John J. Wooten News

With construction now complete on their state-of-the-art scene shop and several new design/technology classrooms, the Kean University Department of Theatre has announced an ambitious season for the coming academic year. The 2015-2016 Department of Theatre season, slated to begin tonight, October 16th, will include the Greek tragedy Elektra; Children of Eden, a musical based on the first nine chapters of the Book of Genesis; Julius Caesar, Shakespeare's timeless political expose; and John J. Wooten's riotous farce, Kiss the Bride.

Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, is now accepting submissions for the 12th annual Premiere Stages Play Festival. This yearly competition for unproduced scripts offers developmental and production opportunities to four playwrights born or currently residing in the greater metropolitan area (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut).

?With construction now complete on their state-of-the-art scene shop and several new design/technology classrooms, the Kean University Department of Theatre has announced an ambitious season for the coming academic year. The 2015-2016 Department of Theatre season, slated to begin October 16th, will include the Greek tragedy Elektra; Children of Eden, a musical based on the first nine chapters of the Book of Genesis; Julius Caesar, Shakespeare's timeless political expose; and John J. Wooten's riotous farce, Kiss the Bride.

Premiere Stages at Kean University will present the winner of its 2015 Play Festival, The People Before the Park by Keith Josef Adkins, September 3 - 20 in Kean University's Zella Fry Theatre (Vaughn Eames Hall, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, N.J.).

Premiere Stages at Kean University will present the New Jersey Premiere of Sharyn Rothstein's Off-Broadway hit By the Water from July 16th through August 2nd in the Zella Fry Theatre. In this moving new play directed by Adam Immerwahr, Hurricane Sandy wields its force upon the home of Marty and Mary Murphy, threatening to destroy not only the life they have built together but the neighborhood they grew up in. Will Marty manage to save his neighborhood and his home, or are the secrets unearthed by the storm too powerful to overcome? Described by The New York Times as 'drawn with acute sympathy and in gritty detail," this gripping and affecting play will feature actors Damian Buzzerio, Mike DiSalvo, Billy Finn, Deanna McGovern, Brian O'Neill, Sheila Stasack and Jo Twiss.

Premiere Stages will celebrate its 11th Anniversary as Kean University's professional Equity theatre with a dynamic lineup of events, featuring a season of topical plays that focus on people of the region, both past and present. Enhanced by award-winning premieres, engaging musical presentations for young audiences, captivating summer camps for middle-school and high-school students, and collaborations with like-minded organizations both on and off campus, the 2015 season promises to be the most successful to date. In describing the season, John J. Wooten, Premiere Stages' producing artistic director, stated, 'The power of the human spirit takes center stage at Premiere as we celebrate those who refuse to be beaten by the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, as well as those centuries before in Seneca Village who fought to keep what was rightfully theirs. The season typifies Premiere's unique commitment to presenting ground-breaking and socially relevant work, while partnering with the community to raise awareness about issues of social change that profoundly impact and empower the local community.'

Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, has partnered with Prevention Links to offer a seven-week, in-school playwriting residency for the Raymond Lesniak ESH Recovery High School at Kean.

Premiere Stages, the professional theatre in residence at Kean University, is committed to supporting emerging playwrights through the development and production of new plays.

Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, has partnered with Prevention Links to offer a seven-week, in-school playwriting residency for the Raymond Lesniak ESH Recovery High School at Kean.

Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, is partnering with The Provident Bank Foundation to offer an innovative seven-week, in-school playwriting residency this spring at the Terence C. Reilly School No. 7 located in Elizabeth. The residency, which affords twenty-one 7th grade students with access to professional actors and teaching artists, is held in partnership with William Culp, a history teacher at the school.

Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, has announced its four finalists for the 2015 Premiere Stages Play Festival, and will offer free public readings of the plays by professional actors during its 11th Annual Spring Readings Series.

Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, is now accepting submissions for the 11th annual Premiere Stages Play Festival. This yearly competition for unproduced scripts offers developmental and production opportunities to four playwrights born or currently residing in the greater metropolitan area (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut).

Premiere Stages, currently celebrating its 10th anniversary as the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, will welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage to Kean's campus on Sunday, November 16 as part of Premiere Artists, its acclaimed professional development program for Kean University students.

Premiere Stages, celebrating its 10th anniversary as Kean University's professional Equity theatre, will present a full production of its 2013-2014 Liberty Live Commission, At Liberty Hall by James Christy, October 16th through 19th in the historic 1882 Carriage House at Liberty Hall Museum.

Premiere Stages at Kean University will present the winner of its 2014 Play Festival, Janice Underwater by Hillside native Tom Matthew Wolfe, September 4 - 21 in Kean University's Zella Fry Theatre. Directed by Jade King Carroll, this delightfully quirky new play tells the story of Janice, who has a sneaking suspicion that she's losing her mind. While waiting for the results of genetic testing that could confirm her fears, Janice struggles to hold it together and pursue her art in the city. With the help of an attractive but troubled super, a devoted brother, and visions of her mentally ill mother, will Janice find her way home? Selected from over 400 submissions as the winner of Premiere's annual competition for unproduced scripts by area playwrights, Janice Underwater received a developmental reading earlier this spring, delighting audiences with its recognizable characters and locales.