Pushcart Players artistic director Paul Whelihan will perform in Zoom readings of “ART,” a play by Yasmine Reza on Thursday May 6 and Friday May 7 at 7:30 pm. The production is directed by Dov Tiefenbach. It explores friendship, mortality, and, of course, art. The performance is free, yet welcome donations will benefit Pushcart Players, and the future live production.

“’ART’” tells the comedic story of three long-time friends: Serge, Marc, and Yvan, whose relationship is put to the test when Serge purchases a completely modern painting,” said Jim Watt, producer.  “The high-price purchase sets off a heated exchange about what constitutes ‘art,’ and quickly becomes more personal as the three resentfully bring up their individual failures. Will these friendships be forever destroyed?”

“We’re excited to present this reading. The virtual streaming with actors in remote locations (New York, New Jersey, Canada, Los Angeles) has allowed us to perform a wonderful script in an alternative medium full of creative opportunities.”

The cast features Paul Whelihan as Marc, Jim Kempner as Serge, and Christopher Redman as Yvan.

Paul Whelihan performs, directs, and stage-manages off-Broadway (47^th Street Theater, 59 East 59 Theatres, NY Fringe Festival, 54 Below, TheaterLab) and regionally (Bickford Theater, Forum Theater Arts, Royal Poincianna, Broward Center, Centenary Stage, Growing Stage, Luna Stage Company, Premiere Stages, Quillo Arts Center). Roles include Tevye in “Fiddler…,” Pseudolus in “…Forum,” Noah in “Two By Two,” Miss Texas in “Pageant,” Crouch in “Not Now, Darling,” and he originated roles of  Gruber in “The Flame Keeper,” Branch Rickey in “Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting,” Stanley in “Kiss the Bride,” and the Mayor in Sheldon Harnick’s “Dragons.”

Jim Kempner is an actor who also specializes in contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, and work on paper, with an emphasis on contemporary master prints and outdoor sculpture (https://www.jimkempnerfineart.com/). Kempner’s inventory appeals to the established as well as beginning collectors. They work closely with art advisors, designers, corporations, and museums to expand and enrich their varied collections.

Christopher Redman is an award winning actor, writer, and producer. As an actor he has appeared in over a hundred TV and film productions including the latest season of Genius : Aretha as Clive Davis opposite Cynthia Erivo. Recently he’s been seen in the Netflix Original hit series Workin’ Moms where he played “Brad” throughout season 2, God Friended Me for CBS and is currently in production on the thriller series The Old Man for FX with Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow. Christopher is the subject and producer of the lifelong docu series The Decades Project which explores how friendship evolves over long periods of time. He is also a producer and comedy writer for the Webby Award winning podcast company Kelly&Kelly out of Vancouver.

Director Dov Tiefenbach played the lead role Nick Burns in the 1996 Broadway production A Thousand Clowns alongside actor Judd Hirsch. After returning to Toronto, In 2003 he won a Leo Award for Best Supporting Male Performance in Flower & Garnet (2002). His most recent roles include the reclusive writer Lucky Carroway in the television series This Space for Rent (2006), the troubled young Adrian in the psychological thriller The Dark Hours (2005) and the hippie drug dealer Bradley Thomas in the comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004).

Pushcart Players Pushcart Players is NJ’s premiere touring theater company specializing in arts education for children. Twice nominated for an Emmy©, Pushcart is the recipient of numerous state and private awards for excellence and innovation. Founded in 1974, Pushcart brings substantive musical theater, workshops, and residencies to young people in schools and theaters nationwide. The company has traveled more than 2.5 million miles nationally and abroad, from the rural red schoolhouse to the nation’s White House.

“I am very grateful to have the opportunity to explore this terrific play with an exceptional team of artists,” said Paul Whelihan. “I am even more grateful that these efforts will benefit Pushcart Players’ mission to uplift ART in all its forms”

Attendance at the Zoom readings of ART can be confirmed here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hJAkyYZGSq6ivLB4liwdPg

Art House Productions announces the Jersey Art Exchange (JAX) Media & Music Makers Camp for students entering grades 7-12 in Fall 2021. The camps will take place Mondays – Fridays, July 5 – July 16, from 1pm – 5pm at 150 Bay Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302. Each track is led by a digital art, and/or music professional. Masks and social distancing will be enforced.

