Sunday Scoop Week of 10/18/26 What's Happening This Week and More

A) Beginning Performances

In Connecticut

1) Beautiful: The Carol King Musical

A.C.T. of Connecticut 10/22 - 11/22

In New Jersey

2) Evil Dead the Musical

Kelsey Theatre 10/23 - 11/1

In New York

3) 2:22 - A Ghost Story

Lucille Lortel Theatre 10/20 - 1/17

4) Becoming Chavela

Teatro Latea 10/23- 10/25

5) George Bernard Shaw's Village Wooing

House of the Redeemer 10/22 - 10/25

6) The Kick Inside

HERE Arts Center 10/21 - 11/7

7) The Mikado

Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College 10/23 - 10/25

8) Queeney Todd

Judson Memorial Church 10/22 - 10/31

9) True Confessions of a Go-Go Girl

Triad Theatre 10/24 - 10/29

10) User Agreement

The Maker's Space 10/22 - 

B) Cast Changes

In New York

11) Buena Vista Social Club

Schoenfeld Theatre

12) Just in Time

Circle in the Square Theatre

13) Maybe Happy Ending

Belasco Theatre 

C)Concerts

In New York

14) All Things You Are: Love, Laughter, and the Music of Jerome Kern

Chelsea Table + Stage 10/26 & 11/19

15) New School Studio Orchestra to perform Heavy Weather album

Tishman Auditorium at the New School 10/22

16) The Yale Spizzwinks

St. James Catholic Church, Chatham, NY 10/21

The Church of St. Luke in the Fields, NYC 10/24

D) Dance

In New York

17) Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre Fall 2026 Open Rehearsal

Amanda Selwyn Dance Studio 10/21

18) Dancing Into Roses

JACK in Brooklyn 10/23 - 11/1

19) Nai-Ni Chen Dance Co. at American Dance Guild 70th Anniversary Festival

Alley Citigroup Theater 10/22

20) New Yorkers for Dance

26 Bridge in DUMBO 10/21

21) Paul Taylor Dance Company

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts 10/24

E) Festivals 

In New York

22) Circle Theater Festival

AMT Theater 10/26 - 11/15

23) CUNY Stages Festival

Various venues across all 5 boroughs

F) Run Extension

In New York

24) Claws

On Your Phone - now closing 11/30

G) What Else is Happening

In New Jersey

25) Kelsey Theatre Interactive Movie Events

26) NJPAC Upcoming Events

27) Theater Music Awards Registration Open to All NJ Students

Through 1/11/27

In New York

28) The Broadway Show Announces with Tamsen Fadal Fall Preview

Airing 10/17 - 10/18

29) Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Upcoming Events

30) Brooklyn Children's Museum Opens BMX Exhibit

10/24

31) brooklynOne productions presents The Rocky HorrorShow

Industry City, Courtyard 1/2 (Brooklyn) 10/24

32) Lincoln Center Open House

10/25

33) Pre-Existing Condition Announces Talkbacks

34) Teatown Lake Reservation Enchanted Forest Family-Friendly Halloween Event

10/24

35) Unravelled National Tour Continues

10/23 & 10/24

In Pennsylvania

36) Bucks County Playhouse Free Spotlight Series Features Erin Riley, Author of The Mighty WMMR 10/22

37) Halloween House Makes Philadelphia Debut at Fashion District 

Center City 

Other

38) Fathom Entertainment presents Laika's Epic Fantasy Wildwood

10/23

A) Beginning Performances

In Connecticut

1) Beautiful: The Carol King Musical

Before she was hit-maker Carole King — she was Carole Klein, a spunky, young songwriter from Brooklyn with a unique voice. From the chart-topping hits she wrote for the biggest acts in music to her own life-changing, trailblazing success with “Tapestry”, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical takes you back to where it all began — and takes you on the ride of a lifetime.

A.C.T. (A Contemporary Theatre of Connecticut) (36 Old Quarry Rd., Ridgefield)

10/22 - 11/22

Opening night 10/24

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.actofct.org/beautiful

In New Jersey

2) Evil Dead the Musical

Get ready for blood, guts, and belly laughs with Evil Dead, the Musical!  Based on the cult horror films The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, this outrageous stage hit blends campy terror with killer comedy. Follow Ash and his friends to a haunted cabin where demons rise and the chainsaws roar. Packed with rockin’ songs, over-the-top gore (yes, there’s a splatter zone!), and nonstop laughs, Evil Dead, the Musical is the ultimate date night for horror fans and thrill-seekers alike. * Oct. 31 st come in costume and join them after the show for a Halloween party.  

THE SPLATTER ZONE!!!

SPECIAL SEATING ON STAGE, SPECIAL PRICE,

INCLUDES A FREE EVIL DEAD LOGO WHITE T-SHIRT -

PERFECT FOR GETTING BLOODY!

