'Coffee House' at Edison Valley Playhouse

Edison Valley Playhouse will hold its latest installment of their regular "Coffee House" variety show next Saturday.

The show will feature the original sketch comedy troupe "The Pavlovian Dog Show" consisting of Mike Patierno, Claudio Venancio, Ryan Correll, and Zach McCullough; the comic duo Kevin Berrey and Daniel Raderstrong; magic by "Magical Vince"; and various other comedy acts and vocal and musical performances.

 The show will start at 8 p.m. and run for one-and-a-half to two hours August 22. Tickets cost $10 and must be paid for in cash. All proceeds will go to Edison Valley Playhouse.

To reserve tickets for pickup and payment the night of the show, call (908)755-4654. Edison Valley Playhouse is located at 2196 Oak Tree Road, Edison.

Fall Classes for Various Ages at Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center

This fall, Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center will offer acting classes for third through sixth graders, 12-16-year-olds, and those 16 or older.

The class for students in grades three through six, "Acting for Kids," will use theater games to develop confidence and play practice to improve other performance skills. They will work on scenes and numbers from musical theater and will eventually put on a short show for family and friends.  The class rwill un 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thursdays Sept. 17-Oct. 22.

In "Teen and Preteen Acting," students 12-16 will have the opportunity to play theater games, work on scenes from plays, and practice acting for the camera. The program will culminate in a performance for family and friends, and will run 6:30-7:30 Fridays Sept. 18-Oct. 23.

Those 16 and older have the opportunity to partake in "Adult Improv, Monologues and Scenes," which seeks to help adults improve their acting skills through improvisation, scene study, and monologue preparation. Topics that the class will cover include character development, script analysis and audition preparation. The class will run 7:30-8:30 Fridays Sept. 18-Oct. 23.

Each class costs $100 a student; however, the first class of each session is always free. All classes are planned and taught by Catherine LaMoreaux, an NJ-certified teacher with experience teaching theater in middle and high schools. They will be held at the Forum Theatre.

Those interesting in registering may do so either with this form or through PenPal here, here, and here. The Forum Theatre is located at 314 Main Street, Metuchen. For more information, contact dragonflyartsnj@gmail.com.

Casting Call: 'A Few Good Men'

Open auditions for "A Few Good Men" will be held at Playhouse 22 at the end of August.

The show tells the story of military lawyers at a court-martial who uncover a high-level conspiracy in the course of defending their clients, two United States Marines accused of murder. A film adaption featuring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson was made in 1992.

Auditionees should prepare a short monologue. Auditions will be held at 7:30 p.m. August 31 and Sept. 1. Callbacks will be held at the same time Sept. 3. Directing the show will be Gregory Newton. Suggested age ranges for the characters are not yet available.

Lt. J.G. Daniel A. Kaffee	A spunky, self-absorbed, slightly chaotic but very talented lawyer who finds himself being challenged and stretched in ways he's never been. Rarely leaves the stage. Has rapid-fire intelligence and caustic wit. Loves hearing himself talk and thinks he's cool, but learns a valuable lesson about duty.
Lt. Cmdr. Joanne Galloway	A highly motivated go-getter who thinks she needs to prove herself as a woman in the military. Knows the truth, but finds it tough when others can't recognize it. Tries to fight in the purest sense of the word but knows when she's outmatched - but goes down fighting. A real fiery character who sometimes bites off more than she can chew.
Lt. J.G. Sam Weinberg	A career-focused lawyer who misses his family but loves what he does, which is playing second fiddle to a much more talented and vocally astute sidekick, Kaffee. Provides a lot of comic relief and dialogue gymnastics.
Lt. Col. Nathan Jessep	The essence of Marine: tough, focused, uncompromising, powerful in speech and physical presence, intimidating to everyone, but still able to schmooze when necessary. Believes he is the hero of the story and just might be right. A truly edgy, scary, but fascinating man.
Lt. Jonathan James Kendrick	An over-the-top duty-focused Marine who exemplifies all that is wrong with myopic leadership. Uses the Bible as a thumping card when he needs to prove a point. Instigates many confrontations. Not likeable at all, and doesn't care.
Lt. Jack Ross	Prosecuting attorney who solidly knows the law, the Marines, and his counterpart in court. Strong and honorable, likeable in a conflicting way. Good friends with Kaffee, but knows he has to beat him.
Capt. Matthew Markinson	Marine Executive Officer who tries to secretly push the truth to the forefront only to find everything he's ever been taught being challenged. A good counterpart to Jessep; someone we want to believe in, but maybe someone whose Marineness is questionable.
PFC Louden Downey	Sweet, down-home boy-next-door who probably joined the Marines because it's the best way to utilize what little brain God gave him. Servant sidekick to the nth degree, and would fall on a grenade if ordered to. Naïve and genuine while also being a little "slow".
Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson	Essence of Marine honor with a touch of genuine humanity. Believes to the core in the Corps, its honor and its code, and is willing to state that in court even if it gets him life in prison, but really is a soft-hearted good guy who wants to balance service, honor and the human condition. A protector and a fighter.
PFC William T. Santiago	Marine whose inability to carry his load, despite its reality, is the cause of the conflict in the show. Appears only in monologue flashback and always as a boy who tries to be a man, but doesn't have the parts to do it.
Cmdr. Walter Stone	The doctor who tries to maintain medical protocol and military prowess at the same time. Gets caught up in a lie and might have the capabilities of fighting it.
Capt. Julius Alexander Randolph	Strong but decent judge of the court martial who oversees the trial with a firm fist and short, spark-like manner of speaking.
Cpl. Jeffrey Owen Howard	A goofy and fun Marine who provides a lot of comic relief, but also a lot of truth in what goes on behind the scenes of the Marine training.
Capt. Isaac Whitaker	Kaffee's JAG boss who assigns him to the case. Appears only at the start of the show, but his presence and command of the situation need to set the tone for the entire play. Easy going, but still knows the rules; likes to "play along" and jest, but is ultimately pretty serious.
Ensemble	Serve as sentries, guards, officers in the jury, etc. Some have lines, others don't. All create a solid visual and character piece for the overall look and feel of the show.

