Centenary Stage Company’s 2018/19 Season features a host of music, theatre and dance events. The season launches with CSC’s annual “Curtain Up!” event on Saturday Sept. 15. This season’s “Curtain Up!” event features Paula Poundstone. Recognized on Comedy Central’s list of The 100 Best Stand Up Comics of All Time and star of NPR’s #1 show, Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

Paula’s smart, observational humor and legendary spontaneous interaction with the crowd has catapulted her as one of our country’s pre-eminent comedians. Paula is also an Author having just released her second book, the critically acclaimed, The Totally Unscientific Study Of The Search For Human Happiness (Algonquin Books). Paula voiced the character “Forgetter Paula” in Inside Out, winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Her commentaries appear on CBS Sunday Morning and guest appearances include Late Night with Stephen Colbert, Last Call with Carson Daly, Nerdist with Chris Hardwick, Weekend Edition and ‘Puzzle Master’ with Will Shortz!  A star of several HBO specials – her 2^nd special, Paula Poundstone Goes to Harvard marked the first time that elite university allowed its name to be used in the title of a television show.  Paula also starred in her own series on HBO and ABC, The Paula Poundstone Show.  Her memorable coverage of the 1992 Presidential election as a special correspondent for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, followed by behind-the-scenes coverage at the 45^th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards in 1993 set the standard for those who followed. She won an American Comedy Award for Best Female Standup Comic, and she is included in innumerable lists, documentaries and literary compendiums noting influential standup comedians of our time.

Centenary Stage Company’s 2018/19 Professional Theatre Series includes horror , a National New Play Network rolling world premiere, a gigantic family holiday musical and a ripped-from-the-headlines classic. The series launches with Charles Morey’s faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In addition to writing the adaptation, Morey will be lending his more than 45 years of professional experience to helm the production as director. The series continues with the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere of Jennifer Fawcett’s Apples in Winter. Centenary Stage Company continues the tradition of the Family Holiday Spectacular with everyone’s favorite orphan, Annie. Finally, Randall Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso return to CSC to helm An Enemy of the People. Centenary Stage Company’s ever-popular Women Playwright’s Series returns and new for 2018/19 CSC along with Randall Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso present the Gates Ferry Series: “What is Truth?” featuring two staged readings, workshops and master classes exploring the concept of truth through classical texts.

Centenary Stage Company’s 2018/19 Music events are headlined by Tony Award winner John Lloyd Young. Young originated the role of Frankie Valli in Broadway’s Tony Award winning Best Musical and international hit, Jersey Boys. As Valli, Young garnered unprecedented accolades from New York and national media, including one of the most exciting New York Times reviews ever written for an actor making a Broadway debut. Mr. Young went on to win the Lead Actor Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards, becoming the only American actor in history to win all four leading actor awards for a Broadway debut. Young re-created his award-winning Broadway turn onscreen for director Clint Eastwood in Warner Brothers’ film adaptation of Jersey Boys, which premiered across the world in 2014.

Other music events throughout the season include Centenary Stage Company’s popular January Thaw Music Festival featuring the talents of Michael Davis and the New Wonder, the Harry James Orchestra and Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper. The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble presents a musical tour through Italy with Una Festa Musicale Italiana. Martha Redbone Roots Project joins the line-up with her own unique, award-winning blend of Native American elements with funk and her deep roots in Appalachian folk and Piedmont blues. Irish tenor Tim Smith brings his tapestry of Irish song, story and cultural lore examining the themes of religions, emigration, the Troubles and more with Reflections: Ireland in Song and Story. Finally, the United States Army Field Band The Jazz Ambassadors join the musical line-up with a free concert featuring a selection of big band swing, bebop, Latin, contemporary jazz, standards, popular tunes, Dixieland, vocals, and patriotic selections.

Dance also makes its way in the 2018/19 season line-up. The New Jersey Ballet returns to the Sitnik Theatre with a double feature performance of Shakespeare classics Romeo and Juliet & Macbeth and the family friendly favorite Sleeping Beauty. Darrah Car Dance joins Centenary Stage Company with Ceilidh: An Evening of Irish Music and Dance featuring a program of traditional Irish music and dance. Finally, the contemporary modern dance company moe-tion dance theatre returns.

Individual tickets for all 2018/19 events are now available for purchase. Centenary Stage Company also offers a variety of season subscription options offering discounted tickets, as well as, membership benefits.  Subscription options include the Season Producer Package (admission to all CSC events including the Curtain Up! with Paula Poundstone), Series A Flex Pass (admission to all 4 equity theatre events), Series B Flex Pass (admission to any 6 events) and Series C Flex Pass (admission to any 3 events). Flex Passes do not include admission to Curtain Up! with Paula Poundstone. All season subscription options exclude the New Jersey Civic Youth Ballet’s The Nutcracker.

For a full listing of all 2018/19 events, to purchase tickets or to purchase a season subscription package visit centenarystageco.org or call the CSC box office at (908) 979 – 0900. The Centenary Stage Company box office is open Monday – Friday from 1 – 5PM and two hours prior to every performance. The box office is located in the Lackland Performing Arts Center at 715 Grand Avenue Hackettstown, NJ on the campus of Centenary University. Centenary Stage Company can also be found across social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Like and follow to receive the latest in CSC news and special offers.