Join host Gina Marie Rodriguez as she speaks with Mr. Jon Crowley, the recently appointed Executive Director of the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission, under the purview of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Prior to joining the NJEDA, Crowley worked within the television industry for over two decades, producing and directing several well-known television series, including "Impractical Jokers," "House Hunters International," "Big Brother," "Trading Spouses," an...

Today’s episode takes us to London, England. Well, sort of. East Lynne Theater Company’s production of “Every Brilliant Thing” is currently rehearsing across the pond and I was able to steal a few moments with actor Rohan Tickell and director Deirdre McLaughlin. Joining us from East Lynne’s headquarters in Cape May is Executive Director Mark David Boberick. But what is “Every Brilliant Thing” about? Its synopsis reads - “A son creates a list of things worth living for – all in an attempt to ...

Today we are highlighting Premiere Stages' twentieth season as they introduce their most recent production, “The Mallard,” written by Vincent Delaney and directed by John Wooten. --Freya and Gillian are teachers who have offended their school board and lost their jobs. Davis and Reagan are yard sale fanatics in search of a priceless antique duck decoy, the Horace Crandall Mallard. What follows is a fierce, funny and escalating battle over a symbol that has wildly different meanings – intersec...

Today, we’re talking all things "Rent." Pioneer Productions Company of Morristown will be bringing the larger-than-life rock opera to a more intimate setting. With music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson, the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is quickly approaching its 30-year anniversary. The show first premiered on Broadway 29 years ago in 1996. Set in New York City’s East Village amid the AIDS crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s, RENT tells the unforgettable story of a grou...

Rolling Stone has called him "the leading singer-songwriter of the New Folk Movement." New Jersey’s own John Gorka is a world-renowned singer-songwriter who is most comfortable with a guitar in hand. You may hear him strum the guitar occasionally throughout the piece and not just during his live performances! That's right, this episode includes three live serenades, including "I'm From New Jersey" and "Oh Abraham." This is an episode you won't want to miss. Thanks for listening! Subscr...

"Jaws." It was an iconic moment in cinema history. The three-time Academy Award-winning film is credited as the first true “summer blockbuster,” having toppled box office records to become the top-grossing film of 1975. And as we approach its 50th anniversary, George Street Playhouse is bringing the behind-the-scenes story of the film’s making to the stage. FADE IN: The open ocean, 1974. Filming is delayed…again. The lead actors—theatre veteran Robert Shaw and young Hollywood hotshots Richard...

Grammy Award-winning Melissa Etheridge has been a household name for the last thirty years, but most recently she has released a new album entitled “I’m Not Broken” and executive produced a docuseries of the same name. The album and the series were recorded live at the Topeka Correctional Facility in Kansas as an ode to the strength and perseverance of women. Etheridge isn’t the first singer-songwriter to perform at a prison but this album is in good company with the likes of B.B. King’s “Liv...

Jazz fans, rejoice! Grammy winning trumpeter, Chris Botti, will be gracing the stage of the Mayo Performing Arts Center this April. For nearly three decades now, Botti has been one of the most popular instrumentalists in the world, boasting collaborations with stars like Sting, Paul Simon, Barbara Streisand, Lady Gaga, Frank Sinatra, Andrea Bocelli and many more. His most recent album, produced by David Foster and entitled "Vol. 1," marks his debut album with Blue Note Records and fea...

The six-time Tony Award winning show “Dear Evan Hansen” is bringing its North American Tour to the State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ. The show boasts music and lyrics by EGOT winners - that’s an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony - Benjamin Pasek and Justin Paul. “Dear Evan Hansen” offers a score that will have you whistling the tunes on your way out of the theater. The show tackles some sensitive topics in a way that audiences have been connecting with deeply since its Broadway premiere in 201...

Jonatha Brooke has a voice to soothe your soul, and the lyrics to nurture it. First introduced to audiences as a part of the duo, “The Story,” Brooke eventually turned to an illustrious solo career and has been gifting us with her own unique storytelling ever since. Jonatha has quite the discography to boast with 14 albums over the past three decades, most of which were produced under her own independent label - Bad Dog Records. She has co-written songs with Katy Perry and The Courtyard Houn...

