The Ritz Theatre Company

08/28/2026

Tonight is the first night of our 6th Annual One-Act Play Festival! Our first three entrants perform tonight:

FROM AMERICA, WITH LOVE, by Caroline Sanchez-Avakian
THE MEET CUTE, by Dan Borengasser
I PAID ENOUGH, by Jay Fink

There are only 3 seats left for tonights performance!

08/27/2026

One week left to submit your audition videos for JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT! Get those videos in!

AUDITION ANNOUNCEMENT
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT

Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Direction: Matthew Weil
Music Direction: Meg Bryan
Choreography: Jodi Zeichner
Stage Manager: Jared Iafolla
Assistant Director: William Reid

The Ritz Theatre Company is currently seeking a diverse and dynamic cast of artists for our upcoming production of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. All ages, 5th grade and up, are encouraged to audition. See below for audition information. All performers will receive a stipend between $150-$250.

AUDITION PROCESS:

1st Round: Video Submissions
Send your headshot, resume, and self-tape to [email protected]. Self-tapes should contain 16-32 bars of a song in the style of the show. Dance reels are encouraged, but not required. YouTube links are preferred. If sending via Google Drive, please ensure anyone provided the link can access the video. Deadline for self-tapes is Wednesday, September 2nd @ 5:00pm.

2nd Round: Callbacks
By invitation only, on Monday September 7th and 9th at 6:30pm.

REHEARSALS: Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings beginning September 20th

PERFORMANCES: December 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20

CHARACTERS/CASTING:

*Please note: Children between 5th and 8th grade will be considered for the children’s choir. We will schedule these children favorably so as not to keep them late at rehearsal. All other teenagers will be auditioning for parts in the adult ensemble and will be expected to attend rehearsals until their scheduled end times.*

NARRATOR - An actress with a strong rock singing voice (high belt to E, full-range Mezzo) who is strong on comedy and moves well.

JOSEPH - Tenor. The eleventh son of Jacob. His father’s favorite, Joseph early on shows a talent for interpreting dreams and telling the future. This gets him into trouble with his brothers when he predicts his future will include ruling over the other eleven. However, it saves his life when in Egypt he correctly interprets Pharaoh’s dreams. In the end, he has risen to a great position of power, but he still forgives his brothers and brings his family to Egypt to partake of the bounty he has accumulated there.

JACOB/POTIPHAR – Joseph’s Father/Noel Coward-type character. Baritone. 50’s-60’s.

THE BROTHERS - Eleven brothers with strong singing voices, the ability to dance, and contrasting body types and ethnicities. Requires featured solo brothers for Country and Western style in “One More Angel in Heaven,” Jacques Brel/Maurice Chevalier style for “Canaan Days,” Harry Belafonte style for “Benjamin Calypso. Two brothers to double the BUTLER and BAKER, and a strong dancer with partnering ability (Adagio) in “The Apache.”

REUBEN
SIMEON
LEVI
NAPHTALI
ISSACHAR
ASHER
DAN
ZEBULUN
GAD
BENJAMIN
JUDAH

MRS. POTIPHAR – Alto/Mezzo

BUTLER - Tenor/Baritone, played by a brother. Character role.

BAKER - Tenor/Baritone, played by a brother. Character role.

PHAROAH - Good actor/singer with Tenor/Baritone range. Elvis Presley impersonator type who moves well. To be doubled by a Brother.

FEMALE ADULT ENSEMBLE – Strong, vocalists and dancers. Including a strong female dancer with partnering ability (Adagio) in “The Apache.”

CHILDRENS CHOIR

08/26/2026

🚨CALL TO ACTION: LET'S SELL OUT OPENING NIGHT🚨

We open on September 4th! There's only 54 seats in our intimate black box setting! LA GRINGA captures the spirit of the Puerto Rican experience. Don't miss this humorous, heartwarming play about family and personal identity. SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT -- let's support this important piece of theatre!

08/26/2026

TECH TIME!

Tonight starts the beginning of tech for the One-Act Play Festival! Tech for the festival is a grueling, hard and fast, two-night process where many of the directors are spacing these original plays in our black box for the very first time. We're setting light cues. We're setting sound cues. We're hammering out logistics.