Kelsey Theatre (1200 Old Trenton Rd., West Windsor)

10/23 - 11/1

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.purplepass.com/events/375469-evil-dead-oct-23rd-2026

In New York

Courtesy of Vivacity Media Group

3) 2:22 - A Ghost Story

Following seven West End engagements, two record-breaking UK tours, and more than thirty productions across the globe, the exhilarating and brilliantly funny 2:22 – A Ghost Story draws New York audiences into an adrenaline-fueled night where secrets will emerge and ghosts may appear. Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. When their friends Lauren and Ben come around for a housewarming dinner, a stirring debate ensues – can the dead really walk again? Belief and skepticism clash, but lingering beneath the argument is something strange and frightening…and that something is getting closer. So they’re going to stay up… until 2:22… and dare to discover the truth.

Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher St.)

10/20 - 1/17/27

Opening Night 11/5

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit  222aghoststory.com/new-york/.  

Courtesy of Kampfire PR

4) Becoming Chavela

Pedro Almodóvar called Chavela Vargas "a volcano." She was a Costa Rican immigrant who dared to sing ranchera, the Mexican country music that was supposed to belong to men, and she became one of Mexico’s greatest voices. She fought alcoholism, disappeared from the stage for years, and then came back. BECOMING CHAVELA tells that story through songs of lust and longing and through her friendships with Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Elizabeth Taylor, and Almodóvar himself.

The show is set in mid-century Mexico City, back when the city was the center of Latin American culture. Chavela was well ahead of her time, and her story takes on gender, gay rights, immigration, and Mexican culture without ever feeling like a lecture.

Trudeau plays both Chavela and herself. The play starts with her own family: a Puerto Rican mother who arrived in New York as a little girl, and a Bronx childhood full of Spanish, Puerto Rican food, and Latin music. That music is what led her to Chavela.

Teatro Latea (107 Suffolk St.)

10/23 - 10/25

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit teatrolatea.org/events/list/?tribe-bar-date=2026-10-23.

Courtesy of Michelle Tabnick PR

5) George Bernard Shaw's Village Wooing

Written by Shaw in 1933, Village Wooing is one of his most intimate, romantic, and quietly profound works. A sparkling two-hander about two people determined to remain single who meet aboard a pleasure ship and find their lives transformed in the most unexpected ways. Filled with Shaw's characteristic wit, intelligence, and emotional surprise, the play has rarely been seen in New York in a fully realized presentation.

For this special engagement, GTG presents a new gender-neutral adaptation of Shaw's text. The adaptation opens the roles designated simply as A and Z in Shaw's original to performers of any gender, bringing the play into vivid dialogue with the present moment while honoring the full wit and intelligence of Shaw's language.

The House of the Redeemer (7 E. 95thSt.)

10/22 - 10/25

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.gingoldgroup.org

6) The Kick Inside

The Kick Inside is a Kate Bush-inspired exquisite corpse of a play written by thirteen New York City based playwrights, Penny Arcade, Jess Barbagallo, Ethan Fishbane, the late Richard Foreman, Hillary Gao, Nazareth Hassan, John Jesurun, Marvin Just, Dhari Noel, Normandy Sherwood, Hayley Stahl, and Fiona Templeton, conceived and directed by Nicolás Noreña. 

The story follows Alenka, a woman who grows awfully tired of the way that people talk to one another and begins experimenting with language in every scene of this one-and-a-half-act play.. Visually rich and littered with strange phenomena, action sequences, dogs, algorithm possessions, hitmen, and a world that speaks back, The Kick Inside uncovers a lost city that tilts language to ask where words come from within us, and how deeply we transform each other's emotional fabrics. 

HERE Arts Center (145 6th Ave.)

10/21 - 11/7

Opening Night 10/23

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit here.org/shows/the-kick-inside.

Courtesy of Katz PR

7) The Mikado

The Mikado, which was first performed at London's Savoy Theatre in 1885, pokes fun at topical aspects of Victorian society, but Gilbert & Sullivan cleverly cloak their satirical barbs behind a charming love story set in an imagined town in Japan, and NYGASP continues the time-honored tradition of topical updating for a modern audience. You're sure to recognize someone on the "Lord High Executioner's" comical list of people who "never would be missed".

The show abounds with absurdity and astounding wit, clever wordplay, memorable tunes and endearing characters. The romantic love story follows Nanki-Poo, the son of the Mikado (the Japanese emperor), who has fled his father's court in disguise as a "Wand'ring Minstrel" to avoid marrying Katisha, an elderly suitor, and to find and marry his own beloved, the delicious maiden Yum-Yum, one of "Three Little Maids From School". Yum-Yum, however, is the ward of Ko-Ko, the "Lord High Executioner", and has become betrothed to him against her will. As usual in a Gilbert & Sullivan imaginative plot, the tangled web unravels and everyone (well, almost everyone) lives happily ever after.

Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th St. between Park & Lexington)

10/23 - 10/25

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.nygasp.org/

Courtesy of Aleba & Co.

8) Queeney Todd The Demon Bottom of Fleet Street

A Genre-Bending Drag Opera Revenge Fantasy

Judson Memorial Church (55 Washington Sq. S.)

