prices—the first Sunday of each play performance—are $20. FlexPasses are $75 for a three-play pass and $55 for a two-play pass.

Tickets are available online at TheTheaterProject.org or by calling the box office, 908-809-8865.