Thursday, February 01, 2007

As part its Black History Month celebration, Bloomfield College will host “Invisible Fences,” an original musical performed by the 4th Wall Musical Theatre on Feb. 8, 9, and 10. “Invisible Fences” will be the first production in 4th Wall’s new M.I.D. (Musicals-in-Development) Stage Series, a program designed to present new musical theater works-in-production.

“Invisible Fences” tells the story of love, hope and perseverance in a racially divided town. Set in 1963, in a rural town in Georgia on the verge of an industrial explosion, in a country on the verge of an even bigger social revolu-tion, “Invisible Fences” follows a biracial woman who believes she is trapped between two worlds. She longs to move forward with her dream of teaching at an integrated school, but finds there is always an obstacle in her way. Along the way, other characters with their own “invisible fences” emerge. Their ability to move through these obstacles comes to a head in the new world of JFK and Martin Luther King Jr.

Featuring a stellar company of New Jersey performers, the cast includes Cathryn Hardy, Matt Burns, Derrick Givens, Vincent Michael, Valerie Edouard, Katherine Riley, Terri Gorgone and Franck Todisco. Gwen Ricks-Spencer, a former Montclair resident and current president of 4th Wall, directs, and Rich Lovallo serves as musical director. Martha Thalheimer of Glen Ridge is production manager. Gregory Allen, artistic director of the Westminster Arts Center at Bloomfield College, and Stephen Kitsakos are the co-writers of “Invisible Fences.”

The staff and cast have worked with the show’s writers throughout the production process, and the show is being mounted as a bare-bones workshop with minimal sets, costumes, and lights, and includes a talk-back session with the audience after each evening’s performance. The M.I.D. Stage Series program will provide a venue for new and emerging writers to see their creations in a workshop setting.

“Invisible Fences” will be performed Feb. 8, 9 and 10, in the Van Fossan Theater in the Westminster Arts Center, located at the corner of Fremont and Franklin streets, on the Bloomfield College campus. Tickets are $10, and may be reserved by calling 973-748-9000, ext. 279, or online at www.bloomfield.edu/westminster.



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