10/22 - 10/31

For  more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.universe.com/events/queeney-todd-heartbeat-operas-11th-annual-drag-opera-extravaganza-tickets-WT1C6R

Courtesy of Richard Hillman PR

9) True Confessions of a Go-Go Girl

True Confessions is a mélange of monologues, characters, music, dance, and images culled from Jill Morley’s metamorphosis from tomboy to top-ranked bikini dancer in the 1990s. Jill likens it to stepping through the looking glass – only her Wonderland consists of seedy go-go bars off the Jersey Turnpike. Several characters based on real dancers she met make appearances, as well as her gay male roommate, who got her in touch with her femininity, and the bouncer who taught her how to “hump air.” Through it all, Jill wonders how this new trade affects her personal life and examines the rewards and dangers of the go-go business.

The Triad Theatre(158W. 72nd St.)

10/14 - 12/11 (Fourteen performances)

Opening Night 10/29

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.instantseats.com/?fuseaction=home.venue&artistID=39411&venueID=526

Courtesy of the production

10) User Agreement

“User Agreement” is a deeply urgent play that asks, in an age of technological wonders often fueled by greed, can something as fundamentally human as true love survive hand-in-hand with late stage capitalism?” says playwright Ben Holbrook. “One of many questions we have to ask daily as private equity and tech we didn’t ask for continues to clash with our values and compromise our agency. ”

The Maker's Space (281 N. 7th St., Brooklyn)

10/22 - 11/8

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.makersensemble.org/useragreement

B) Cast Changes

In New York

Courtesy of Polk and Co. PR

11) Buena Vista Social Club

Bernie William joins the cast from 10/22 - 11/29.

Jose "Candelita" Iglesias extends his run to 11/15.

Step into the heart of Cuba, beyond the glitz of the Tropicana, to a place where blazing trumpets and sizzling guitars set the dance floor on fire. Here, the sound of Havana is born—and one woman's remarkable journey begins.

Schoenfeld Theatre (236 W. 45th St.)

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.buenavistamusical.com

Courtesy of Polk and Co. PR

12) Just in Time

Matthew Morrison makes a strictly limited 3-week return to the role of Bobby Darin beginning 10/20.

Tristan Buettel takes on the role of Sandra for 3 weeks from 10/20 through 11/8.

JUST IN TIME is the exhilarating new musical about Bobby Darin, the legendary singer whose short but remarkable life took him from teen idol to global sensation, inspiring generations of performers who followed.  JUST IN TIME transports audiences into an intimate, swinging nightclub complete with a live band, a stellar ensemble cast, and iconic Bobby Darin hits including “Beyond the Sea,” “Mack the Knife,” “Splish Splash," and “Dream Lover.” Discover the man behind the music who pushed back against the record labels to chart a new course for himself on the charts – a once-in-a-lifetime talent who knew his time was limited and was determined to make a splash before it was too late.

Circle in the Square Theatre (235 W. 50th St.)

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.JustInTimeBroadway.com.

13) Maybe Happy Ending

Savy Jackson will take on the role of Claire full time beginning 10/20.

Stella Cole steps into the role of Gil Brentley on 10/20 for a limited 4-week run.

Maybe Happy Ending is the story of a chance encounter that sparks connection, adventure, and maybe even love.  It is the offbeat and captivating story of two outcasts near the end of their warranty who discover that even robots can be swept off their feet. Helmed by visionary director and Tony Award- winner Michael Arden with a dazzling scenic design by Tony Award-winner Dane Laffrey and book, music, and lyrics by the internationally acclaimed duo, Tony Award-winners Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending is a fresh, original musical that reminds us what it means to be human and that love is never obsolete.

Belasco Theatre (111 W. 44th St.)

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.maybehappyending.com

C) Concerts

In New York

Courtesy of Richard Hillman PR

14) All Things You Are: Love, Laughter, 

and the Music of Jerome Kern

Shana Farr and Craig Rubano, with Jon Weber at the piano, present All the Things You Are: Love, Laughter, and the Music of Jerome Kern at Chelsea Table + Stage on Monday, October 26 and Thursday November 19 at 7:00 PM. The cover charge is $25–$35, with an additional $25 food/beverage minimum. Doors open for food and beverages one (1) hour before showtime. Chelsea Table + Stage is located downstairs in the Hilton Fashion District Hotel (152 W 26th St., just west of Seventh Ave., NYC 10001). https://ChelseaTableandStage.com.

15) New School Studio Orchestra 

to perform landmark 1977 album Heavy Weather

New School Studio Orchestra (NSSO) revives the music of Weather Report,
one of the most influential jazz fusion groups of the '70s.

Featuring a rare, live performance of the complete 1977 landmark album
Heavy Weather with its iconic hit "Birdland"

Tishman Auditorium at the New School (63 5th Ave.)

This is a free event.

To register, visit event.newschool.edu/nssoheavyweather

Courtesy of Aleba & Co.

