Premiere Play Factory

Camp Premiere
Camp Premiere is an intensive two-week summer theatre camp specifically tailored to high school students that concludes with a public presentation of their work.   Camp Premiere incorporates theatre games and activities that translate students' ideas and impulses into original plays.   Campers gain practical experience in being both actors and playwrights, working alongside their peers and seasoned professionals.

Our teaching artists come to the classroom and teach the fundamentals of theatrical writing in an active, creative, and fun way. The idea is to get students excited about learning and excited about the creative process. We use performance exercises and games in addition to writing exercises to enable them to express themselves both individually and within a group, and to give them a sense of learning through play.

Through the residency, in addition to learning the theatrical aspects, terminology, and structure for crafting a play, students will actually write a scene or short play that will be performed at the residency's end. Premiere brings in professional actors and Kean University students to work with the young writers in rehearsing and, finally, performing their work in a script-in-hand reading. This reading is typically a school assembly to which parents and the outside community are invited.

Call 908-737-4092 for more information.

Musical Fun Series
Premiere Stages collaborates with other Equity member theaters of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance to offer professional musical theatre presentations for children on Friday mornings in July. This series was begun to provide an enjoyable and accessible summer arts experience for youth. 

The performances are open to the public and school groups. Through sponsorships, blocks of free tickets and bus transportation are provided to at-risk and special needs children.

2008 Season to be announced.

New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival
For over 20 years, the New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest has been deepening the writing experience for young artists by providing entrants with detailed feedback from theatre professionals about their plays.   Premiere Stages is proud to partner with Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey to produce the annual Festival, the culmination of the contest.   Through a series of rounds, a team of readers selects plays from each division to be named as statewide winners.   Winning plays receive a staged reading at Kean University by professional actors and directors.   The Festival is open to the public and is held during school hours; school groups are encouraged to attend.

Elementary/Junior High School Divisions
Monday, May 19, 2008
10 a.m.

High School Divisions
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
10 a.m.

Little Theatre
This event is free of charge.

For reservations, contact the box office at
908-737-SHOW (7469).

Dedicated to creating a fun, creative, and nurturing environment, the faculty will expose a select group of young writers to new techniques and exercises for translating their ideas and impulses into theatrical scripts. These exercises range from improvisation and performance games to finding inspiration from photographs, music, and different physical spaces. Students learn how to give each other critical feedback in a supportive writers' workshop setting. The original plays developed by the students will be performed at a culminating showcase open to the public. The students will perform in each others' pieces, and Kean University students and instructors will fill roles as needed. This gives the campers the unique opportunity to work with university students and professionals in a peer environment. A certificate presentation and reception follows the performance.

Scholarships available

Click here to download an application.
Call 908-737-4092 for more information.

Premiere School Time Residencies
Premiere Stages offers residencies in Playwriting for school districts in central and northern New Jersey. The residencies were created to assist teachers with meeting the Core Curriculum Content Standards in literacy while introducing the arts to children, particularly those who have had little or no experience with live theatre or creative expression. Kean University students are incorporated into the residencies as actors and teaching assistants.