Montclair-Based Theater Company Will Turn 25, Celebrate With Run Of Plays

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of a Patch Montclair community member. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Apricot Sky Productions will mark its 25th anniversary this fall with “The 25th Act,” a dynamic evening of eight original short plays written and directed by company founder Eric Alter. Performances will run from Sept. 26 to Sept. 28, and Oct 3 to Oct. 5 at The Grove Street Theater, 130 Grove Street in Montclair.

Apricot Sky is one of the few playwright-driven theater companies in New Jersey. Founded in 1999 by Livingston native Eric Alter, the company has presented more than 100 original plays—many written by Alter himself—over 25 years.

Alter has kept ASP proudly rooted in New Jersey—working with all local directors, actors, and creatives. The seven directors helming the festival—Fred Alvaro, Helen Exel, Donna Fraissinet, John Fraissinet, Nat Gennace, Brandi-Leigh Miller, Mead Winters and Linda Weilkotz—are all longtime collaborators with deep ties to both Alter and the company.

The cast includes New Jerseyans Stephen Adubato, Ann Alfano, Michelle Almeida, Carlos Caban DeJesus, Jennifer Elizabeth Cooper, Shawn Dawiskiba, Donna Fraissinet, Hedieh Fidanza, Adam Gelles, Nat Gennace, Ann Grippo, Patrick Horan, Jessica Jones, Kara Misener, Dylan Myers, Allen Roberts, Andy Sina, and Kylah Wilson.

“After 25 years, I still believe in the power of a great story told simply,” Alter says. “This show is both a reflection on where we’ve been and a leap forward.”

Each play in The 25th Act explores nuances of human connection, some comically and some more poignantly. Performances are at The Grove Street Theater, a 360-seat venue located inside the Deron School in Montclair.

“The 25th Act,” Alter adds, “is the silver-anniversary year of a project launched in the year 2000 to bring low-priced, high-quality writing and acting to Garden Staters 15 miles from Broadway.”

• Performances: Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m.
• Tickets: $25 general admission | $20 seniors/students (Cash, Zelle, and Venmo accepted at the door. No advance purchase.)
• Venue: The Grove Street Theater, 130 Grove St., Montclair, NJ. Handicapped Accessible. Free parking.

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