“I’m so happy to be running this program again,” says Program Director Jacqueline Arias. “It’s a perfect way for teens to spend the summer – exploring their neighborhoods and tapping into their creative spirit. We always have a blast!”

MUSIC MAKERS
All teens will learn the basic history & background of rap, rock & pop music. Teens will learn to collaborate with other musicians and teens. They will also choose to have individual instruction on songwriting, beat making, or piano.

MEDIA MAKERS
Teens will learn to use photography, video and audio as an effective tool to promote social issues and to reach audiences through an online interactive environment. Teens will work with professional media makers. The final digital stories hope to create an insightful and emotive story of their neighborhoods. The final pieces will be showcased in a public event.

Tuition is $350. A $50 Early Bird discount is available for registrations before May 1. Art House is committed to making programming accessible to all members of the community. Full and partial scholarships are available for students with a strong interest in pursuing the media and/or arts professionally, and for students in need of financial aid.

Camper Registration Forms, the Tuition Payment Portal and Scholarship Application can be found at https://www.arthouseproductions.org/pages/jax-summer-camp. Questions can be directed to Program Director Jacqueline Arias at [email protected] or (347) 237-3508.

Art House Productions is generously supported by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, MACK-CALI Realty, SILVERMAN, The Princeton Foundation, The Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs, Masterwork Arts, and Genova Burns.

Art House Productions is committed to accessibility and inclusivity in all public programming. Art House Productions produces work with a shrewd sense of social responsibility and challenges the idea of “universal” mind and “universal” body in each artistic endeavor.

In January 2021, Jersey Art Exchange (JAX) merged with Art House Productions. Now JAX seeks to broaden their services and continue their commitment to the Jersey City arts community and arts education by expanding JAX’s core programs and building on Art House’s existing education programs.

Art House Productions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to the development and presentation of the performing and visual arts in Jersey City, NJ. Art House Productions presents theater, performing and visual arts festivals, arts events, visual art exhibitions, and adult and youth art classes. For more information about upcoming programs, please visit our website at www.arthouseproductions.org. Follow on social media @arthouseproductions @arthouseprods. To sign up for Art House’s mailing list, please click here: http://eepurl.com/hd1FCj.

Art House Productions is pleased to announce a workshop presentation of Open Line, conceived and performed by Max Reuben, and featuring artist Sally Chen, on Thursday, April 22 at 8:00pm EST on Zoom.

Hi, there. How are you? Things have been kind of rough lately, huh? Well, why don’t you take a seat. Open Line is an experiment in long-distance intimacy and radical honesty. A tiny, temporary balm for the realities we’ve all faced over the past year.

Open Line is an interactive performance, and there will be times when audience members will be asked to engage more actively in the experience. While some level of participation by some members of the audience is essential for the success of the piece, this will always be voluntary on your part. Open Line is best experienced over a desktop, laptop, or large tablet.

“During the past year, Art House has embraced virtual programming as a new art form. Max has been developing this experimental piece specifically for Zoom over the last few months and the experience will be intimate and highly theatrical,” says Producing Director Courtney Little. “Max’s vision for Open Line is ambitious, and we’re excited to introduce his work to our audience in Jersey City and beyond.”

Tickets are pay-what-you-can, $5-$15. Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35606/performance/10672521

Art House is working remotely at this time. If you are unable to reserve tickets or make a donation online, please email [email protected] to set up a time for the box office to call you to assist over the phone.

The events will feature Closed Captions using Zoom’s autotransciption service. To request ASL interpreters, please email [email protected] at least 72 hours before the event. For questions about accessibility and patrons services, please email [email protected].

Open Line was developed through a virtual residency with Art House Productions in Spring 2021, during which the artists were compensated and given virtual resources to develop this new performance, made especially for Zoom.

