Jersey Arts Podcast

Carmen Matarazzo, a graduate of Pinelands High School in New Jersey, is an actor/drummer who has been seen in multiple productions at his high school and several theaters across the state including Mary Poppins (Robertson Ay), Clue: On Stage (Professor Plum), Spring Awakening (Ernst), The Addams Family (Lucas), The Sound of Musi c (Captain Von Trapp). Carmen will star as Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Tod...

It’s a night of music, dancing, drugs, and deception—and that’s only act one! Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party takes the stage at Hammonton’s Eagle Theatre from February 9-26, bringing Joseph Moncure March’s 1928 narrative poem of the same title to life. The musical tells the story of a romance between Vaudeville performers gone awry, and is set against a backdrop of eccentric characters, catchy tune...

Comedian Caroline Rhea is back on tour for the first time in years, and she's got plenty of material! Most recognized for her work as Hilda Spellman on the hit TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch , Rhea is also known and loved for The Caroline Rhea Show , as a voice on Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb , her recurring spots on Hollywood Squares and The Match Game , A Very Sordid Wedding...

Crossroads Theatre Company's upcoming production of Chicken & Biscuits Dec. 21-31 at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center as is about coming home. The play itself is a comedy about a family reuniting and will run over the holidays as many people head home to celebrate and hopefully catch some theater with family and friends. It is also a homecoming of sorts to returning Artistic Director...

Classical crossover ensemble Sons of Serendip broke onto the scene in 2014 after competing on America’s Got Talent , and they’ve been going strong ever since. They’re currently touring the country spreading their signature style of holiday cheer and will perform at South Orange Performing Arts Center Dec. 7.   Jersey Arts Podcast speaks with lead vocalist Micah Christian and pianist Cordaro Rodrig...

For more than a decade, Jersey City has had its own special holiday tradition: Nimbus Dance’s Jersey City Nutcracker . The city-centric show runs from Dec. 9 through 23 at the new Nimbus Arts Center. Host Maddie Orton talks with Nimbus Dance Founding Artistic Director Sam Pott, who choreographed and co-wrote the piece, School Director Harumi Elders, and student dancer Izzy Baculod about being a pa...

Evelyn "Evie" McGee Colbert is an arts advocate, a film producer, and one of the founding board members of Montclair Film, a nonprofit that produces a festival that “connects global filmmakers with audiences in a diverse, culturally vibrant community” and more, “presenting … year-round programs that engage, entertain and educate through the power of visual storytelling.”  The 2022 festiv...

Renée Elise Goldsberry is the Grammy Award- and Tony Award-winning talent behind Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton and currently appears on She-Hulk and Girls5eva .  Goldsberry is headed to Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown on September 30th for her concert called Opening Night: An Evening with Renée Elise Goldsberry. She chatted with host Maddie Orton about creating a show of songs she loves....

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University in New Brunswick is showcasing its newly-acquired American art collection from the former Jersey City Museum for the first time. "American Stories: Gifts from the Jersey City Museum Collection” shares Jersey City history through work from artists like Chakaia Booker, May Stevens, Shelia Pepe, Melvin Edwards, and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Host Madd...

Israeli superstar David Broza together with Cuban dynamo Trio Havana will finally return to the South Orange Performing Art Center on Sept. 17.  David Broza has been enlivening audiences with his flamenco-infused stylings of a diverse body of work —  from rock to jazz to Spanish classical and more — for nearly 45 years. For promoting tolerance with his music, Broza was named a UNICEF Goodwill Amba...

Earlier this week, composer, performer, educator, activist, and New Jersey Symphony Resident Artistic Catalyst Daniel Bernard Roumain brought jazz and jazz-inspired classical music to the Newark Museum of Art’s Summer Series along with a co-host, Grammy Award-winning clarinetist and saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera, and the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players.  Roumain has worked with Lady Gaga, Phili...

Next Friday, June 24, the team behind the hit podcast series Welcome to Night Vale brings its live show, “The Haunting of Night Vale,” to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey. ***EDITOR’S NOTE: The performance at NJPAC has been rescheduled to Fri, 04/21/23 at 7:00 p.m. *** According to The New York Times , “the news out of Night Vale sounds like what might occur if Stephen K...

