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To my dear colleagues, artists, volunteers, patrons, friends, and fans of STNJ,
Belated new year greetings! I hope your 2023 is filled with many happy hours, and may the coming months bring us the kinds of people and adventures that make our lives richer.
This is the most difficult message that I’ve penned so far, for while I have exciting information to share with you, I also have to share the piece of news that makes this update so emotionally complicated for me. So, that being said, this is going to be a truly special season for me personally, for it will be my last year here as Artistic Director. I have made the decision to step away from the helm and turn it over to new leadership so that I can turn my focus solely to writing, directing, and teaching. I will have news soon for you on who will succeed me, and I can assure you that I will leave our beloved theatre in good hands. Though 2023 will be my final season as Artistic Director, I will then segue into the role of Artistic Director Emerita, remaining very involved in this wonderful theatrical “kingdom” that has been my home for 33 years. A press release went out this morning, and you can hit this link to read the full story. I know in my heart that this is the exact right time for me to hand over the wheel of the ship, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy. I love this theatre beyond all reckoning, and everyone involved in it, and while I will miss many aspects of my life here, I will not be far away, and I am sure I will see you all often!
Now, onward: We’ve been fighting so many obstacles in our attempt to create an amazing 2023 line-up of plays for you, so I apologize for not being able to get you a season announcement at the end of last year. I won’t go into all the challenges we’re struggling with right now, but just know that we, along with most theatres across America, are dealing with some truly daunting issues.
Given that it is my farewell season, my Board and staff have encouraged me to direct some of the plays that have long been on my “want to do” list. I’m deeply grateful for that encouragement but I also have to weigh the financial and logistical issues that we face right now. So please understand that this season is a mix of both desire and practicality. While we are absolutely thrilled about the line-up, it is short on Shakespeare this year because producing a Shakespeare play is a costly undertaking. While this will certainly make half our audience happy, the other half will most likely be upset with me. However, we will do all we can to quench your thirst for the Bard. In addition to the one Shakespeare play on the Main Stage this year, we’ll be providing a number of Shakespeare add-on options for you. And of course, as always, Shakespeare will remain at the center of all of our education programs.
So, here’s the roster of shows for the upcoming season:
Main Stage: THE ROSE TATTOO by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Bonnie J. Monte
Many of you know about my personal association with this great American playwright and my long history in producing his work. This will be an amazing kick-off to the season and I have wanted to direct this show for decades. It is the story of Serafina Delle Rose, a Sicilian widow living on the turbulent Gulf Coast outside of New Orleans, and it is probably the most optimistic and life-affirming of all of Williams’ masterpieces. It is an astonishing and poetic ode to the irresistible force of sensuality and the power of longing, hope, and desire. Replete with a Greek chorus-like cast of colorful characters, the play is a boisterous and beautiful celebration of life and love.
Main Stage: AND A NIGHTINGALE SANG… by C.P. Taylor
Directed by Bonnie J. Monte
This tender play about a middle-class family in London during the Blitz of WW II is, at turns, hilarious, romantic, moving, and inspiring; a celebration of life in the midst of death and destruction, with fortitude, music, and humor as the protagonists’ main weapons against despair. Monette Magrath, who wowed audiences with her performances in The Rainmaker and Enchanted April will appear in the leading role.
The Outdoor Stage: SHIPWRECKED! by Donald Margulies
Director TBA
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies gives us a rollicking 95-minute Grand Entertainment with his tale of the amazing adventures of Louis de Rougemont. From the streets of 19th century London, to the high seas, to the wilds of Aboriginal Australia and back, Shipwrecked! takes audiences on a non-stop, exhilarating voyage. Its surprising denouement is equally surprising in its relevance, as it raises the issue of fact versus fiction, and how far some are willing to go to stand out in the world – and how much they come to believe their own fabrications. Featuring a live Foley sound score, an endearing dog, and of course, the airplanes! This is a perfect romp for all ages.
Main Stage: WAITING FOR GODOT by Samuel Beckett
Directed by Bonnie J. Monte
I was slated to direct this play in 2020 and then again in 2021, but of course, the pandemic shutdown prevented both attempts! I am finally getting the chance to dive into this masterwork, which is considered one of the most groundbreaking and important literary works of the 20th century. Godot has fascinated and infuriated audiences since it burst upon the world in 1953. This funny, cruel, moving, enigmatic metaphor is “theatre of the absurd” at its most breathtaking pinnacle, and given the state of our current world, to me, the play feels more eerily familiar rather than absurd. There seems no better time to visit this mysterious and compelling universe.
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS by Robert Bolt
Directed by Paul Mullins
Never was a “season” more apt than now for Bolt’s depiction of Sir Thomas More and the story of his clash with Henry VIII over Henry’s desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon in defiance of the Catholic Church, Spain, and the Pope. Sir Thomas, a consummate man of conscience and principle, loved by his family and the commoners, remains faithful to his moral code to the very end, despite immense pressures, enticing alternatives, and the threat of death. Thematically rich, stuffed with matters of import, the play is, at the same time, an often funny, moving, and compelling historical drama, as rife with power politics, familial strife, and underhanded schemes as Game of Thrones. It’s as close to one of Shakespeare’s history plays as one can get without being Shakespeare.