16) The Yale Spizzwinks

 The Yale Spizzwinks(?), the world’s oldest underclassman a cappella group, have announced two New York concert dates this October. The performance series serves as a special "hometown tour" celebrating member Clementine Kline, Yale Class of ’29, a NYC native with a background in professional musical theater and acting, including past performances at the local Mac-Haydn Theatre, on Sesame Street, and on the Broadway National Tour of A Christmas Story, The Musical.

St. James Catholic Church (117 Hudson Ave., Chatham)

Wednesday, October 21, at 7:00PM

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Chatham Ticketbud Page

The Church of St. Luke in the Fields (487 Hudson St., NYC)

Saturday, October 24, at 7:00 PM

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit NYC Ticketbud Page

D)Dance

In New York

Courtesy of Michelle Tabnick PR

17) Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre Fall 2026 Open Rehearsal

The artists and board of Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre will share an intimate first look at the creative process of their developing work, Exposed. 

The open rehearsal will be followed by a wine and cheese reception.

Amanda Selwyn Dance Studio (412 Broadway, 2nd Fl.)

Wednesday, October 21, 2024 at 6:00 PM

Tickets are free and can be reserved here.

Courtesy of Michelle Tabnick PR

18) Dancing Into Roses

Mystical Feet Company presents the New York premiere of Dancing Into Roses. In 1983, a New York City dancer is hired to bring the latest, hottest disco dances to Germany. In 2018, the same dancer returns to Germany and performs a dance protest on the site of a synagogue burned down on Kristallnacht and turned into a recreational party site. Yehuda L. Hyman is that dancer. Using dance, comedy, and pathos, Hyman tells the true story of his quest to find the dance that transforms pain into happiness.

JACK in Brooklyn (20 Putnam Ave.)

10/23 - 11/1

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/dancing-into-roses

Courtesy of Michelle Tabnick PR

19) Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

at American Dance Guild 70th Anniversary Festival

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, one of the nation’s leading contemporary dance ensembles, founded by Chinese-American choreographer Nai-Ni Chen and now led by Artistic Director Greta Campo and Executive Director Andy Chiang, will be part of the American Dance Guild’s 70th Anniversary Festival 

The opening night of the four-day Festival will feature a tribute to choreographer Nai-Ni Chen, whose work was deeply rooted in both Chinese and American dance traditions. The evening will also include works by Mireille Nina Buisson, Beth Jucovy/Dance Visions NY, Lola Rose Jenkins, Dances We Dance/Performing Ensemble, Ishmael Konney, The Bang Group, West Devaney and the Murray Louis Foundation. The evening will be followed by a reception at 9:30pm.

Alley Citigroup Theater (405 W. 55th St.)

October 22 at 7:30 PM

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www

.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/70th-anniversary-festival

Courtesy of Michelle Tabnick PR

20) New Yorkers for Dance

Dance/NYC announces full program details for NEW YORKERS FOR DANCE, the organization's annual celebration in support of its work advancing equity and opportunity across the New York City dance field. 

The evening will celebrate Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles, Tony Award-winning Co-Choreographers of Broadway's CATS: The Jellicle Ball, with the 2026 NEW YORKERS FOR DANCE Award. The event will feature music by DJ Ali Coleman, New York City–based DJ, producer, and cultural organizer whose relationship with DJ culture emerged from early disco, block parties, and club spaces. Pop-up installations will feature Dance/NYC grantees, including Bengali-American director, choreographer, educator, and iconoclast Ishita Mili (IMGE) and French-Vietnamese dance artist, curator, and educator Mai Lê Hô (LayeRhythm), as well as local artists including Brooklyn-based, multi-genre Afrocentric global dance and drum collective Home & Abroad BK Drumming Group.

26 Bridge in Dumbo (Brooklyn)

Wednesday, October 21, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Dance.NYC/NYFD.

Courtesy of Michelle Tabnick PR

21) Paul Taylor Dance Company 

Celebrated globally for its athletic rigor and emotional depth, Paul Taylor Dance Company brings a captivating showcase of modern dance pioneer Paul Taylor’s work to the Lehman Center stage for one incredible performance! Celebrated globally for its athletic rigor and emotional depth, Paul Taylor Dance Company brings a captivating showcase of modern dance pioneer Paul Taylor’s work to the Lehman Center stage for one incredible performance!

This mesmerizing performance weaves together three distinct Taylor masterworks:

Piazzolla Caldera (1997): Set to Astor Piazzolla’s fiery tango rhythms, this sultry work explodes with nocturnal passion, dark friction, and burning desire in a smoky, intoxicating dive bar.

Spindrift (1993): Set to Horatio Parker’s lush orchestral music, this wind-swept, buoyant work evokes ocean spray and rolling waves as a central soloist navigates the swirling currents of nature.

Cloven Kingdom (1976): Set to Baroque music mixed with driving percussion, this iconic comedy of manners peels back high society's polite facade to reveal the primitive animal nature lurking just beneath.

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts (250 Bedford Blvd., Bronx)

Saturday, October 24, 8:00 PM

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.lehmancenter.org/events/paul-taylor-dance

F) Festivals 

In New York

22) Circle Theater Festival

RJ THEATRE COMPANY and TAL Media are pleased to announce the third annual CIRCLE THEATER FESTIVAL in a three-week limited engagement. Circle Festival reaffirms its commitment to raw, immediate storytelling without commercial dilution.