Have you even bought your tickets yet? Get on it! Check out a couple rehearsal shots of these original plays below!

08/21/2026

Rehearsals are heating up for the One Act Play Festival, but who will emerge victorious!? Opening night of the fesitival is only one week away! Be there or be square.

Grab your tickets at www.ritztheatreco.org

08/21/2026

🎧PODCAST TIME🎧

Director Rico Santiago and actresses Emily Colon and Silvia Darpino sit down with Jersey Arts host Gina Marie Rodriguez to discuss the nuance of culture and our upcoming production of LA GRINGA!

Today’s episode hits extra close to home for host Gina Marie Rodriguez. As a member of the Puerto Rican diaspora who often feels neither here nor there, she says she is honored to get the chance to speak with the director and cast of the Ritz Theatre’s production of “La Gringa.”

08/18/2026

MEET NORMA!

She's always lived in Puerto Rico and she is deeply proud of her culture. Having sacrificed her dreams for her family on the island, Norma harbors resentment towards her sister for leaving and starting a life in New York City. Will Maria be able to win over her aunt's affection?

📅September 4 - 20
🎟 www.ritztheatreco.org

08/18/2026

🚨STAFF ANNOUNCEMENT!🚨

South Jersey has a new Intimacy Coordinator!

Congratulations to Ritz Staff member Lori Aleixo-Howard for completing the requirements to earn a diploma from TIE (Theatrical Intimacy Education) to be an Intimacy Coordinator. She is thrilled to add this title to her resume, and to share her skills as needed here at Ritz Theatre Company and in the South Jersey Theatre Community.

08/17/2026

IDENTITY CRISIS!

Too Puerto Rican to be American.
Too American to be Puerto Rican.

Come see Maria Elena Garcia work through the complexities of personal identity with the help of her family in this heartwarming comedy.

📆September 4th - September 20th
🎟 www.ritztheatreco.org

08/14/2026

The Ritz is committed to learning. Check out the latest workshops cooked up by our Director of Education, Rob Repici!

🎭 RITZ STAGE STARZ FALL WORKSHOPS ARE HERE! 🎭

Ready to take your theatre skills beyond the stage? This September, we're bringing four exciting, new workshops to The Ritz, each led by a talented guest artist and designed to help students explore new areas of theatre, sharpen their skills, and discover something new about their craft.

💃 FOSSE FUNDAMENTALS
Monday, September 14 • Guest Artist: Allison Korn

Explore the iconic style of Bob Fosse through technique, history, and movement! Students will learn the fundamentals of Fosse's signature style, discover the history behind his groundbreaking choreography, and put it all into practice by learning a piece of classic Fosse repertoire.

✍️ PLAYWRIGHT'S PLAYGROUND
Tuesday, September 15 • Guest Artist: Amber Kusching

The Playwright's Playground invites students to explore the exciting world of playwriting! Through creative games, collaborative activities, and hands-on writing, students will learn to build characters, craft conflict, create unique worlds, and write their own original scenes.

🔎 SCRIPT DETECTIVES
Tuesday, September 15 • Guest Artist: Zachary R Taylor

Script Detectives: A Script Analysis Workshop gives students the tools to dig beneath the surface of dramatic text. Through exploring structure, character, context, subtext, and playwright's intent, students will learn to break down scenes and turn the words on the page into playable choices.

🎥 ACTING FOR THE CAMERA
Thursday, September 17 • Guest Artist: Melissa Connell

Step in front of the lens and discover what makes on-camera acting different from (and similar to) theatre! Students will explore commercial and film techniques, learn why less is often more, master eye lines and audition technique, and perfect a confident, professional slate.

Each workshop offers separate sessions for Grades 5–8 (4-5:30 PM) and Grades 9–12 (5:30-7 PM), with the exception of Script Detectives, which is one session for Grades 8–12.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! RitzTheatreCo.org/RitzStageStarz!

Come learn something new, challenge yourself, and take your theatre skills to the next level!