Jersey Arts Podcast

Inspired by a true story, an unemployed bartender living in a trailer park buys a painting at a thrift store for three dollars – and then comes to believe that it might be a long-lost Jackson Pollock worth millions. However, as she learns, words like “authenticity” can become slippery when the art world is forced to clash with the rest of the world. That’s the premise of Bakersfield Mist, which will have its Garden State premiere this week at the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch. It runs from December 1 – January 22, 2012. Christopher Benincasa speaks with Executive Producer Gabor Barabas.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Harper Lee's 1960 novel To Kill A Mockingbird was an instant classic that was made into a great movie. Mary Badham played the role of "Scout" when she was 10 years old, and it transformed her life. Susan Wallner talks to Badham about her special relationship with Gregory Peck ("Atticus") and the universal appeal of this Southern tale of race, justice, and childhood. The play To Kill A Mockingbird runs at the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ through November 20th.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

The Atlantic City Ballet is performing Dracula just in time for Halloween. Producer Eric Schultz recently chatted with AC Ballet's founding director Phyllis Papa, who created the work five years ago. She says, "It's more of a dance experience than a ballet -- scary, sexy and dramatic."

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

For years, Junot Díaz was known for his explosive collection of short stories, "Drown," set in New Jersey and the Dominican Republic. His readers loyally waited for his next book - a novel that took him 11 years to write. "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," about a Dominican American nerd from Paterson, New Jersey, won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize. Susan Wallner talks to Díaz about what New Jersey means to him, as a writer and as a one-time resident of the state.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

The 1992 Disney movie-musical "Newsies" was not a box office smash - the epic, fact-inspired tale of a newsboys' labor strike in 1890s New York was a notorious flop. However, nearly two decades later, the movie's passionate cult following - and Menken and Feldman's enduring pop score - have helped to create enough demand for a new expanded version for the stage. The NEW Newsies musical will premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey on September 15th. Christopher Benincasa met up with Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken at a sneak peek of the show at its rehearsal space at the New 42nd Street Studios in Manhattan.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Conductor Jed Gaylin has transformed the Bay Atlantic Symphony during his fourteen years as Music Director. Eric Schultz talks to Gaylin about sold out concert halls, summers performances in Avalon and all the great music the Bay Atlantic Symphony will be performing this year, including a Motown pops concert in Atlantic City.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

NJPAC’s Sounds of the City is a summer tradition in Newark – a free Thursday night concert series attracting thousands of people held outside in Theater Square. It features the hottest new artists around, playing everything from jazz and pop to hip-hop and world music to the ever popular salsa night. This season ends on September 1st with a tribute to Michael Jackson. Susan Wallner talks to the producer, Verushka Wray-Spirito, about the phenomenon of Sounds of the City.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

The Smithereens have just released their first album of new material in twelve years - Smithereens 2011 - and now the band of New Jersey natives is back on tour and enjoying a warm welcome from critics and fans alike. They'll be performing at WXPN's XPoNential Music Festival in Camden on Friday, July 22. Christopher Benincasa spoke with Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken about the legacy - and future - of a homegrown rock band that's still going strong in its 31st year.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Producer Eric Schultz chats with Richard Russell, General Director of Opera New Jersey, about the company’s 2011 summer season at McCarter Theatre in Princeton. Menotti’s The Consul, Rossini’s Barber of Seville and Pasatieri’s new opera The Family Room are all on the bill.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Josh Ritter’s career began to take shape in college when he decided that playing music was more important to him than neuroscience – and, after years of bouncing around the music scene, he’s emerged as one the most respected singer/songwriters of his generation. He’s playing the Appel Farm Arts & Music Festival with Ani Difranco on June 4th. Christopher Benincasa speaks with Josh Ritter about not being a neuroscientist, writing songs, greatness and weirdness, and his debut novel Bright’s Passage.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.