AMT Theatre (354 W. 45th St.)

10/26 - 11/15

 For more information or to purchase tickets, visit linktr.ee/circlefestival.

23) CUNY Stages Festival

CUNY Stages the network of performing arts centers at CUNY (City University of New York) campuses in all five boroughs is America's largest venue consortium. From historic theatres to new recital halls, CUNY Stages’ 51 venues on 14 campuses serve all New Yorkers as accessible cultural hubs.

For more information, visit www.cunystages.org

G) Run Extension

In New York

Courtesy of DD PR

24) Claws

CLAWS, a 60 minute phone call unlike any other drops audiences right into a terrifying scenario where they must survive the night in Candle House’s award-winning interactive psychological thriller performed entirely through a live phone call and available to anyone - anywhere.

CLAWS places participants directly inside the narrative as they assume the role of a volunteer operator for the fictional “Etcetera Helpline.” Moments into the call, a terrified teenager named Danny reaches out for help. He has a monster trapped in his closet, but as time goes on, you’ll have to decide which side of the closet door the danger is actually on.

The audience’s choices influence the outcome of the story in this suspenseful experience. What begins as a simple plea for help spirals into a series of high-stakes choices. Danny’s life depends on what you believe. Yours might too.

Now closing 11/30

For more information or to book your experience, visit ticketing.candlehouse.org/claws#book

H) What Else is Happening

In New Jersey

25) Kelsey Theatre Interactive Movie Events

WHITE CHRISTMAS - DEC 11

ELF - DEC 12

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS - DEC 13

THE NUTCRACKER - DEC 18 - 20

PLAY ALONG with the actors

SING ALONG with the movie

COME IN COSTUME for the Costume Contest

GOODY BAG Participation Kits for EVERYONE !!

Kelsey Theatre (1200 Old Trenton Rd., West Windsor)

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit kelsey.mccc.edu.

XXX

26) NJPAC Upcoming Events

Comedy Shows 

Darren Fleet 

Darren Fleet is making waves in the comedy circuit and you’ll want to catch the ride. With humorous rants on everyday life, Fleet has been headlining — and selling out — A-list rooms across the country. He has taken the stage at the BET Awards, Essence Festival, CIAA All-Star Weekend and Bronner Bros Hair Convention. See what attracts millions of social media fans to this comedic force.

Friday, October 23, 8:00 PM

Hablando Huevadas 

Hablando Huevadas, the viral video podcast that became a Hispanic comedy phenomenon on YouTube, returns to the U.S. this fall. Ricardo Mendoza and Jorge Luna are hitting the road again following their historic 2024 tour where they became the first Spanish-speaking comedians to sell out Madison Square Garden. Originating in Peru, Hablando Huevadas has reached over 7 million subscribers and 5.1 billion views on YouTube. The 2026 tour, presented by Loud and Live, will feature a revamped version of the format that fans know and love — a blend of hilarious stand-up and improvisation that allows the audience to share the spotlight with the comedians. This show to be performed in Spanish.

Monday, October 26, 8:00 PM and Wednesday, October 28, 8:00 PM

Courtesy of Prana PR

YOUNG MUSICIANS FROM THE ELISABETH MORROW SCHOOL TO OPEN FOR LEGENDARY VIOLINIST ITZHAK PERLMAN 

Young musicians from The Elisabeth Morrow School will open for legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman when he returns to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).

Sunday, October 25, at 2:40 p.m.

NJPAC (One Center St., Newark) 

For more information about these or other upcoming events at NJPAC or to purchase tickets, visit www.njpac.org

 XXX

Courtesy of Prana PR

27) THE NEXT GENERATION OF THEATER STARS TAKES CENTER STAGE 

AT BERGEN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER’S 

FIFTH ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL AWARDS
Registration now open to all New Jersey high schools; June 7 ceremony will celebrate student talent with awards, performances and a formal ball

From showstopping performances to the creativity behind the curtain, high school musicals bring students together to create theater magic. The bergenPAC Performing Arts School will celebrate that passion and dedication with its fifth annual High School Musical Awards, taking place Monday, June 7, 2027, at 7:00 p.m.

Registration is now open to all New Jersey high schools. Schools must register their musical productions by January 11, 2027. Late submissions will not be accepted.

New for 2027, production element awards—including lighting, set design, and hair and makeup—will be divided into two categories based on production budget. This approach is designed to create a more equitable experience for participating schools and recognize creativity across different levels of resources.

Following registration, the bergenPAC High School Musical Awards team will contact each school with next steps. A bergenPAC adjudicator will attend a performance of the school’s musical and share observations with the professional adjudication committee.

The June ceremony will once again double as a formal ball, giving students an opportunity to dress up, celebrate their achievements and enjoy an evening that puts their talents in the spotlight. Selected participating schools will also be invited to perform on the bergenPAC stage, sharing their work with the wider community in an auditorium with more than 1,300 seats.

