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Live Theater Returns to Jersey City’s West Side with the Story of One Person’s Desire to Find Happiness—Reimagined for the Social Media Age

JERSEY CITY, N.J. | (NJCU) Music, Dance and Theatre Department, in collaboration with Joffrey Ballet School presents Pippin. The curtain goes up for two weekends of performances, beginning Friday, March 25 at NJCU’s Margaret Williams Theatre, located on campus in Hepburn Hall, 2039 Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City, N.J.

Six performances are scheduled. On the opening weekend, shows are Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 27 at 3 p.m. The second weekend features showtimes on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 3 at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $25 ($15 for students and seniors) and must be purchased in advance at njcu.edu/arts or via the direct event page:

One of Steven Schwartz’s most beloved musicals, Pippin is a show within a show where the titular character searches for the secret to true happiness, led by the Leading Player and a troupe of actors, dancers, and other performers in a circus of extreme acts. Pippin is guided through glories of the battlefield, temptations of the flesh, and intrigues of political power. In the end, Pippin finds that happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavors, but in the unextraordinary moments that happen every day. 

This new take on the 2013 Tony Award-winning revival imagines a spectacle that happens not under the big top, but on the digital platforms where so many people seek happiness and fulfillment in one perfect act.  

“Today the circus is online,” said , NJCU’s Area Coordinator of Musical Theatre Studies at NJCU, and director of the production. “Social media is a lie. A world of filters and edits blur the lines between the real and the imagined. Through an altered perception of accomplishments and failures, we are all somehow just seconds away from viral fame. So, in this age of so much manufactured media on our quest for success, our show revives the beautiful truth found in simple, imperfect, every-day expressions of love and authenticity. “

To this end, the production is an immersive experience where the audience is confronted with an array of televisions and video screens displaying each character’s social media feed and follower counts. But as the show progresses the characters and the audience are left to make important decisions about what they can—and cannot—embrace.  

The production of Pippin is the first to result from the recently launched partnership between NJCU and Joffrey Ballet School. The NJCU-Joffrey B.F.A. in Dance program offers students in the highly competitive Joffrey Trainee Program the opportunity to earn a B.F.A. is as little as two years. Students develop academically while establishing connections to enter the professional dance world.

, the Artistic Director of the Jazz and Contemporary Trainee program at Joffrey, choreographed the performance. “This production marks the first collaboration of its kind between Joffrey Ballet School and ��è�ƽ��,” said Stiskin. “We now have the opportunity to challenge our emerging artists to take a new stage together—a moment to fuse talent, increase network, and share strengths. I am honored to work alongside Marc Dalio in preparing these students for successful careers in the worlds of dance and theatre. Come witness this magic!”

In addition to the talented cast, PIPPIN’s creative team boasts talent from Broadway and the professional dance world. The musical team of John DiPinto and Amy Duran, both on faculty in the Musical Theatre Area at NJCU, are accomplished conductors and pianists, having worked on countless shows in the US and internationally. Designer, , is an award-winning lighting and scenic designer, who has been a member of the NJCU Musical Theatre Workshop creative team since its inception in 2009. Montana Fucci, a recent graduate of Montclair’s B.F.A. program, is the as costume designer, bringing her beautiful creative energy to NJCU for this performance. Technical Director is a professional (AEA) actor, singer, and technician, with numerous credits on and off the stage. 

PRINCIPALS

Qawiyya Haqq | Leading Player

Damon Porter | Pippin

Jordan Owens | Charlemagne

Jenna Rotondo | Fastrada

Byron Flores, Jr. | Lewis

Danette Sheppard-Vaughn | Berthe

Sydney Fournier | Catherine

Daniela Guido | Shadow

Aliya Jonov | Shadow

Laura Mendes | Shadow

Ensemble

Aydan Alpdyildiz

Simone Briscoe

Alex Builes

Emily Chiasson

Jason Concepcion | Understudy: Pippin, Lewis

Manny Encarnacion | Understudy: Charlemagne

Caylen Enriquez-Montemayor

Jessica Garcia

Moses Garcia

Katie Harrigan

Kennedy Kandi

Bersabe Martinez | Understudy: Fastrada

Lexylee Martinez

Perla Martinez

Joshua Rosenthal

Sarah Kay Russell | Understudy: Berthe

Faith Shover

Ryanne Soriano | Understudy: Catherine

Gabby Stanowski

Kayla Stewart | Understudy: Leading Player

SWINGS

Taylor Eckerman

October Gomes

Kaileen Santiago                 

Emily Tunney

Juliette Vanneste

Olivia Ventura

Facts and Credits:

• Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (b. 1948)
• Book by Bob Fosse and Roger O. Hirson
• From an Adaptation by: Christopher Bond
• Originally directed on Broadway by: Bob Fosse
• Orchestrations by: Ralph Burns
• Originally Produced on Broadway by: Stuart Ostrow
• First performance: October 23, 1972, The Shubert Theatre, NYC

 

��è�ƽ�� The NJCU Center for the Arts:
The NJCU Center for the Arts brings the University's cultural offerings together under one creative umbrella. With New York City just across the river, the NJCU Center for the Arts is a cultural hub of New Jersey, hosting guest artists and speakers in the performing, visual, film, and literary arts, alongside student presentations. The history of our ongoing arts program has been rooted in both sharing the resources of our faculty who are working artists in their respective disciplines with our community, as well as bringing in international, national, regional, and local artists in a wide range of genres, to bring their world perspectives to our Center. We strive to present inspiring and thought-provoking arts experiences that foster dialogue across generations, support diversity and address our place in the world.

��è�ƽ�� NJCU:
��è�ƽ�� is an institution of higher learning with an audacious goal: the development of our students, our city, our communities, our state, and the world beyond. We are a game-changing force for our students and their families. Whether our students are enrolled in one of our 50 undergraduate, 30 graduate or three doctoral programs, NJCU provides an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty—all of which prepares them to be critical thinkers in a global landscape.

We’re also changing the game for our city, our communities, and our state. As the educational anchor institution in Jersey City, we’ve established partnerships to ensure the area’s growth directly benefits our students and community members. We seek to improve the lives of everyone in the Garden State, whether creating a home for the arts, bringing educational programs to K-12 students, offering bachelor’s degrees in partnership with community colleges, or providing professional development opportunities for adults.

At NJCU, we’re not just educating minds, we’re nourishing souls and lifting communities. We’re changing the game.

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Contact:
Ira Thor, Senior Director of University Communications and Media Relations | ithor@njcu.edu | 201-200-3301