Max Reuben is a Philadelphia-born, Brooklyn-based playwright, director, and teacher who loves big-hearted, humanistic theater that attempts to reduce the amount of existential despair and loneliness in the universe. He’s written, directed, and devised work in a diversity of venues from Ars Nova to the Museum of Modern Art to a very hip apartment in Williamsburg. He’s a proud graduate of Playwrights Horizons Theater School, an undergraduate studio at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he now teaches first-year playwriting. In the summers, he teaches playwriting and devises new plays with the Powerhouse Theater Training Program at Vassar College.

Sally Chen (any/all) is a second generation Chinese American illustrator and poet based in Brooklyn, NY. They’re currently attending Parsons School of Design as a BFA Illustration and Psychology minor, and love to explore ideas of intimacy, home, and identity in their work. In their free time, they dream about folktales and co-liberation.

Zoom is an online video conferencing software that allows you to virtually interact when in-person meetings and events aren’t possible. Participants must have wifi, download the application on a computer or smartphone, and sign up for a free Zoom account to participate. The Art House staff are available to help troubleshoot registration and download; please email [email protected] for assistance.

Art House Productions is generously supported by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, MACK-CALI Realty, SILVERMAN, Manhattan Building Company, and CoolVines.

Art House Productions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to the development and presentation of the performing and visual arts in Jersey City, NJ. Art House Productions presents theater, performing and visual arts festivals, arts events, visual art exhibitions, and adult and youth art classes. For more information about Art House programs, please visit the website at www.arthouseproductions.org. Follow on social media @arthouseproductions @arthouseprods To sign up for Art House’s mailing list, please click here: http://eepurl.com/hd1FCj.

Kennedy Dancers, Inc.,a Professional Repertory Dance Company, Dance Studio, and Dance Vista Television Productions, is proud to announce an upcoming cable television show featuring members of the “Inner City Youth” Pre-Professional Training Program and their journey from rehearsals to performances and competitions.

Under the Direction of Diane Dragone, for over 40 years The Kennedy Dancers has strived to provide high quality dance performances, dance classes while keeping the needs of the community in mind through inclusive programming for youth, adults, senior citizens, and people with disabilities.

The Dance Vista cable television series is a catalyst to exponentially grow capacity and interaction with the art of dance to our viewers, live audiences, and students, and has received 6 cable television network awards for cultural programming.

Dance Vista is directed and produced by Tom Horan and Executive Producer Diane Dragone. Dance Vista reaches over 6 million viewers and is seen on television Access Systems across the United States.

Dance Vista follows the New Jersey Board of Education approved core curriculum in dance.  It is a useful tool in dance training. Diane Dragone is a Certified Teacher of Dance in the State of New Jersey.

Diane Dragone, host and Artistic Director of the Kennedy Dancers Inc., delves into the steps and process of becoming a professional dancer.

Clips of Kennedy Dancers (The Inner City Youth Program) pre-professionals are shown as they learn choreography, rehearse, compete, and perform new works for everyone from concert audiences and for competition judges.

Not an easy road, but a rewarding one.

Also featured are clips of the Kennedy Dancers Professional Repertory Dance Company performing “Calling God” at the Loews Jersey Theater, Jersey City, NJ.

The premiere is at Friday, April 9 and Sunday April 11th at 9:00PM and will be aired on Comcast Channel 97 and Verizon Channel 43.

Airing Times:

Fridays and Sundays at 9:00pm on JCETV located on Comcast Channel 97 in Jersey City, and on Verizon FIOS Channel 43 throughout Northern New Jersey.  

DANCE VISTA can also be seen on Manhattan Neighborhood Network’s Lifestyle Channel 2 on Tuesdays at 3:30p.m.

DANCE VISTA all also be shown at various times throughout New Jersey and Beyond through syndicated Educational and Governmental channels across twenty three states.

The Series is produced by the Kennedy Dancers Inc., a 501C3 non-profit organization.

Executive Producer and Host is Diane Dragone and Director is Tom Horan.

For further information contact [email protected], 201-659-2190, or visit our website at kennedydancers.org

For your convenience, you can also view it on YouTube at  https://youtu.be/u9BXZEQ5iu4

Art House Productions invites audiences to join the staff, Harmonica Sunbeam, Vanity Ray, DJ Baklava, and DJ Baby Dahl for one final VIRTUAL DRAG BINGO EXTRAVAGANZA on Wednesday, April 21st at 8:00pm EST on Zoom.

