New plays, a collaboration between an orchestra and theater company, a city-wide arts event, and professional dance performances are all part of the Trenton arts season heating up this month.
Passage Theater Company, Trenton’s professional theater company, opens its season with Leslie Ayvazian’s smart and thoughtful comedy “Out of the City.”
Touted as an “unorthodox romantic comedy that proves that rejuvenation can be found at any age,” the production runs Thursday, October 27, through Sunday, November 13.
Ayvazian is the author of eight full-length plays and seven one-act plays. Her play “Nine Armenians” won the John Gassner/Outer Critics Circle Award for best new American play, Passage has previously presented four Ayvazian plays: “High Dive,” “Rosemary and I,” “Lovely Day,” and most recently “Mention My Beauty” as part of last season’s Solo Flights Festival.
Murphy Davis, artistic director of Bay Street Theater, directs the cast that includes June Ballinger, who has worked on and off-Broadway and in regional theater, and is Passage’s artistic director; Ken Land, who appeared in the Broadway productions of “Promises, Promises,” and “The Scarlet Pimpernel”; and Grant Shaud, whose credits include the Broadway productions “Relatively Speaking” and “Torch Song Trilogy.”
The season also includes “Miracle in Rwanda,” based on “Left to Tell,” the New York Times bestselling true story of resilience in the face of the Rwandan genocide, March 18 through 26. And rounding out the season is David Lee White’s play “Fixed” that centers on the sacrifices and challenges of friends dealing with mental illness. It will be directed by Trenton-based professional director Maureen Heffernan, May 4 through 21.
Passage Theater, Mill Hill Playhouse 205 East Front Street. $20 to $38. Free guarded on-street parking. (609) 392-0766.
The Capital Philharmonic’s fourth season at Trenton’s War Memorial mixes guest artists with an eclectic repertoire. The season opens on Saturday, October 22, at 7:30 p.m. with the program “The Dream of America.” While featuring Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” and Antonin Dvorak’s “New World Symphony,” the program’s centerpiece is “Ellis Island: The Dream of America” by contemporary American composer Peter Boyer. The piece is a multi-media production brought to life with actors from Passage Theater and projected images from Ellis Island.
The symphony schedule also includes the traditional New Year’s Eve concert of popular classics, including Leonard Bernstein’s “Three Dances from Fancy Free” and George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” performed by guest pianist Leon Bates. On March 11 the Capital Philharmonic’s Chamber Orchestra will emphasize strings with guest Cuban violinist Ilmar Gavilan and a performance of Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings.” Then on April 22 look for “In the Mood,” a celebration of the music of the Big Band era with the String of Pearls Big Band, dancers, and period costumes. Tickets range from $30 to $75.
Trenton War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive.
The American Repertory Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” arrives at the Patriots Theater of the Trenton War Memorial on December 2 and 3. This annual production, set to the beloved Tchaikovsky score, is one of the oldest traditional “Nutcracker” productions in the nation. And this year’s production by one of New Jersey’s noted professional ballet companies features new sets and first act scenery, new choreography, and a cast of more than 100.
Patriots Theater, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton. $20 to $45.
DanceSpora, a professional contemporary dance company based in Trenton, will hold its annual “Winter Dance Concert” February 18 and 19 at the Mill Hill Theater. The performance features new works, including works by former Pennsylvania Ballet dancer and DanceSpora artistic director Heidi Cruz-Austin.
Mill Hill Theater, 205 East Front Street.
New Jersey State Museum in Trenton continues to put New Jersey artists and history on view. “Repairing Beauty,” Bound Brook artist David Ambrose’s mid-career retrospective, highlights his exploration of “elements found in or on architectural facades, interiors, or floor plans in his richly colored, intensely worked paintings on hand-stitched lace or pierced paper.” It is on extended view.
“Toy World!” follows on October 15 to spotlight the history of toy manufacturing in the Garden State. The exhibition includes more than 100 state-made toys created between 1880 and 1960s. Look for Thomas Edison’s “talking doll,” joy buzzers, Colorforms, and plastic green army men. The fun is on view through next May.
State Museum, 205 West State Street. Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. (609) 292-5420.
The Trenton City Museum, Casa Cultura, and Partnerships for Trenton have joined forces to create “Tertulia: Highlighting Local and Regional Latin Artists.” Curated by Joan Perkes, gallery director of Silverman Gallery in Philadelphia and former director of Bucks County of Fine Art, and Sam Kanig, co-founder and curator for Galleria Casa Cultura in Trenton, the exhibition features work by painters David Rivera, Jose Anico, Alvin Quinones, Dominican-born sculptor Julia Santos Solomon, and others. Also on view are textiles from Central and South America. “Tertulia” (salon in English) remains on view through November 13.
A related ticketed program of music, artisan demonstrations, family activities, and other cultural activities is set for Saturday, October 8, 3 to 7 p.m.
Ellarslie, Cadwalader Park, Trenton, (609) 989-1191.
At Artworks Trenton the fifth annual Art All Day city-wide arts celebration is set for Saturday, November 12, noon to 5 p.m., followed by a reception (aka an arts party) at Artworks.
The free event is an open door to Trenton artists; studios, workshops, galleries, and pop-up spaces throughout the city. Among the numerous attractions are the Trenton Community A-Team’s new workspace on North Stockton Street, Trenton Coffee House and Roaster on Cass Street, Trenton Circus Squad in the Roebling building, Champs Bar art and music venue on Chambers, William Trent House on Market, Galeria Casa Cultura on South Broad, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen on Escher Street, SAGE Coalition, Capital City Farm, and more.
Participants can also participate in walking, bicycle, and trolley tours, running from noon to 5 p.m.
Artworks continues with its annual October “Art of Darkness” Halloween-theme exhibition; the annual “Art All Day” exhibition, featuring work artists working and living in Trenton; and “Evolution,” digital art by Abelardo Montano — all opening with a reception on Saturday, November 12, 6 to 8 p.m., and continuing through December 11. “Outsider Art” and the annual “Red Dot” exhibition and sale open on Saturday, December 17, 6 to 9 p.m., and will be on view until January 14.
Artworks Trenton, 19 Everett Alley. (609) 394-9436.
File photo of artist Kenneth Lewis at Art All Day 2015.,