Schools can register at:
bergenPAC High School Musical Awards Registration

Registration deadline: January 11, 2027
Awards ceremony and formal ball: Monday, June 7, 2027, at 7:00 p.m.
Location: bergenPAC, 30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, N.J.
For questions about registration or participation, contact bergenpac.hsmawards@gmail.com.

 XXX

In New York

28) “THE BROADWAY SHOW 

WITH TAMSEN FADAL”
ANNOUNCES 2026 FALL PREVIEW EPISODE

The Emmy® Award-winning television series “The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal” will air a special Fall Preview episode the weekend of October 17–18, spotlighting the new works arriving on Broadway this season. The series recently raised the curtain on its 14^th season, its sixth in national syndication.

In this special Fall Preview episode:

·         Acclaimed playwright Aaron Sorkin and Emmy winner Bradley Whitford discuss their A Few Good Men reunion and reminisce about “The West Wing.”

·         Solea Pfeiffer and Liisi LaFontaine share what it’s like to star as the real-life Clarke sisters in the new original musical Wanted.

·         Tony® nominees Jasmine Amy Rogers and Denée Benton head back to school in Jocelyn Bioh’s School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.

·         Tony winner Bill Irwin talks pulling double duty as adapter and star of Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid.

·         Stage and screen stars Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell discuss tackling Shakespeare in Much Ado About Nothing and their Marvel Cinematic Universe roots.

·         Longtime friends Nathan Levy and Maxim Chlumecky discuss bringing The Fantasticks to Broadway for the first time, with a twist for the modern age.

·         Screen favorite Lily Rabe talks returning to Broadway in Other Desert Cities alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Allison Janney, Ed Harris and Joe Keery.

·         Songwriters Zoe Sarnak and Michael Weiner reveal what’s written in the stars for their new musical Galileo.

·         K. Todd Freeman and Francis Guinan talk starring in the acclaimed and controversial new play Downstate.

·         Co-writers Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich put a spotlight on Here There Are Blueberries.

·         Fadal previews Billy Crystal’s new play 860, the illusion-based show Now You See Me Live and Inter Alia, starring Rosamund Pike.

 

For more information, visit www.thebroadwayshow.com or follow The Broadway Show on YouTube and Instagram.

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29) Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)

 Upcoming Events

How does it feel to look at nothing by Holland Andrews & yuniya edi kwon

How does life emerge from disintegration? Visionary composer-performers Holland Andrews and yuniya edi kwon make their BAM debuts with the New York premiere of an electrifying interdisciplinary work that fuses sound, movement, and ritual to ponder the ineffable. Voices, instruments, and bodies layer in an ecstatic meditation on nothingness and becoming.

BAM Fisher, Fishman Spac

10/21- 10/25

Toi, moi, Tituba… by Dorothée Munyaneza

How do we summon the presence of someone who is gone? Toi, moi, Tituba… is based on a text by French philosopher Elsa Dorlin about Maryse Condé’s heroine Tituba. As a Black woman and so-called witch, Tituba gives a voice to those silenced by force and erased from history. Munyaneza uses her own body as a danced archive, making suppressed voices audible, visible, and tangible again. A multiplicity of voices and perspectives converge in a single body, so no one is forgotten.

New York Live Arts (219 W. 19th St.)

10/23 & 10/24

I Guess It Was My Destiny to Live So Long by Hanif Abdurraqib

BAM Curator and MacArthur “Genius” Hanif Abdurraqib returns for year three of his vital, viral series celebrating poetry as a force for bringing people together. With Brooklyn icon June Jordan continuing to serve as an inspirational lodestar, this year’s program navigates farther outward than ever, spotlighting powerful voices from across the African Diaspora and bringing new perspectives to Brooklyn’s cultural stage.

Various venues

10/24 - 1030

For more information about these or upcoming BAM events or to purchase tickets, visit www.bam.org.

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Courtesy of Anat Gerstein

30) Brooklyn Children’s Museum Puts STEM in Motion with New BMX Exhibit

 

Riders Ready: The Science of BMX opens October 24 with BMX demonstrations, family activities, and a chance to be a part of the exhibit 

Starting October 24, 2026, visitors to Brooklyn Children’s Museum can experience Riders Ready: The Science of BMX, a new 2,500-square-foot exhibit that invites children to explore the science behind the fast-paced world of bicycle motocross (BMX). Through hands-on activities, visitors will learn about bike setup and track design, how helmets work, and the principles of speed, energy, balance, and friction.

Families can celebrate opening day with live BMX demonstrations by professional riders Matty Cranmer and Chad Douglas that showcase the speed, skill, and excitement of the sport. The celebration also includes helmet decorating with Transportation Alternatives, an On Our Bikes storytime and singalong with author Dan Saks, a cycling glasses raffle courtesy of 100Percent, and bike raffles courtesy of the BMX Foundation.