Proceeds from this event will benefit an ambitious season of performing, visual arts, and arts education programming following the opening of Art House’s new, permanent space at 184 Morgan Street in Jersey City.

Harmonica Sunbeam will lead four rounds of bingo, with special performances by Vanity Ray. DJ Baklava will provide beats during the game, and DJ Baby Dahl will close out the night with a dance party. As in regular bingo, participants can use one board for all 4 games or buy more to increase their odds. Each round’s winner gets a prize, and the winner of the final round receives a cash prize.

For the Virtual Drag Bingo Extravaganza, Art House will allow participants to “pick their price” when buying bingo boards. Players can purchase an initial bingo board for $25, $50, or $100. We would appreciate a $100 donation for a board but welcome a $25 or $50 donation if that suits the budget better. Each additional board is $10 each. Attendees can also donate an additional $5 to guarantee their song request will play during the course of the event. Boards will be emailed after registration.

To register online, please visit: https://bit.ly/BingoExtravaganza. Registration closes April 21st at 5:00pm EST. Art House Productions is committed to accessibility and inclusivity in all the public programming presented by our organization. To request ASL interpreters or closed captions, please email [email protected] at least 72 hours before the event.

Virtual Drag Bingo began March 20, 2020 and has served over 640 households with upwards of 4,500 tickets sold in 44 games, with participants from 28 states and 3 countries.

“Virtual Drag Bingo began in response to the pandemic as a way to bring connection, much needed laughter, and a bit of escapism to our audiences. We didn’t anticipate that it would have the reach it did. Many of our players have zoomed in week after week creating a new, virtual community where we experience highs and lows together and share a familiar sense of humor. We’ve been so grateful to provide this for people and we look forward to continuing Drag Bingo in some form in the future, but for now we’re going to hang up our bingo balls. We hope everyone will join us for one last hurrah benefitting Art House on April 21st,” says Executive Director Meredith Burns.

Art House Productions will continue to provide private bingo parties for corporate events and personal celebrations. Previous parties have been held for company happy hours, college student groups and birthday parties. “My friends surprised me with [Virtual Drag Bingo] and the moment I joined the zoom call, I knew it was going to be amazing. The music was spot on to my taste, the jokes had me dying of laughter and the little roasts were hilarious. Everyone who joined the call had a great time. I truly enjoyed Drag Bingo and recommend it to anyone celebrating a birthday, bachelorette/bachelor party or need a way to stay connected with friends,” says Samantha of Los Angeles, California. To book a private party, please visit: https://www.arthouseproductions.org/pages/onlineeventrentals

Zoom is an online video conferencing software that allows you to virtually interact when in-person meetings and events aren’t possible. Participants must have wifi, download the application on a computer or smartphone, and sign up for a free Zoom account to participate. The Art House staff are available to help troubleshoot registration and download; please email [email protected] for assistance.

The Kennedy Dancers, Inc., a Non-Profit Organization has announced that In-Person Summer Dance Day Camp will resume this Summer from July 6 through August 13, 2021.

Summer Dance Day Camp will run from 8:45AM-3:30PM Monday through Friday, offering 2, 4, and 6 week programs for those who may be traveling or taking time off during the Summer but who still want to participate.

Campers will be transported into the world of dance and will participate in professional dance classes in Ballet, Lyrical, Modern, Latin, Hip Hop, Theatrical Jazz, and Gymnastics, Tumbling, and Acrobatics. There will also be activities with Music, Acting, Drawing & Sketching, Tennis, Soccer, and Swimming (if permitted).

Healthy Breakfast, Lunch, & Snacks provided by the Jersey City Department of Health & Human Services and New Jersey Department of Agriculture will be served daily, included in tuition! You may also bring your own lunch, packaged from home. No fast food.

Tuition costs for our camp very modest.

