MIDDLE TOWNSHIP – The Stages Festival of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance has chosen Middle’s Performing Arts Center again as the site for one of its state-wide shows celebrating non-profit professional theatre.
The festival will bring the Centenary Stage Company to the PAC on Tuesday, March 7 for a free 1 p.m. performance of the children’s favorite, “Miss Nelson Has a Field Day.” It is being presented during school hours to enable schools to send students to see it at the state-of-the-art facility. The Stages Festival, spreading from Sussex to Cape May counties, is the state’s largest annual theatre festival, and encourages local audiences to attend non-profit professional theatre in New Jersey. It has served more than 190,000 people since it began 20 years ago.
“Miss Nelson Has a Field Day” is a sequel to last year’s “Miss Nelson is Missing,” which the festival also brought to the PAC. The original hilarious play told the story of a teacher who couldn’t control her classroom because she was too nice. When she disappears she is replaced by a teacher who is just the opposite, and the pupils hire a private detective to find her and bring her back.
The laughs keep coming in “Miss Nelson Has a Field Day” when Miss Nelson decides to enlist the no-nonsense substitute, Coach Viola Swamp, to whip the Smedley Tornadoes, who have never won a football game, into shape for the big Thanksgiving day game. Does the team dare lose again?
The PAC performance is also open to the public. There is free parking and accommodations for the handicapped. For tickets and more information, call (609) 463-1924.