BCM also invites families to share photos and videos of their children’s early bike-riding moments, from training wheels and wobbly first rides to pedaling on their own. Other riding photos and videos are welcome, too. Submissions will be compiled into a video montage for the exhibit. Families can submit at www.brooklynkids.org/ride or by messaging @bcmkids on Instagram. Those who submit by October 21 will receive two free Museum admission tickets for opening day, Saturday, October 24.

Riders Ready: The Science of BMX at Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Dates: October 24, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Location: 145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213

Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am – 5 pm (Museum closed Monday and Tuesday)

Admission: Included with general admission ($15 per person; free for children under age 1)

Tickets: www.brooklynkids.org/tickets 

More information: www.brooklynkids.org/exhibits/riders-ready 

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Courtesy of Michelle Tabnick PR

31) brooklynONE productions

presents

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

October 24, 2026, at 8PM

at Industry City, Courtyard ½

254 36th St., Brooklyn, NY 11232

Get ready to do the Time Warp again! Join brooklynONE productions for their Annual Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadow Cast Event on October 24 at 8PM at Industry City! A 7pm pre-show includes a round of Trivia with Sal & Al Trivirama with prizes and Rocky Horror Picture Show centric questions. Tickets are free and can be reserved here.

This year, brooklynONE pays tribute to the legendary Tim Curry with a special video celebration honoring his unforgettable career and the iconic performance that made Dr. Frank-N-Furter a cultural phenomenon. Then join in for Sal and Al Trivia!

The fabulous bkONE shadow cast, directed by Geoffrey Doig-Marx, will bring the film to life with a wildly interactive performance. Shout, dance, use props (prop bags available for purchase), and even get in on the action through open acting opportunities. Whether you’re a seasoned fan or a Rocky Horror “virgin,” everyone is invited to join the madness!

Admission to the shadow-cast screening is completely FREE, because Rocky Horror is always better with a packed house.

Come dressed as your best Frank-N-Furter and enter the Frank-N-Furter Look-Alike Contest for just $5. Strut, pose, perform, and let the audience decide who truly deserves the crown.

Then, when the movie ends, don’t go home—the night transforms into a ticketed Time Warp After Dark DJ Party. Keep dancing, celebrating, and doing the Time Warp late into the night! Tickets are $15 and can be purchased while reserving tickets.

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Courtesy of Lincoln Center 

32) Lincoln Center's Open House celebrates campus-wide artistry

On Sunday, October 25, audiences are invited to wander the campus and experience everything from a giant roaming puppet and a plaza-wide immersive artwork to Broadway storytimes, dance and opera workshops, live music, community singing, artmaking, participatory performances, and more. Spanning more Lincoln Center venues than ever before, Open House offers a rare opportunity to experience the breadth of artistic experiences presented across campus year-round, all for free.

For more information, visit LincolnCenter.org/OpenHouse.

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33) “PRE-EXISTING CONDITION” ANNOUNCES UPCOMING POST-SHOW TALKBACKS 

Pre-Existing Condition will be hosting a series of post-show talkbacks that will take place in October during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The talkbacks will cover themes that are prevalent in the production.

Thursday, October 15
Topic: Generation to Generation: Recognizing the Red Flags and Preventing IPV
Hosted by Nia Thompson with panelists Nicola Singleton, LCSW and Dr. Taiwo Alonge
Presented in partnership with Full Circle Health

Monday, October 19
Topic: A Survivor-Centered Community: Creating Safety and Support for People Impacted by Intimate Partner Violence
Hosted by Leila Wood with panelists Betsy Tsai, J.D, M.S. and Tabinda Khan
Presented in partnership with New Destiny Housing and VIPR

Wednesday, October 21
Topic: Advocacy in Action: What It Takes to Change the System
Hosted by Simone Monasebian with panelists Renata Francois, Sharwline Nicholson, Lindsey Song, Ted Bunch, and Dael Orlandersmith
Presented in partnership with Sanctuary for Families

Additional talkbacks will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for Pre-Existing Condition are on sale now and available at www.preexistingconditionplay.com. A percentage of the proceeds from the production will go towards Sanctuary for Families Survivor Leadership Fund.

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34) Teatown Lake Reservation

Celebrates Halloween

with Family-Friendly Enchanted Forest Event

Kids and families will enter the Enchanted Forest for a guided adventure in search of the season’s sweetness, featuring a cast of whimsical characters and familiar forest friends. Costumes are optional but encouraged. Comfortable shoes and clothing suitable for weather are recommended. Kids ages three and under are free. Tickets include a 30-minuted guided walk, parking, a treat for kids, seasonal crafts and a visit with Teatown’s animal ambassadors. Tickets for non-member kids are $20 plus tax, while tickets for non-member adults are $15 plus tax.

Teatown Lake Reservation (1600 Spring Valley Rd., Ossining) 

Saturday, October 24, 10:30 AM to 3:45 PM

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Courtesy of Michelle Tabnick PR

35) National Tour of UnRavelled by Jake Broder Continues

At The Miller Theatre from October 23–24, 2026

Miller Theatre, Columbia University

The national tour of Jake Broder’s UnRavelled continues at The Miller Theatre at Columbia University, Broadway at 116th Street, New York, NY. Performances: Friday, October 23rd at 7:30pm and Saturday, October 24th at 1pm. Tickets are $20 for balcony seats, $35 for side orchestra seats, and $45 for center orchestra seats. Friday tickets are available here; Saturday tickets are available here. Discounts are available for Students (ID required), Columbia staff and faculty, and seniors. For more information about UnRavelled, visit here.