Register and Pay by June 11th and Save $50!
2 WEEKS – $410
4 WEEKS – $780
6 WEEKS – $1110

Register and Pay by June 25th to secure your childs spot!
2 WEEKS – $460
4 WEEKS – $830
6 WEEEKS – $1160

**There is a discount for a sibling in the same family. Call or email for details.**

For more information, or to enroll early, please call 201-659-2190 or email us at [email protected] so that we can start your registration process!

Sincerely,

Diane Dragone

Artistic Director
The Kennedy Dancers, Inc.
A Non-Profit Organization
79 Central Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306
201-659-2190
[email protected]
kennedydancers.org

Art House Productions is pleased to announce the Virtual INKubator New Play Festival from Monday, May 3 – Wednesday, May 19 online via Zoom.

The festival will feature playwrights from the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 cohorts, including Kev Berry, Andrea Coleman, Izzi D’Esposito, Madeline Dennis-Yates, Nathaniel Foster, Alyssa Haddad, Aja Nisenson, SMJ, Christopher-Rashee Stevenson, Leila Teitelman, and Colin Waitt.

Audiences who attend the festival will also have the opportunity to participate in conversations with the writers, directors, and actors during each performance.

All public readings are free for audiences and begin at 7 p.m. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Donations will be accepted towards supporting the INKubator Program at Art House.

Registration for single tickets (suggested donation $5): http://bit.ly/INKubatorFestival2021
Registration for Festival Pass (suggested donation $50): http://bit.ly/INKubatorFestivalPass2021

Art House is working remotely at this time. If you are unable to reserve tickets or make a donation online, please email [email protected] to set up a time for the box office to call you to assist over the phone.

The events will feature Closed Captions using Zoom’s autotransciption service. To request ASL interpreters, please email [email protected] at least 72 hours before the event. For questions about accessibility and patrons services, please email [email protected].

INKubator is a year-long generative process for a select group of 6 playwrights in residence at Art House Productions. During the program, playwrights meet on a monthly basis alongside program director Alex Tobey to share new work, receive feedback, and develop a first draft of a new play. The program culminates in a New Play Festival, where the playwrights work with professional directors and actors to hear the play read aloud for the first time. Due to the pandemic, the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 cohort festivals have been combined. Casting will be announced at a later date.

“Working with these brilliant playwrights has been an incredibly rewarding journey,” says INKubator director Alex Tobey. “I’m constantly inspired by their creativity, their resilience, and their unique visions for what the art of playwriting can achieve. The past year has presented a lot of challenges for theatre, both in how we develop new plays and how we present them, so I’m thrilled to share a first look at the plays alongside an incredible group of actors and directors.”

Monday, May 3 at 7:00pm
We’re Just Redoing the Kitchen by Madeline Dennis-Yates
directed by Kat Yen
After a career-threatening injury forces pro athlete Skyler to move back in with her parents, she is confronted with the weirdness of newfound wealth, her physical fragility, and her childhood home getting literally hacked to bits in service of a home makeover. (But is there even a plan for the new kitchen?) We’re Just Redoing the Kitchen is about what happens to a family when the child becomes an enormous success and everything – finances, home, and family dynamics – must change.

Tuesday, May 4 at 7:00pm
Oh God by Colin Waitt
directed by Alex Tobey
A man who may or may not have been visited by God who may or may not have tasked him with saving us in these troubled times may or may not create a new religion that may or may not destroy us all. The road to hell is paved with good intentions in this comedy about belief, truth and Dolly Parton.

Wednesday, May 5 at 7:00pm
Away From Keyboard by Izzi D’Esposito
directed by Graham Miller
A group of longtime online friends meet up to play a video game together over voice chat. When one of them unexpectedly doesn’t log on, the group tries to look for clues about his disappearance in his offline life. Away From Keyboard is an audio play about gaming, ghosting, and camaraderie on the internet.

Thursday, May 6 at 7:00pm
OUR CHILDHOOD SUCKED by SMJ
created and developed by Ezra Brain, Ludmila Brito, Stephanie Fongheiser, Talia Frank-Stempel, Daniel Kunkel, Alizae Powell, Danielle Truss, and SMJ
directed by Ludmila Brito
Five former teen stars are invited to tape a Disney+ reunion special and the pilot for the reboot of the show they made famous, Dating Academy. However, through s’mores, script readings, trips to the past, and dead bodies, the stars discover that something more sinister and exploitative may be awaiting them.

