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Main Stage
For over forty years, The
Villagers Theatre has been providing quality entertainment and community
service to Franklin Township. Through our six-show Mainstage season, we try to
appeal to a broad spectrum of the theater-going public. Productions on the
Mainstage range from Classic "Chestnuts" of American Musical Theatre, such as
Hello Dolly!, Showboat and West Side Story, to more recent shows,
some just off their Broadway runs or National Tours. Five Guys Named Moe
made its New Jersey community theatre debut on the Villager's Mainstage. Other
shows that have been presented on the Villager's Mainstage include dramas such
as One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest, and David Mamet's Speed The
Plow. Mysteries like Wait Until Dark and Agatha Christie's The
Spider Web have been presented. Classic comedies like Neil Simon's
Biloxi Blues and Michael Frayn's Noises Off are always popular,
as are recent musicals like Into The Woods and The Who's
Tommy.
In addition to these well know shows, we have also
presented new works well in advance of their general publication. Drop
Dead by NJ playwrights Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore made it Community
Theater Debut at the Villagers and Night of the Foolish Moon, by local
playwright Luigi Jannuzzi made it's World Premier on our stage.
The Villagers
state-of-the Mainstage theatre seats 222 and is fully accessible. |
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Black Box
The Zaidi Theatre (often
referred to a the Black Box or Stage II) was added to theVillagers Theatre in
1988. It is here where we present more intimate and challenging productions. It
is where our directors, actors and audience members have "a safe place to do
unsafe things."
Productions in this
space run from outlandish and absurd comedies like David Ives' All in the
Timing and Christorpher Durang's Durang Durang, to intense dramas
like Lanford Wilson's Burn This! and David Mamet's Oleanna.
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TeensVill
The TeensVill program is
steadily becoming one of the most popular events at the Villagers. TeensVill
productions are staged by teens from our community who under the age of 20,
under the guidance of an experienced production staff.
Many of our Summer Theatre Arts graduates and staff often
make their Villagers Debut in a TeensVill production. TeensVill gives our teens
a chance to "flex their acting muscles" in an environment without the
competition for parts that is often part of our Mainstage and Stage II Seasons.
Past productions of Godspell
and Leader of the Pack have proven to be great evenings of entertainment
for adult theatergoers as well as teens. |
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KidsVill
KidsVill is a special program
designed to bring the Performing Arts to the youth of our community. Kidsvill
is a mix of Childrens' Theater and special programs of Music, Dance and other
Performing Arts.
The program is a mix
of shows produced by the Villagers, as well as outside productions that are
brought to the Villagers for our KidsVill series.
KidsVill is an inexpensive family oriented entertainment
program that is presented in the Zaidi Theater. Attending a KidsVill production
always makes for a great birthday party or other special event. |
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New Playwrights
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Villagers New Playwrights Series 2007
Staged Readings at 8:00 p.m. - FREE ADMISSION
February 5 - JOEY'S LAST MEAL, a comedy by Henry Meyerson of Hoboken
February 12 - POSTED UP, a drama by Stephen A. Shapiro of South Amboy
February 19 - RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME, a comedy by Lia Romeo of New Brunswick
February 26 - NECESSARY GEOGRAPHY, a drama by Robin Rice Lichtig of West Milford
The Villagers Theatre in Somerset, NJ is accepting submissions for the 2007 New Playwrights Series of original plays. Selected plays will be presented as staged readings in the Zaidi Black Box Theatre on Monday evenings in February 2007. The playwrights are requested to attend the readings to participate in discussions with the audience.
Scripts must be original, unpublished works. We welcome all comedies, dramas and farces of professional quality. There is no limit on cast size, although smaller casts (under 8 characters) are preferred. We also prefer shows designed to be performed on one set, with an eye toward future community theatre productions. One-act plays and shorter scripts will be considered, in addition to full-length scripts. There are no restrictions for content or language, as this series is presented for an adult audience. Musical plays will not be considered.
The goal of the Villagers New Playwrights Series is to provide playwrights with an opportunity to glimpse the performance potential of their works in progress. Additional goals are to provide alternative performance opportunities for our local actors and directors and to expose our local audiences to new works. All submissions will be considered for their potential to fulfill these goals. Due to the fact that Villagers programs are supported, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council of the Arts/ Department of State (a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and administered by the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission through the State/County Partnership Local Arts Program), preference will be given to New Jersey resident playwrights.
Please submit original, unpublished scripts to Catherine Rowe Pherson, c/o The Villagers Theatre, PO Box 6175, 415 DeMott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08875. The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2006. Playwrights who wish their scripts returned should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with their submissions. Playwrights whose work is not chosen will be notified of the final selections only if they provide an SASE.
Any questions may be directed via e-mail to catherine@villagerstheatre.com
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Education or Children's Programs
For over ten years,
the Villagers have offered their Summer Theatre Arts Program to the children of
Franklin Township. The Villagers summer program offers intensive training in
theatre arts with the emphasis on a professional attitude, preparing the young
performer for the stage. Students ages 6-12, who have demonstrated the desire
and talent for the performing arts, will discover may aspects of theatre
including; acting, dance, voice, musical theatre and production arts through
both instruction and experience. The program is offered as two three-week
sessions from 9:00AM to 3:30 PM Monday thought Friday. Two three-week half-day
sessions are also offered from 9:00AM to NOON for younger performers, 6-8 years
old. Each session will culminate in a performance on The Villagers Main Stage.
Overture Care from 8:00AM to 9:00AM and Encore Care from 3:30PM to 5:30PM are
also available.
About the Program
Director Janet Cantore-Watson
The
summer of 2001 marks Janet's eleventh season as The Villagers Summer Theatre
Program Creator and Director. She was nominated by the Courier-New as "A Person
Making A Difference in the Arts" for her involvement as an arts advocate,
performer and director of a myriad of community programs including programs for
those with special needs. Janet was also the clown makeup Crew Chief
supervising the artists for over 600 clowns performing in the annual Macy's
Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Janet has also performed in the first
national tour of The Shoestring Players, Rutgers University's professional
children's theatre company, and appears as children's entertainer TOGO the
clown. Ms. Watson also instructs workshops in puppetry, clowning, makeup for
theatre,, creative dramatics and other areas of the arts, She is director of
programs offered by the New Jersey Center for the Performing Arts, VSA New
Jersey, Connerly Road School Drama Program, SCVTH's Creative Arts for Kids, as
well as municipal and private recreational organizations. |
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| Summer Theatre Arts
(directed by Janet Cantore-Watson for a 13th season at The Villagers
Theatre)Students ages 6-12, who have
demonstrated the desire and talent for the performing arts, will discover many
aspects of theatre include acting, dance, voice, musical theatre and production
arts through both instruction and experience. Under the direction of Janet
Cantore-Watson and her staff, students will create and stage a performance to
be presented on the main stage the final Saturday of each session. |
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| Teen Performance Workshop
(directed by Brendan Scullin for a 5th season at Conerly Road School,
performances at The Villagers Theatre) The Villagers teen workshops will
offer 12-16 year-olds the opportunity to work, rehearse and create together as
a performance ensemble.
Students will meet daily at Conerly Road School in Somerset to explore the many
facets of theatre, music and dance as they prepare for a musical performance to
be staged at The Villagers Theatre. Under the direction of Brendan Scullin and
his staff, students will be given proper stage etiquette and technique
providing a full understanding of the responsibilities of the actor. This year
we are looking into the rights for several mini-productions-Don't miss the
fun!!! |
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Miniature Musical Makers
- G2K Cinderella
- Saturdays, June 16 and 23, 2007 - 2PM
- Director - Matt DiCarlo
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