Pinky Patel is the crown adorned TikTok comedian you’ve come to know and love for her no holds barred, quick and quippy style. She speaks directly to audiences from her glam cave though sometimes she calls it - something else. She claimed TikTok stardom while still working her corporate 9 to 5 job and playing PTA mom on the daily. It was the Covid pandemic and a close friend who gave her the push she needed to change her life. And now she’s telling it like it is, making folks laugh, and livi...

Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream is a musical based on the children’s book of the same title written by Crystal Hubbard. It tells the story of Marcenia Lyle, a young, Black girl growing up in the 1930s who went on to become Toni Stone, the first female to play as a regular for an all-male professional baseball team. The Growing Stage in Netcong is only the second theater company to perform this inspirational show, so Jersey Arts spoke with actor Nyah Anderson, wh...

35 years ago–well before orchestras performing film scores became popular–George Daugherty and his husband and producing partner David Wong developed Bugs Bunny at the Symphony. The concept was new at the time: a world-class orchestra would play full cartoon scores live alongside the films. It was an instant hit. Of course, what makes Looney Tunes music different from many of the film scores played live is that it's based on some of the most famous classical repertoire in history. In fact, pi...

“Noli Timere” is Latin for “be not afraid,” and the name of the world premiere presentation from Director and Choreographer, Rebecca Lazier and Sculptor, Janet Echelman. The collaboration features eight multidisciplinary performers dancing up to 25 feet in the air within a voluminous, custom-designed Echelman net sculpture. Choreographed to an original score by JORANE, this fusion of contemporary dance, avant-garde circus, and sculpture explores the delicate interconnectedness and fragility ...

Founded by Luke Ferrell in 2022, Ferrell Studios offers exceptional and affordable performing arts education and theatrical productions. They offer a variety of classes and programs, including acting, musical theatre, playwriting, film and television acting, public speaking, and theory and criticism as well as private lessons for those who want to focus on a specific area of study. At Ferrell Studios, they believe that the arts have the power to inspire, uplift, and transform. They strive to ...

Known for their electrifying renditions of classic holiday music, Twelve Twenty-Four combines the festive spirit with high-energy rock performances that will leave audiences of all ages wanting more. They are the longest running Trans Siberian Orchestra Tribute band having begun in 2002, over twenty years ago! They will soon be thrilling audiences in Millville, NJ at the beautiful Levoy Theater on December 15th. Jersey Arts chats with drummer and vocalist Van White, and vocalist Ekat Pereyr...

"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?" A quote from the one and only Sherlock Holmes, by way of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in "The Sign of the Four." Now, as improbable as it may seem, the truth is - the ever popular Sherlock Holmes died. And then, ten years later he came back to life. Imagine just how frustrated his devoted fans were at the time! In honor of this shocking story, East Lynn Theater in ...

Award-winning playwright José Rivera brings both his writing and directing talents to New Jersey Repertory Company’s production, Your Name Means Dream. Rivera’s play explores the imagined highs and lows of artificial intelligence through the lens of healthcare–telling the story of Aislin, an aging woman who is being taken care of by Stacy, an A.I. entity. Rivera may be most widely-known for his work in film. He earned an Oscar nomination for his screenplay of 2004’s The Motorcycle Diar...

"My Italy Story," written by Joseph Gallo, directed by Charlotte Cohn, and starring Michael Notardonato, is a nostalgic exploration of family, heritage and the ties that bind us. Spurred by pleas to help reunite his fractured family, a young man quits his job as a New York account executive and travels to Vallata — the tiny Italian town of his ancestors. Not until he returns home, however, does he discover a secret that unlocks his past. Loosely inspired by his own experiences, Gallo wrote a...

Art House Productions is collaborating with Kenia Rosete Dance to bring a new modern dance series to Jersey City. The show, titled “FOCUS,” will feature two to four artists per night, who will present their own original choreography. Each artists' piece is a bite-size performance that showcases the dancers’ creative, unique, and innovative voices. Audiences can expect an easy, fun and inspiring evening. Easy in the sense that you can step into the space without having any prior knowledge of...