THE GARDEN STATE NEW PLAY FESTIVAL: BRIDGING ART AND COMMUNITY Begins In May

Jersey City Theater Center and The New Jersey Play Lab will present the inaugural Garden State New Play Festival from May 1–4 and 8–11, 2025.

Taking place at White Eagle Hall and the Five Corners Library Theatre, this groundbreaking festival offers a reimagined model for new play development—one rooted in community, advocacy, and artistic equity.

Featuring the work of 14 playwrights, including local community organizers, International Artists, and student voices, GSNPF invites audiences into the process of creating theatre that addresses the pressing issues of our time—through the lens of social justice.

“The Garden State New Play Festival is not just a celebration of new works—it's a celebration of new voices,” says Olga Levina, Executive Producer at JCTC. “By intertwining artistry with advocacy and process with performance, we're fostering the next generation of theatremakers—and building a more connected and conscious community through the power of storytelling.”

Each performance will be followed by audience conversations, offering a rare glimpse into the creative and developmental journey of these plays. Tickets for each reading are only $10.00 each, with Festival Passes available for those eager to attend multiple events. Library events are free to those with public library cards.

“At The New Jersey Play Lab, we believe that an in-depth dramaturgical process contributes to the creation of impactful theater that both honors the craft of playwriting and inspires thought long after the curtain has fallen.” says Cheryl Katz, Co-Founder of NJPL. “The Garden State New Play Festival brings this collaborative process to writers from many walks of life and unites them around community, advocacy, and artistry.”

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS & SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

All events are located at either:
White Eagle Hall – 337 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302
Five Corners Library Theatre – 678 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07306

Thursday, May 1 @ 7:30 PM

The Moss Maidens by S. Dylan Zwickel
Dramaturgy: Emily Dzioba-Wasserman | Director: Hamutal Posklinsky-Shehory
Five Corners Library Theatre
In 1941 Nazi-occupied Holland, five teenage girls unexpectedly become a resistance cell. Inspired by true events, this moving play explores what happens when ordinary girls must choose to be extraordinary.

Friday, May 2 @ 8:00 PM

Aberdeen and Netarine by Syd Rushing
Dramaturgy/Direction: Marshall Jones III
White Eagle Hall
Two church ladies confront the decline of their community and test the limits of their lifelong friendship in a powerful story of love, faith, and self-reflection.

Saturday, May 3 @ 3:00 PM

Solomon (and Me) by Gabriel Diego Hernández
Dramaturgy: Molly Marinik | Director: Kevin R. Free
White Eagle Hall
Four students and a teacher wrestle with identity, anger, and accountability in a summer school classroom poised for explosion.

Saturday, May 3 @ 8:00 PM

The Wonderful Out There by Dave Osmundsen
Dramaturgy: Pandora Scooter | Director: Allen MacLeod
White Eagle Hall
In a magical group home, four neurodivergent children grapple with a stunning truth in this poignant and hopeful play.

Sunday, May 4 @ 3:00 PM

New Work (Title TBA) by Palesa Mazamisa (South Africa)
Five Corners Library Theatre
Internationally acclaimed South African playwright Palesa Mazamisa brings her bold voice to Jersey City in this new social justice-driven reading.

Thursday, May 8 @ 7:30 PM

Joy Comes in the Morning by Marcus Scott
Dramaturgy: Elena Araoz | Director: Dev Bondarin
Five Corners Library Theatre
Two young women fight for glory in the wrestling ring—and in life—in this operatic coming-of-age dramedy.

Friday, May 9 @ 8:00 PM

Daddy, An Un-Chinese Kid by Yangzhou (Yao) Bian
Dramaturgy: Nabra Nelson | Director: Sandrine Dupiton
White Eagle Hall
A Chinese university student in the USA in 2020 navigates her passions with her family's expectations in this wildly theatrical play.

Saturday, May 10 @ 3:00 PM

Fallen from GRACE by Elijah N. Maldonado
Dramaturgy: Emma O'Mara | Director: TBA
Five Corners Library Theatre
A young professional's values are tested by a ghost from the past in this sharp new work from a Montclair State University student playwright.

Saturday, May 10 @ 8:00 PM

Oh, Muffy! by Vincent Ireri Langan
Dramaturgy: Georgette Hamlett Sacks | Director: Cheryl Katz
Five Corners Library Theatre
A razor-sharp satire of privilege and performative progressivism set on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Sunday, May 11 @ 3:00 PM

The Weight of Gold in a Hungry Land by Boris Franklin
Let It Be Ours by Tiffany E. McQueary
Flow(ish) by Cynthia Mellon
Dramaturgy: Madison Allen, Ronni Hom, Jamie Tesar, Kaitlyn Valentin
Director: Jessica Brater
White Eagle Hall
Three powerful new voices from Jersey City explore incarceration, gentrification, and environmental justice in this site-inspired triple bill.

Sunday, May 11 @ 7:00 PM

Best Foreign by Francisco Mendoza
Dramaturgy: Dezi Tibbs | Director: Danilo Gambini
White Eagle Hall
An Oscar-winning filmmaker faces the ghosts of history—and accountability—in a high-stakes Q&A.

TICKETS & FESTIVAL PASSES

Individual tickets and full festival passes are now available at www.JCTCenter.org.
For ADA accommodations, please contact: emilyd@jctcenter.org. Please make requests at least 2 weeks in advance.

New Jersey Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. THE LITTLE MERMAID (HOWELL PAL THEATRE COMPANY)

3.2% of votes

2. GREASE (Plays-in-the-Park)

2.9% of votes

3. SCHOOL OF ROCK (Playhouse 22)

2.8% of votes

Vote Now!