This Saturday, May 21, theatergoers are invited to join ArtYard in Frenchtown for a reading of Whittier , a new docudrama by TyLie Shider. Whittier is a neighborhood in Minneapolis close to where the murder of George Floyd took place. Shider’s new play follows residents of Whittier grappling with that tragedy, as well as the stresses of life during the lockdown of 2020. A playwright, poet, and jou...

You could say that Sarah Rasmussen, McCarter Theatre's new Artistic Director has been training for this role since the 7th grade. From auditioning kids in the backyard of her South Dakota home to presenting her artistry on major stages across the country, Sarah has maintained her sense of playfulness with the art form. Now her McCarter directorial debut, "Ride the Cyclone", combines...

This Saturday at the Hunterdon Art Museum, visitors are invited to a unique experience that brings together the visual and performing arts. Roxey Ballet Company has teamed up with artist Malcolm Mobutu Smith – whose exhibition Evermore Nevermore closes this weekend – and have created an exclusive 45-minute showcase that will be presented outdoors on the Toshiko Takaezu Terrace, overlooking the mus...

On Wednesday, April 13, Vox Sambou and his band will take the stage at the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts . He writes and performs in Haitian, French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and his music focuses on the traditional rhythms of Haiti mixed with elements of Afrobeat, Jazz, Reggae, and Hip hop. Vox Sambou is currently - and it seems usually - touring the world. We spoke with him s...

On Thursday, February 10, powerhouse vocalist Ms. Lisa Fischer will perform An Evening of Love Songs at South Orange Performing Arts Center. The legendary singer has performed with the Rolling Stones, Luther Vandross, Tina Turner, YoYo Ma, Bruce Springsteen, and many others, and is a Grammy-winning solo artist. We recently spoke with Fischer about her special Valentine’s Day concert, what it’s lik...

The musical RENT changed theatre — taking home four Tony Awards and creating generations of super-fans. Believe it or not, it’s been 25 years since the show hit Broadway, and New Jersey's own Javon King plays Angel in RENT ’s 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour. A Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award-winner and Rider University alum, King is happy to be back in the Garden State performing at May...

This past September, Roxey Ballet Company’s studios, offices, and theatre in the river town of Lambertville were totally destroyed by Hurricane Ida. This coming Sunday, December 19, they’re throwing a big fundraiser - Rise Up and Rebuild the Ballet - at their temporary home, the New Hope Eagle Fire Hall, right across the river from their New Jersey facilities. There will be food, drink, and a lot...

This Saturday, October 30, 2021, the hit public radio and podcast series Selected Shorts returns to Enlow Recital Hall at Kean University for an evening of beguiling tales for the Halloween season. One of the three readers is actor, writer, and creator of the new PBS Kids show “Alma’s Way,” Sonia Manzano, who is famous for her iconic, long-time role as Maria on “Sesame Street.” We recently got the...

Maggie Gyllenal, Dionne Warwick, and Stephen Colbert are among the many artists and filmmakers participating in this year's Montclair Film Festival, which opened October 21 and runs through October 30. Festival founder and Board Chair Bob Feinberg, Board of Trustees President Evie McGee Colbert, and New Jersey-based filmmaker Scott Morris share what they are most looking forward to as the fes...

On Saturday, September 18, four young playwrights will present their new plays at The Growing Stage — The Children’s Theatre of New Jersey. Ranging in age from 12 to 18, they are the finalists in The Growing Stage’s inaugural Playwriting Festival for Young Writers. Listen in as we speak to the blossoming writers and the creative team behind the festival. Thanks for listening! Subscribe to The Jers...

Adam Pascal was a rock ‘n’ roll musician who had no theatrical credits when he landed the role of Roger in RENT —a show that would garner him a Tony nomination and forever change the sound of Broadway. Now, Pascal shares his journey through the shows he’s performed along the way— Aida , Cabaret , Memphis , Chicago , and more.  His solo acoustic concert, “So Far,” is coming to the Arthur Pryor Band...

The 2021 NJ Governor's Awards in Arts Education kicks off on Saturday, May 22. In this episode, we speak to two past winners, two of this year's awardees, and more about the impact of these annual awards. Thanks for listening! Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player. The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts....

LINKS: "The Playbill Gallery (a love story)" at Mile Square Theatre New Jersey Theatre Alliance's Stages Festival Thanks for listening! Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player. The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com) , where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainmen...