UP NEXT…
a staged reading of
Conventuais
a new play by
CHRISTIAN MENDONÇA
currently in development with
THE NEW JERSEY PLAY LAB
through their 2024 Residency Program
sunday, SEPTEMBER 22
7:00 pM
Doors open at 6:45pm, and the performance starts at 7pm(ish).
While most of our shows are 60-90 minutes, this show will run about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Stay after the reading to munch, mingle, and meet the artists!
ABOUT THE PLAY
Portugal, 1847. Madre Superiora has just excommunicated Sister Marta from the convent to cover up an unholy scandal. To replace Sister Marta in the morning bake team that financially sustains the convent, Madre Superiora throws Sister Adelaide into the mix. Sisters Perpetua and Gorette, the other nuns on the bake team, are secretly aiding Sister Marta post-excommunication, and find Sister Adelaide’s addition to be a dangerous wrench in their plans. That is, until they bake their secrets into each other.
A play about overlooked pleasures and pains, agency, truth, and trust… especially when it feels like the world is failing you.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Christian Mendonça is a Portuguese-American playwright. Mendonça’s work injects moments of tenderness and introspection into spaces where they might not otherwise exist or be visible.
Distinctions include:
Dennis & Victoria Ross Foundation Roundtable Reading Series
COME FLORES, 2020Art House Productions’ INKubator New Play Festival
FLOWERS FOR MEN, 2022Premiere Stages’ New Play Festival
FLOWERS FOR MEN, 2023American Stages Lift Every Voice Festival
FLOWERS FOR MEN, 2024Goldberg Play Prize - Finalist
AMERICAN QUALITY, 2018
Landing Theater’s New American Voices Play Festival - Semifinalist
FILOMENE, 2021DISQUIET International Literary Program’s Luso-American Fellowship - Finalist
UNTITLED SCREENPLAY, 2023Art House Productions - Commission via the Hudson County Historic Partnership Program to write a play about the Bayonne Oil Refinery Riots of 1915-1916
DEAREST PAWEŁ, 2023
The New Jersey Play Lab is dedicated to developing production-ready plays through comprehensive hands-on dramaturgy, and to mentoring emerging dramaturgs in the NJPL approach to play development.
The New Jersey Play Lab (NJPL) offers programs for playwrights and dramaturgs of all career levels to further develop their craft through the core NJPL values of collaboration, methodology, and excellence.
All NJPL programs and dramaturgical services have been carefully designed to foster an appreciation for what we deem to be best practices in playmaking, and to support the creation and production of dramaturgically sound, impactful new work in The Garden State.
Programs include:
The Garden State New Play Festival
The NJPL Residencies
PlayGym
Foundations
The Storyteller Studio
Script Consultation Services
Events + Readings
Connect
Maya Simone
with
DISÉ DIASONAMA
vocals/instrumentals
POSTPONED: DATE TBD
TIME TBD pM
WEST ORANGE, NJ
Maya Simone is known for her dynamic and energetic live performances. Let her welcome you in to a world beyond music. Layering sounds, stories, vocalizations, and instrumental music over visual and spacial adornments, Maya will transport us… perhaps even transform us.
Doors open at 6:45pm, and the show starts at 7pm(ish).
Stay after the show to munch, mingle, and meet Maya!
ABOUT
Maya Simone's musical journey began unexpectedly after a childhood in horseback riding. Influenced by her father's love for soulful music, she transitioned into singing, leading to her debut album AYAM in 2021. Maya has performed on various renowned platforms and is known for her soul-filled sound and dedication to teaching aspiring musicians. She brings a unique blend of influences and experiences to her career as an artist and mentor.
Connect
LISTEN + WATCH
June 9, 2024 | RUTKA: A New Musical
RutkaMusical.com
February 10, 2024* | Low Lily (Duo): Liz Simmons + Flynn Cohen
LowLily.com
November 18, 2023 | 2024 GRAMMY Winner Nicole Zuraitis + Dan Pugach
NicoleZMusic.com
PAST EVENTS
Low Lily (Duo), 2/10/24
Low Lily (Duo), 2/10/24
Low Lily (Duo), 2/10/24
Low Lily (Duo), 2/10/24
Low Lily (Duo), 2/10/24
Low Lily (Duo), 2/10/24
Low Lily (Duo), 2/10/24
Low Lily (Duo), 2/10/24
Low Lily (Duo), 2/10/24
Low Lily (Duo), 2/10/24
Nicole Zuraitis + Dan Pugach , 11/18/23
Nicole Zuraitis + Dan Pugach , 11/18/23
Nicole Zuraitis + Dan Pugach , 11/18/23
Nicole Zuraitis + Dan Pugach , 11/18/23
Nicole Zuraitis + Dan Pugach , 11/18/23
Nicole Zuraitis + Dan Pugach , 11/18/23
Nicole Zuraitis + Dan Pugach , 11/18/23
Nicole Zuraitis + Dan Pugach , 11/18/23
*Live Low Lily photos courtesy of Aaron Schwartz.
The New Jersey Play Lab: Conventuais by Christian Mendonça
Staged Reading of
CONVENTUAIS
by Christian Mendonça
A beautiful new play about faith and pleasure in a 19th century Portuguese convent, currently in development with The New Jersey Play Lab through their 2024 Residency Program.
RUTKA: The Making of a Musical
Join us for an exclusive event with the producers of RUTKA, a new indie-rock musical based on the internationally-acclaimed book, Rutka's Notebook.
Rutka Laskier kept a diary while housed with her family in the Jewish ghetto in Bedzin, Poland in 1943. Her notebook is filled with typical teen drama, and ultimately turns to resistance as Rutka and her friends find ways to fight back. Knowing she would likely never return, Rutka hid her diary in the hope that her story would live on. And it will.
Hear songs from the show, sung by the composers themselves, and learn about the process of bringing Rutka’s diary to life on stage.
And find out how you can join this deep and lasting effort at combating antisemitism!
Low Lily (Duo)
LOW LILY (Duo)
Liz Simmons , guitar + vocals
Flynn Cohen , guitar + mandolin + vocals