UnRavelled is presented in partnership with: Department of Anthropology; Department of Psychology; Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute; The School of the Arts; Program in Medical Humanities at the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society; Doctoral Program in Theatre and Performance; Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior; and the Division of Narrative Medicine, Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics.

A powerful synthesis of theatre, music, science and visual art, UnRavelled explores the complexities of the human mind through the parallel lives of scientist-turned-painter Anne Adams and composer Maurice Ravel, both affected by frontotemporal dementia. With a cast of 10 actors and musicians, this East Coast premiere follows Adams, a gifted biologist whose life unravels as she abandons her career, consumed by the desire to paint and an obsession with Ravel's iconic Boléro. As Adams' cognitive decline accelerates, her art flourishes, revealing a surprising link between neurological disease and creativity.

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In Pennsylvania

Courtesy of FH PR Impact

36) PHILADELPHIA’S ROCK RADIO REVOLUTION TAKES THE SPOTLIGHT AT BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE

Free Spotlight Series Event Features Erin Riley, Author of The Mighty WMMR

October 22 conversation explores Philadelphia’s rock-and-roll radio history
and the music behind the Playhouse’s “Rock of Ages”

From Journey and Bon Jovi to Pat Benatar and Poison, the songs that powered rock radio in the 1980s are also at the heart of Bucks County Playhouse’s production of “Rock of Ages.” On Thursday, October 22, the Playhouse will explore the era from a distinctly Philadelphia perspective when music executive and author Erin Riley discusses her new book, “The Mighty WMMR: An Oral History of Philadelphia’s Rock Radio Revolution,” as part of the Playhouse’s free Spotlight Series.

The conversation begins at 4:15 pm, immediately following the 1:30 pm matinee of “Rock of Ages.” The Spotlight event is free and open to everyone; attendance at the performance is not required. Reservations are highly recommended as space is limited. To reserve a seat, visit BucksCountyPlayhouse.org.

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Courtesy of Aversa PR 

37) HALLOWEEN HOUSE MAKES PHILADELPHIA DEBUT AT FASHION DISTRICT WITH ALL-AGES IMMERSIVE SPOOKY SEASON EXPERIENCE

Center City welcomes its first-ever 

major all-ages Halloween attraction

New Jersey’s #1 most popular all-ages Halloween attraction has now expanded and opened in Philadelphia for 2026 spooky season!  After last year's huge success at Deptford Mall, Halloween House Philly has now moved to Center City with double the space, 10 fully themed rooms, new interactive experiences, theme days, a retail shop and plenty of fun for families, friends and Halloween lovers of all ages. Designed to be spooky but never scary, Halloween House Philly takes visitors on a larger-than-life adventure through a winding Halloween 'maze' filled with imaginative environments, eye-catching displays, picture-perfect photo opportunities, hands-on activities and interactive challenges around every corner. Unlike traditional haunted houses, there are no live monsters, frightening actors or unexpected jump scares. Instead, guests can explore at their own pace, discover surprises along the way and enjoy a playful Halloween experience that delivers all the fun of the season without the fright. The adventure even concludes with a surprise trick AND a surprise treat! Halloween House Philly is located directly inside the AMC Entrance (10th/Filbert), up the escalator and on the second floor by Primark. Hours are mall hours, Monday through Thursday during mall hours, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, Friday from 4:00pm to 8:00pm, Saturday from 11:00am to 8:00pm and Sunday from 11:00am to 6:00pm. For tickets, additional information and sneak peeks inside the attraction, visit halloweenhousephilly.com and follow @HalloweenHousePhilly on social media.

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Other

Courtesy of Fathom Entertainment

38) Tickets for LAIKA’S Epic Fantasy Wildwood 

LAIKA’s Sixth Stop-Motion Feature Opens Exclusively in Theatres
October 23, 2026

 

Select Presentations Will Be Available in 4DX, DBOX and Dolby Cinema

 

LAIKA’s Wildwood, the studio’s epic new stop-motion fantasy, opens exclusively in theatres October 23. To mark the occasion, LAIKA today debuted the film’s final trailer. The trailer showcases LAIKA’s signature handcrafted filmmaking and offers the biggest look yet at Prue McKeel’s journey into the hidden world of Wildwood and the escalating stakes of her quest to bring her brother home.

Tickets for Wildwood are now available in the United States at participating theatre box offices and online at WildwoodMovie.com. Fathom Entertainment is distributing the film theatrically in the United States. International sales are handled by FilmNation Entertainment.

 

Wildwood will be presented in select premium formats and experiences, including 4DX, DBOX and Dolby Cinema, where available.

 

For more information, visit FathomEntertainment.com.

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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for More Theater Monday.

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