The show will run at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sundays Nov. 6-22.

For more information, contact info@playhouse22.org or call (732)254-3939. Playhouse 22 is located at 729 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.

Casting Call: 'Matt & Ben'

Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center will hold auditions for "Matt & Ben" in about three weeks.

The show is about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, two Hollywood people who wrote Good Will Hunting. It posits that they did not actually write the movie, but it instead fell from the sky into their laps. Basically, the show is about two friends and what they do when the best script they’ve ever seen magically appears in their living room.

Two women, aged 21-50, are sought to play Matt and Ben. Auditionees should prepare a contemporary comedic dialogue and be prepared to read from sides.

Auditions will occur 3-6 p.m. September 12 and 12-4 p.m. September 13 in the Forum Theatre Blue Room. Performances will occur October 30 and 31, with probable performances at the Jersey Shore November 13 and 14.

For more information, contact dragonflyartsnj@gmail.com.

'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" will open at Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center next week.

The show features Kayla Bashe, Arielle Beth, Joe Binensztok, Diane Boyer, Tom Cox, Dan Dunkley, Rory Griffin, Brenda Hamlet, Matt Holbert, James Jones, Bassam Kaado, Felipe Rodriguez, Zachary Sena-Cash, Demetre Serrano, Julia Stibich, Natasha Sydor, Matt Sylvester, Kristen Thomas, and Sabrina van Vliet.

The show will run at 3 and 8 p.m. August 21 and 22 at Metuchen's Reformed Church. Tickets cost $16 per adult and $13 per senior or student when ordered in advance through August 20, with an additional $2 charge when ordered online; and cost $20 per adult and $15 per student when purchased at the door.

To purchase tickets, click here. Metuchen's Reformed Church is located at 150 Lake Avenue, Metuchen.

Free Labor Day Concert at Plays-in-the-Park

Plays-in-the-Park will hold their 10th Annual free concert this Labor Day weekend.

The concert will take place at the theatre, located at 1 Pine Drive, Roosevelt Park, at 4 p.m. on September 6. The gates will open at 3 p.m.

The evening will feature Shirley Alston Reeves, the original lead singer of The Shirelles, as well as The Mahoney Brothers. Please bring your own seating.

'Spike Heels' at Villagers Theatre

Villagers Theatre presents the play "Spike Heels."

Pygmalion goes awry in this contemporary comedy of manners which explores sexual harassment, misplaced amour, and the possibility of a four sided love triangle. The combatants are a sexy, volatile young woman and three Back Bay types: a writer, a lawyer and a fiancee in sensible shoes. The setting is Boston, the ending is happy and laughter abounds.

The show will perform at 8 p.m. on August 20, 21, and 22, and 2 p.m. on August 23. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors/students, and can be purchased online. No group rates or discounts are available.

The show is written by Theresa Rebeck. It is directed by Penny Paul, and stars Bill King, Kate Pentak, Ashley Widmer, and JD Wilson.

The show is part of their VIP series and is produced by Fearless Productions.