Suzanne Barabas News

What's being performed and what's opening this holiday season? Check out some of the theatres around the Garden State that are making New Jersey's entertainment scene happen. From musicals and drama to comedy and dramedy, we have it all.

Mutual Philanthropy, written by Karen Rizzo and directed by Evan Bergman, is now making its East Coast Premiere at New Jersey Repertory Company through November 19. This distinctive show depicts how socioeconomic circumstances can divide people living in the same community.

New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) will present a week-long arts event, the 'ALL ABOUT EVE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS' from October 1st to October 8th.The festival will be inaugurating their new West End Arts Center at 132 West End Avenue and will feature Theatre Brut with 28 short plays. Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry's play, 'Pittsburgh' will be a part of the festival.

In a proclamation dated September 19, 2017, Morristown Mayor Timothy P. Dougherty declared that October 23, 2017 will be known as New Jersey Theatre Alliance Day. On that day, New Jersey Theatre Alliance ( the Alliance ) will host Curtain Call, its annual celebration of theatre, at the Westin Governor Morris in Morristown, honoring the artistic directors of its member theatres for their dedication and artistic vision, and Atlantic Health System for its support of theatre programming that enhances the health and wellbeing of New Jersey residents. The event, which is open to the public, will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and includes buffet stations, wine and beer, entertainment, a silent auction, and a raffle.

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, celebrates the opening of the Rolling World Premiere (RWP) of Wild Horses by Allison Gregory at Associate Member CenterStage at the JCC (Rochester, NY September 9-23, 2017).

New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) is now presenting the World Premiere of F Theory from August 17 through September 24. The play is co-written by Megan Loughran and Alex Trow and enjoys superb direction by Ethan Heard. Loughran and Trow also star in this outstanding two-hander that captures a lifelong friendship with all of its ups and downs.

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, announces its 2017-18 grant recipients, including the 2017 Smith Prize for Political Theatre, seven Producer Residencies, and five Collaboration Fund awards that will support partnerships between multiple Member Theaters, playwrights, and other theater makers in various projects.

 National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, announces Wild Horsesby Allison Gregory as its 72nd Rolling World Premiere. 

New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) is now presenting the World Premiere of 'Halftime with Don' through July 30th. Written by Ken Weitzman and directed by Kent Nicholson, this outstanding show features a stellar cast.

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, celebrates the launch of the Rolling World Premiere Halftime with Don by Ken Weitzman at New Jersey Repertory Company. The play will receive a total of three distinct NNPN RWP productions in a 12-month period, rolling through Core Members New Jersey Repertory Company (Long Branch; June 24-July 30, 2017), Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis, IN; October 25-November 19, 2017), and B Street Theatre (Sacramento, CA; 2018). Halftime with Don was a finalist for the 2015 National Showcase of New Plays and is NNPN's 65th Rolling World Premiere.

New Jersey Repertory Company presents the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere of HALFTIME WITH DON by Ken Weitzman, directed by Kent Nicholson, June 22 - July 30, 2017.

New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) is now presenting & Juliet through June 4th. This intriguing World Premiere play is written by Robert Caisley and superbly directed by Marc Geller.

'& Juliet' a world premiere by Robert Caisley opens Thursday, May 4 at NJ Rep, 179 Broadway, Long Branch.

The new play, '& Juliet,' written by Robert Caisley and directed by Marc Geller will have its premiere at New Jersey Repertory Company from May 4th to June 6th. Broadwayworld.com interviewed Caisley about his career and the upcoming show.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Today's big news: Larry Kirwan's REBEL IN THE SOUL starts tonight at Irish Rep, and writers of color take the stage in MTF's LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING this evening!

See 'Multiple Family Dwelling' while it is being performed at New Jersey Repertory Company. Written by James Hindman, directed by Alan Souza, and featuring a stellar cast, this is an intriguing play about two couples and the twists and turns of their relationships.

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, announces four Rolling World Premieres: Halftime with Don by Ken Weitzman, Doublewide by Stephen Spotswood, The Arsonists by Jacqueline Goldfinger, and Building the Wall by Robert Schenkkan. The four plays will receive a total of 15 NNPN RWP productions, with each play seeing at least three distinct productions in a discrete 12-month period.

NJ Rep is currently presenting the World Premiere of The Jag written by Gino Dilorio and directed by Brendan Burke. This must-see production will be on the Long Branch stage through February 12th.

The BWW New Jersey awards focused on professional theatre, the actors, and the creative teams that make Garden State performances outstanding.

As a musical theater librettist, lyricist and lifelong connoisseur of Broadway and Hollywood musicals, Frank Evans would have been extremely sad to learn about the passing of screen legend Debbie Reynolds on December 28. But given his sense of humor and ability for self-deprecation, Evans might have also gotten a perverse kick out of knowing he died on the same day as one of his film favorites. Franklin G. Evans, 70, died last Wednesday evening at Methodist Hospital in Park Slope, Brooklyn, due to complications from multiple strokes that ravaged his brain over the last couple of months of 2016. Evans, who also suffered from Parkinson's-related dementia and diabetes, had spent the last year rehabilitating from a serious concussion sustained last December.