Saturday, May 8 at 7:00pm
Secrets by Andrea Coleman
directed by Emily Moler
Secrets is a comedic farce about three Brooklyn couples, their friends, and the secrets they’re all trying to keep from each other during a dinner party. Every couple is interracial, woke, and nuts. You’ll laugh, and they’ll cry, while all secrets get revealed.

Monday, May 10 at 7:00pm
Wild George or Mad For You by Christopher-Rashee Stevenson
directed by Andrew Willis-Woodward
The President of an unnamed country is struck suddenly with an “illness” causing him to make strange speeches, run about at night naked imagining himself a new hybrid of “boar and mammoth,” and to generally make mayhem for everyone who encounters him. Will the First Lady find a doctor competent enough to heal her husband before the country falls headlong into chaos, before he is written out of the story, before his scheming son is elected in his place? Medicine. Music. Domestic intrigue. And Games all await you in this farcical political tragicomedy.

Tuesday, May 11 at 7:00pm
Vincent van Gogh by Kev Berry
directed by Alex Tobey
Vincent and Paul are lovers, though history would tell you otherwise and call them post-Impressionists. Vincent’s sick, Paul’s kind of a prick, and then one night, Vincent cuts his own ear off. Vincent van Gogh effervescently remixes history with a disco beat to examine what stands the tests of time and what is erased into the annals of queerness, despite being mighty, mighty real.

Sunday, May 16 at 7:00pm
Where We Lie by Leila Teitelman
directed by Kimille Howard
When a mother and her two daughters move into a new house to start fresh, it doesn’t take long for them to realize that the past can follow and haunt a family for generations. Where We Lie explores homelessness, helplessness, and the repercussions of inheritance.

Monday, May 17 at 7:00pm
Autopay by Aja Nisenson
directed by Victoria Gruenberg
Emilie, an 85 year old woman, discovers her caregiver, Katrina, is stealing from her and seeks revenge. Setting up a live stream video in her house, Emilie begins documenting the disturbing and abusive behavior of her caregiver, igniting a viral YouTube channel that receives more likes than anyone thought possible. Autopay is a story about the lies we tell each other and ourselves.

Tuesday, May 18 at 7:00pm
Moondance Rick by Nathaniel Foster
directed by Raz Golden
Retired wrestler Rick is forced to reckon with his past when his son Isaac shows up unannounced wanting to train at his professional wrestling school. Moondance Rick explores the intricate and messy relationship between a father and son and the impact our legacy can have on those who come after us, through the theatrical lens of professional wrestling.

Wednesday, May 19 at 7:00pm
The Ancestry Dot Com/Family Tree/23andMe…Play by Alyssa Haddad
directed by Ryan Dobrin
When a group of friends takes a DNA test, they grapple with how it affects their identity, specifically Samia, an Arab-American who never knew her father.

This event is part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2021 Stages Festival, made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Foundation; the George A. Ohl, Jr. Trust; New Jersey Historical Commission; and Fund for the New Jersey Blind. www.njtheatrealliance.org/stages

Zoom is an online video conferencing software that allows you to virtually interact when in-person meetings and events aren’t possible. Participants must have wifi, download the application on a computer or smartphone, and sign up for a free Zoom account to participate. The Art House staff are available to help troubleshoot registration and download; please email [email protected] for assistance.

Art House Productions is generously supported by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, MACK-CALI Realty, SILVERMAN, Manhattan Building Company, and CoolVines.

Art House Productions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to the development and presentation of the performing and visual arts in Jersey City, NJ. Art House Productions presents theater, performing and visual arts festivals, arts events, visual art exhibitions, and adult and youth art classes. For more information about our programs, please visit our website at www.arthouseproductions.org. Follow us on social media @arthouseproductions @arthouseprods To sign up for Art House’s mailing list, please click here: http://eepurl.com/hd1FCj.