WALDEN Begins Performances at Premiere Stages This Week

Premiere Stages’ production of Amy Berryman’s play Walden begins performances this week in Kean University’s Bauer Boucher Theatre Center (Vaughn Eames Hall, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, N.J.). Directed by Charlotte Cohn, Walden features professional actors Allison Altman, Erin Germaine Mahoney and Anthony Vaughn Merchant.    

In this timely play set in the near future, Stella and her fiancé, Bryan, are waiting at their remote cabin for Stella’s estranged twin sister, Cassie. Raised by their astronaut father to be NASA scientists, the twins have taken different paths: Cassie has just returned from a successful moon mission, while Stella left NASA behind. When Cassie arrives, old conflicts reignite, forcing the sisters to choose between life on Earth or pursuing a future in space, as humanity’s fate hangs in the balance. Walden is a thrilling and engrossing play that wrestles between the gravitational pulls of duty and desire. 

Walden made its New York premiere at Second Stage Theater (Bennett Leak, Interim Artistic Director, Lisa Lawer Post, Executive Director) in 2024. Walden was first presented on stage by Sonia Friedman Productions. This production is presented through special arrangement with TRW Plays.   

The professional design team includes Set Designer David M. Barber, Costume Designer Julia Squier, Lighting Designer Zack Gage, Music and Sound Designer Chad Raines and Props Master and Scenic Artist Michael Brinskele. Casting is by Stephanie Klapper, CSA. Dale Smallwood is the Production Stage Manager. Tori Hiotakis is the Assistant Stage Manager.

Walden runs September 4 - 21 in the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center at Kean University in Union, N.J. The performance schedule is Thursdays, September 4 and 18 at 7:30 pm, Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 3:00 & 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm. There will be an additional 3:00 pm performance on Friday, September 12.

Audience members are invited to engage more deeply with Walden in free Community Connections following select matinee (3:00 pm) performances. Patrons can learn more about the creative process with featured post-show speakers Director Charlotte Cohn (Sunday, September 7) and the cast of Walden (Saturday, September 20).

On Sunday, September 14 at 2:00 pm, prior to the 3:00 pm matinee, Paul Cirillo, a volunteer outreach “Ambassador” for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will present his Exploring Mars! lecture in the theatre lobby. Mr. Cirillo will also participate in a talkback following the 3:00 pm matinee. Dates and speakers are subject to change; please call 908-737-4077 or visit premierestagesatkean.com for an updated schedule of post-show events and speakers.  

Tickets for all other performances are $40.50 standard, $30.50 for senior citizens and Kean alumni and staff, $25.50 for patrons with disabilities and $18 for students. All prices include ticket fees. Significant discounts for groups of ten or more apply. To make reservations or to order a season brochure, please call the box office at 908-737-7469 or visit Premiere Stages online at  premierestagesatkean.com.

Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available at all times; publications in alternate formats are available with advance notice. Sign-interpreted and audio described performances are available by request, at least three weeks in advance. Please call 908-737-4077 or email premiere@kean.edu to request these services. For more information, please visit Premiere Stages online at  premierestagesatkean.com.

Premiere Stages is made possible in part through funding from W. John Bauer and Nancy Boucher, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Shubert Foundation, Carole Shaffer-Koros and Robert Koros and ExxonMobil Foundation, The Northfield Bank Foundation, Blue Foundry Charitable Foundation, Union County Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Union Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, The Union County HEART Grant and through the generous support of individual patrons and local organizations. Discover Jersey Arts is our marketing partner. Visit JerseyArts.com for more information about other arts programming happening around the Garden State.

Premiere Stages is committed to producing topical plays and interactive programs that reflect people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, national origins, nationalities, ancestry, religious groups, gender expression or identities, sexual orientation, political beliefs, ages, abilities and disabilities.

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 us online at premierestagesatkean.com

ABOUT KEAN UNIVERSITY

Kean University, New Jersey’s urban research university, is a national institution of higher education recognized for its diversity, innovation and the social mobility of its graduates. Designated an R2 research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Kean ranks among the top eight percent of U.S. universities for research and doctorate production. Founded in 1855 as a teachers college, Kean has evolved into a thriving research university that supports students as they persist to graduation, give back to their communities and launch successful careers. Kean’s six colleges offer more than 50 undergraduate programs, six doctoral degree programs and more than 70 options leading to master’s degrees, professional diplomas or certifications, across a full range of academic subjects. With campuses in Union, Toms River and Manahawkin, New Jersey, and Wenzhou, China, as well as Kean Online, the University provides students of all backgrounds an affordable and accessible world-class education. Learn more at kean.edu