All in Festivals
Filmmaker Anthony Scalia grew up not far from the Bendix Diner, but he never knew anybody who had ever gone inside. One night when he was out late and it was the only place open, he decided to venture in. What he found was an amazing story that he details in the short documentary, Bendix: Sight Unseen. The film will be available for virtual screening on Oct. 16 as part of the New Jersey Film Festival Fall 2022.
The Lincoln Park Music Festival is one of the largest annual music festivals in the tri-state region. Nearly 60,000 people from around the globe come together over two weekends to experience multiple genres of music, including gospel, R&B, house, hip-hop, soulful alternative/mash-up, reggae, dancehall, soca and music of the Latinx/Hispanic Caribbean diaspora.
Weekend two of the 15th anniversary of the Festival kicks off Friday, Sept. 9, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with The Soul of Lincoln Park (described as Newark’s “Black Hippie Fest”).
This year’s theme, “The Return To Newark,” is a call to action for “Newark’s diaspora” to “return home” for the best outdoor free music festival, notes Anthony Smith, executive director at The Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District, Inc. (LPCCD), a nonprofit organization actively engaged in economic development through Creative Placemaking to design an arts and cultural district in Newark’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
The Soul of Lincoln Park will feature musical performances by Soul In The Horn, DJ Nina Sol and DJ L3ni, Gail Campbell, DJ MD, Charisa “the ViolinDiva” Dowe Rouse, Justice Rountree and 360 Poetry Night, and DJ Jon Quick of 94.7 The Block (WXBK-FM).
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, Philip Glass, Savion Glover, Bill T. Jones, and many more. He won an Emmy for composing music for ESPN, and he scored the film Ailey, a documentary about legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival last year.
In this episode, we speak with Roumain about his unique role at NJ Symphony, Black classical music and hip-hop’s global influence.
On sunny summer afternoons, the walkway at Middlesex County’s Plays-in-the-Park overflows with theater lovers. Thousands of audience members pour into the outdoor community theater to see quality productions — and maybe even Broadway-bound performers — for the price of a few dollars and a lawn chair.
Now celebrating its 60th season, the outdoor community theater has become a tradition for generations of family and friends — many of whom line up hours in advance of the box office opening to get a good seat for the price of a few dollars and a lawn chair.
We spoke with Artistic Director Margaret Davis, actor Andre Williams, Director Frank Andrews, and Choreographer Aimee Mitacchione about this treasure in Edison.
Architect Nina Cooke John has been commissioned to design and build a monument to honor the legacy of Harriet Tubman for the newly renamed Tubman Square (former Washington Park) in Newark.
As part of the development of the monument, children and community members are invited to participate in workshops to make mosaic tiles around the theme of “liberation.”
The sixth annual Montclair Literary Festival will feature over 70 international, national, and local authors and will run from Thursday, May 5th to Monday, May 9th. Festival Day, Saturday, May 7th, will feature three different events at various locations in Montclair and run from 10 am until 7 pm.
One of the longest running film festivals in the region, the New Jersey Film Festival presents a mix of documentary, narrative, and experimental films. The Short Program #2 on Friday, February 11 includes six films that showcase the human experience from around the world.
Montclair Film 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 festival kicks off its 10th anniversary season.
Live theatre is back and Crossroads Theatre Company is kicking off its season with the first Crossroads Festival Theatre at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. Join Jesse and Dave to hear from the artists and creatives behind what the groups calls "this next great chapter in Crossroads history."
The 2nd annual New Brunswick HEART Festival is like a block-after-block party. Featuring live performances; a salsa dance class party; tours of the State Theatre and NBPAC; Japanese black ink drawing; ticket giveaway contests; yoga; steamroller art; an activity tent; and – if you can believe it – much more! It’s family friendly, free, and happening this Saturday.
The New Jersey International Film Festival, which runs June 4-6 & June 11-13, will screen “Sweethurt” on Sunday, June 6. A wonderful young-adult comedy with two interwoven stories of love, friendship, and the paralyzing fear of dying alone, the film features a diverse cast of characters in a coming-of-age story that nods to‘80s & ‘90s classics. Hear more from director Tom Danger in this interview.
LIFF begins its four-day celebration of filmmaking this week. The festival takes place once a year on New Jersey’s famous Long Beach Island and features cutting-edge, thought-provoking international and independent feature films, narratives, shorts, documentaries, episodics, comedies, surf films, and more.
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.
There's never been a better time for a superhero. Luckily, Camden Comic Con is here to save the day with a celebration of all things graphic, illustrated, and heroic. Jesse and Dave talk to some of the organizers behind this increasingly popular event to find out how this year's virtual convention came together.
This story follows a bright little boy named Tino who befriends Bernadette, the lunch lady at his school. Through quick conversations, a few moments of grace, and the help of their friend Deja, Tino and Bernadette learn about the strength hiding within themselves and what it means to truly care for another. Learn more from director marcus d. harvey about this touching hybrid piece, streaming during the New Jersey Theatre Alliance's Stages Festival.
WBGO, New Jersey’s first public radio station, has been broadcasting jazz from Newark to the entire state and beyond for more than 40 years. The radio station’s origins are told in the documentary by Chris Daniel “The WBGO Story: Bright Moments from Newark to the World,” which kicks off the Spring 2021 edition of the New Jersey Film Festival with a screening on Saturday, January 30.
Hailed as “American theatre’s greatest and least compromising experimentalist” by The New York Times, Adrienne Kennedy is one of the most prolific and widely studied living playwrights. McCarter and Round House Theatres shine a light on four deeply personal stories from her astonishing body of work with a series of virtual theatrical experiences and conversations.
At a time when the arts community could use some (real) fresh air, we recently spoke to Lauren Otis, Executive Director of Artworks Trenton, about holding the popular Art All Day event.
The Hudson Theatre Works Virtual Festival kicked off earlier this month, and, so far, there’s no end in sight. The Festival is currently presenting readings of new short plays by contemporary playwrights, giving them and the actors involved an opportunity to share their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
