Generation NEXT Teams Up the Performing Arts with Young Professionals

BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY: Discover Jersey Arts (DJA) is proud to present the third year of its Generation NEXT program, featuring three evenings of performing arts programs for young professionals ages 21-39. This fall's Generation NEXT (Gen NEXT) partners include The Bickford Theatre at The Morris Museum in Morristown, The State Theatre in New Brunswick, The Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in Morristown, and New Jersey Young Professionals (NJYP).

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the New Jersey Young Professionals network on this program again this year,” said Jim Atkinson, Program Manager for Discover Jersey Arts. “Each of these three events offers a great show paired with networking opportunities and the chance to interact with people associated with the production -- all for a low ticket price of $25. It’s a great series, offering a variety of entertaining, engaging, and extraordinarily fun nights out this fall.”

Complete details about the program and the fall events may be found on the web at http://www.jerseyarts.com/GenNEXT. The three 2009 Generation NEXT events for the fall include:

OCTOBER 9 at 7pm: I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at the Bickford Theatre at The Morris Museum in Morristown. The evening begins with hors d'oeuvres and cocktails in the romantic, sky-lit museum court. Gen NEXT attendees are invited to take a leisurely stroll through the museum's new exhibit, "Invitations to a Wedding: Bridal Gowns from the 1820s to the Present" before heading into a performance of the Off-Broadway musical comedy hit, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. After the show, the cast will present a revealing, tell-all talk-back session with the cast as they chat about the play and share some of their own secrets for finding true love.

OCTOBER 28 at 8pm: MacHomer at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick; presented by The State Theatre. Imagine Shakespeare's Macbeth performed in 75 minutes by a single actor. Now, imagine all of the play's characters are portrayed in the voices of over 50 characters from TV's "The Simpsons." An international sensation for more than a decade, MacHomer is a must-see, surprisingly faithful multimedia production that is about 85% Shakespeare and 100% hilarious. After the show, Gen NEXT patrons are invited to an exclusive cocktail party and post-show Q&A.

NOVEMBER 11 at 8pm: ABBA Mania at The Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in Morristown. You can dance, you can jive, and you’ll have the time of your life! Come out and relive the music of ABBA and the same memorable songs from the hit Broadway musical and feature film Mamma Mia that have made this Swedish super-group one of pop music's all-time favorites. After the show, Gen NEXT patrons are invited to a cocktail party at the theatre's Starlight Room, featuring a discussion group on the enduring influence of the disco era that has propelled ABBA to enduring fame more than 30 years after the band's break-up.

For more information on these events and the Generation NEXT program, please visit http://www.jerseyarts.com/GenNEXT.

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ABOUT DISCOVER JERSEY ARTS

Discover Jersey Arts (DJA) is a cosponsored project of the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts working in partnership with other cultural service organizations statewide including the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, South Jersey Cultural Alliance, New Jersey Network and New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism. The project’s mission is to increase the awareness of and participation in the arts in New Jersey. JerseyArts.com supports this mission by providing a central clearinghouse of information on New Jersey’s cultural scene.
Since its launch in the summer of 2000 following more than two years of research and development into assessing the needs of its constituents, DJA has developed a wide variety of programs and initiatives to support our state’s cultural community while providing resources to the public. For more information visit DJA on the web at http://www.jerseyarts.com.