Premiere Stages at Kean University Marks 20 Years Showcasing Theatre

As Premiere Stages at Kean University continues its 20th anniversary season with the New Jersey premiere of Walden, the professional theatre company celebrates two decades of developing plays, nurturing artists and providing opportunities for students. 

Twenty years since its first production, Owed to My First Love, Premiere Stages has presented more than 100 productions, raising the University’s profile and drawing thousands of audience members with productions exploring issues such as racism, tolerance and climate change. 

“Premiere Stages was created to develop a new Actors' Equity Association theatre that would expand public exposure to campus and help provide Kean theatre students professional development and networking opportunities,” said Kean Vice President for Arts Programming John J. Wooten. 

A central part of its work is the Premiere Play Festival, a playwriting competition that offers readings, workshops and full productions to finalists and winners. Submissions numbered 800 last year, up from 200 in 2005. 

“Our Festival focus is on topical material and plays that explore current social issues,” Wooten said. “But we seek to find plays that are also hopeful, and challenge artists and audiences to consider their place in the world.” 

Walden, by Amy Berryman, is a fitting choice for the anniversary. The play was a Festival finalist in 2019 before enjoying successful runs in London and off-Broadway. It returns to Premiere Stages this fall, directed by Charlotte Cohn, who was an actor with the company before becoming a director. 

Berryman said returning to Premiere Stages feels especially meaningful after the play’s journey. 

“I am so thrilled to have Walden back at Premiere Stages. It was one of the first development opportunities the play received, and I learned so much from the workshops we had at Premiere,” she said, calling it an “honor” to be part of the anniversary. 

For Cohn, the production is both professional and personal. 

“It feels like coming home,” Cohn said. “Premiere is known to produce top shelf productions, and I'm really proud to take part in that legacy.” 

She described Walden as a story of two sisters, carrying an environmental message she called “a love letter to the Earth.” 

The anniversary season began earlier this summer with The Mallard, by Vincent Delaney, directed by Wooten, a comedy featuring yard sale shoppers battling over a rare decoy. 

Over the years, Premiere Stages has also featured future stars, including actor Sarah Hyland of TV’s Modern Family and playwright Dominique Morisseau. Academy Award winners Ellen Burstyn and Richard Dreyfuss both took part in workshops there, and many productions have been nominated for awards by the American Theatre Critics Association. 

In addition to producing theatre, Premiere Stages provides Kean students paid internships, understudy showcases, the Bauer Boucher Awards, Premiere Artists master classes, and, with the Theatre Department, Kean Actors Showcase. Summer theatre camps for children, community partnerships, and writing residencies in schools and senior living centers also extend its reach beyond campus. 

Premiere Stages has received rave reviews from New Jersey Stage to The New York Times and NPR. 

“The company not only presents wonderful plays but often features playwrights on the rise with world premiere productions,” New Jersey Stage wrote. “It truly is a gem of a theater company. Here’s to another 20 years."