Main Stage: A MIDWINTER NIGHT’S DREAM by William Shakespeare
“Re-seasoned” by Bonnie J. Monte and Joseph Discher
Directed by Brian B. Crowe
There is great delight in watching something so familiar and beloved be transformed into something new simply by changing its season! This wintry re-working of Shakespeare’s hilarious, romantic comedy will warm the hearts of young and old. Chock full of enchanting surprises, this glimmering, sparkling holiday gift for our patrons will transport one and all to a magical winter wonderland of a dream.
WHAT ELSE?
For Shakespeare Fans: In addition to our five Main Stage shows and our annual Outdoor Stage production, for the first time ever, Shakespeare LIVE! productions will be available as Shakespeare Add-ons this season. At a highly discounted price subscribers can see our 75-minute versions of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream prior to the start of the Main Stage season. Four special performance options will be available for those who want to enhance their immersion into Shakespeare’s universe. Tickets for subscribers will only be $15, and only $20 for non-subscribers!
We’ll also be doing a staged reading of one of the Shakespeare plays that are under consideration for the future, most probably one of the few that we have not yet produced during my tenure here. Troilus and Cressida is at the top of that list right now.
Our annual Spring Shakespeare Book Club will take place by Zoom April 12 – May 17 for six weekly sessions, with Brian B. Crowe once again guiding participants on an exciting literary journey through one of Shakespeare’s plays and other literature inspired by that play. This year’s six-session offering is HENRY VIII & THOMAS MORE: “Power & Desire vs Truth & Honor.” The six Wednesday evening sessions are held 7:00 to 9:30p.m. As an extra bonus, Mr. Crowe will host two in-person sessions for those who want to gather to read the play aloud (March 22 and 29, also 7:00 to 9:30p.m. at our Kean Theatre Factory in Florham Park).
400th Anniversary Event: 2023 marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio, the compilation of Shakespeare’s complete canon that preserved his work for future generations. We’re working on presenting a captivating evening that celebrates Henry Condell and John Heminges, the two men who, for seven years, painstakingly retrieved and collated Shakespeare’s plays into one volume – one of the greatest gifts ever bestowed upon humankind!
For Kids (and their parents!): We’re putting our “Something Series” on hold for another year, and instead, testing out a potential new series called Classics for Kids. We hope to launch this new program in April with Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince. This time-honored classic tale will be presented in staged reading form, but with the extra enhancement of costumes, props, and other visual effects. More information to come soon!
For Tag Sale Fans: We’ll be holding a big “Spring Cleaning Sale” on Saturday, March 25th. In addition to costumes and props, this sale will feature every kind of item under the sun, and is perfect for anyone looking for tremendous bargains on hundreds of craft items, furniture, knick-knacks, artwork, fabric, jewelry, vinyl, small appliances, etc., etc. Items range from a vintage Accordion to Zippered hoodies!
Last but not least: We normally do our annual Gala in the spring, but this year it will be held in November to celebrate my 33 years with the company and my final season. More on that “Bon Voyage” event soon! We’ll keep you informed about any and all special events as our plans solidify. And of course, we’re engaging in almost all of our education programming again, from our Shakespeare LIVE! tours, LIVE! at the Kirby and Short Shakespeare performances, our Summer Professional Training Program, Summer Junior and Senior Shakespeare Corps, Pages to Players school residencies, Student Matinees, our pre-show Know the Show lectures, and post-show Audience Symposiums.
More on all of the above will be forthcoming. In the meantime, if you are subscriber, please note that the deadline for renewing your subscription is Monday, March 6th. After that, we cannot guarantee that your current subscription seat location will be available. As of March 7th, new subscriptions will go on sale. Single tickets for all of the productions will go on sale at the beginning of April. Memberships and Shakespeare Add-On performances are on sale now. I just want to add that we’ve done all we can to keep our ticket prices affordable for you; and I’m very proud of the fact that we offer some of the best subscription deals available for world-class quality shows, at a fraction of the cost you pay for a Broadway ticket.
Last but not least, you may be wondering what the policy will be regarding attendance as it pertains to the COVID virus. As of now, we will still be providing one show a week at our Main Stage that is “Masks Required” – on Wednesday evenings only. All other performances will be “Masks Optional.” This ensures the opportunity for those who are concerned about COVID to attend a performance where masks are de rigueur.
That’s all for now, folks! I just want to conclude with a deeply heartfelt expression of my ardent thanks to all of you who have made my 33 years here so successful and so special. I have come to know so many of you personally, and I think we have one of the best, most engaged, loyal, and supportive audiences in the country. The same can be said of our great company of artists, our Board, our staff, and our volunteers. I am profoundly grateful for all that you have done and said to enrich my life for over three decades.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
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