Join young Mowgli as he learns the laws of the jungle with the help of friends like Bagheera and Baloo. Based on Rudyard Kipling’s time-honored adventure, this tale will delight the young and the young at heart!

The Jungle Book

South Orange Performing Arts Center

Hailed by The New York Times for her “effortless” vocals, and by the New York Post for her ability to “whip up laughs out of thin air,” Laura Benanti first took Broadway by storm at the age of 18 as Maria in The Sound of Music, and has subsequently starred in ten more Broadway shows (musicals, straight plays, comedies and dramas) including Into the Woods, Nine (opposite Antonio Banderas), Gypsy (for which she won a Tony® Award), She Loves Me, My Fair Lady, and Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower opposite Amy Schumer and Keegan Michael Key.

Laura Benanti

Class Act Performing Arts Studio proudly presents Disney’s The Little Mermaid, music by Alan Menken; lyrics by Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater; and book by Doug Wright.

Disney’s The Little Mermaid

Class Act Performing Arts Studio proudly presents Heathers The Musical: Teen Edition, book, music, and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy, based on the film by Daniel Waters.

Heathers The Musical: Teen Edition

SOPAC’s first digital Spring Auction will give our supporters, members, patrons, and community partners a unique way to raise significant funds to bring world-class entertainment to our stage and provide transformational arts experiences.

SOPAC Spring Auction

Grammy-winning guitarist, composer, producer, and instructor Mark Lettieri has been heralded as, “a bright emerging star in the guitar world” by Jazz Guitar Today, who lauds his contributions to music as “groundbreaking” and “genre-bending.”  Lettieri is a member of leading instrumental bands Snarky Puppy and The Fearless Flyers.  He is also a session musician proficient in a multitude of styles and has recorded and performed in virtually every genre of popular music

Mark Lettieri Group

We invite you to attend New Jersey Black Empowerment Coalition’s (NJBEC) inaugural NJ Empowerment Awards and Fundraiser. This momentous event will celebrate the individuals and organizations on the frontlines of strengthening democracy, fostering generational wealth, and cultivating the next generation of engaged citizens.

Inaugural NJ Empowerment Awards

Bring your friends and family together in The Loft at SOPAC for an intimate evening of world-class Blues music.  Curated by Mike Griot, this evening filled with luxurious harmonies and swingin’ rhythms is perfect for any Blues lover will feature Blues and Rock guitarist Debra Devi and guitarist Dean Shot.

Blues in the Loft Debra Devi & Dean Shot

Adele and Burt throw a dinner party for their dearest friends. The George Washington Bridge and Brooklyn Battery Tunnel have collapsed into their respective rivers. The steak is on the stove.

New Play: THINGS WITH FRIENDS

Paula Cole’s eleventh studio album, Lo is devastatingly personal and utterly gorgeous. Her first album of original compositions in five years, Lo’s eleven songs, written entirely by Cole, navigate her opening to trust again after indelible blows of life. As the first woman to ever be nominated for the Best Producer Grammy in her own right, Paula Cole returns to the helm of recording as sole producer. On Lo, her loyal bandmates of many years (musicians that are stars unto themselves) join Cole in the studio. Lo was recorded entirely live, featuring full band performances from Jay Bellerose (drums), Chris Bruce (guitars), Ross Gallagher (upright and electric bass, backing vocals) and Rich Hinman (pedal steel, guitars). It was recorded and mixed by nine-time-Grammy-award-winning-engineer, Mike Piersante, whose unique sound is

An Evening with Paula Cole

On the outside, high school junior Jes Holt is doing everything she’s supposed to. On the inside, she’s never felt more alone and longs for something she can’t name. But when Jes meets Cody, Jes’s world comes alive. Set against the backdrop of the greatest drug crisis in our country’s history, She Reached for Heaven is an original coming-of-age story about the devastations of addiction, and one woman’s journey to choose life rather than escape it.

New Musical: SHE REACHED FOR HEAVEN

Get your crew together and come to SOPAC to view the 76th Annual Tony Awards on our state-of-the-art full stage projector on the SOPAC Mainstage!  Come as you are, show off your style in your red carpet best, or cosplay as your favorite Broadway character. There will be many photo opportunities, including having your picture taken in front of our special Pride backdrop.

Tony Awards Viewing Party

Don’t miss acclaimed singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky as she teams up with renowned songwriter and performer Livingston Taylor at SOPAC!  The New Yorker praises Kaplansky as “a truly gifted performer with a bag full of enchanting songs” and The Boston Globe lauds her as “the troubadour laureate of modern city folk.”  Livingston Taylor’s storied 50-year career has seen him perform with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Buffett, and Jethro Tull.  Now they’re coming to SOPAC!  Get your tickets today!

Lucy Kaplansky & Livingston Taylor

Experience your favorite bands up close and personal in SOPAC’s new Jammin’ in the Loft series.  Curated by Gregory Burrus Productions, this series brings talented local bands taking the local music scene by force to the next level with an intimate and energetic experience in The Loft at SOPAC! Come experience the thrill of seeing these talented local musicians perform up close and personal, surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd of friends, fans, and fellow musicians.

Jammin’ in the Loft

With Elaine Tuttle on vocals, Damon Marks on guitar, Paul Santana on keys, Marc Windler on bass, and Gerry Fortus on drums, Frontiers recreates the music of the band Journey to perfection, capturing every nuance, iconic riff, and all the feels.

Frontiers

As our way of saying thank-you to our Members, each season SOPAC hosts member-only events.  This Spring, thanks to our friends at Cinema Lab, we are hosting our first-ever Member Movie Night in Cinema 3 on SOPAC’s third floor!

SOPAC Member Movie Night

Get your friends together for an evening filled with R&B, Funk, and Soul at Flood’s Hill in South Orange!

The Essex Funk Collective is a dynamic R&B, Funk, and Soul cover band made up of long-time community members spanning generations.  Their music brings people of all ages and backgrounds together and creates an atmosphere of celebration that is infectious.

Essex Funk Collective

José James is a forward-looking, genre-defying Jazz singer for the hip-hop generation.  His newest album, 1978, is an instant classic, combining James’ deep love of Jazz and Hip-Hop with songwriting and production nods to R&B heroes Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, and Leon Ware.

José James Presents 1978

A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Roger McGuinn was one of the founding members of one of the most influential psychedelic rock bands of the 1960s, the Byrds, with Gene Clark and David Crosby.

An Evening with Roger McGuinn

Widely regarded as one of the foremost songwriters of her generation, Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk revival of the early 1980s when, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she sang what has been called contemporary folk or neo-folk songs of her own creation in Greenwich Village clubs. Since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed 1985 debut album, she has given sold-out concerts in many of the world’s best-known venues. Known for performances that convey deep emotion, Vega’s distinctive, “clear, unwavering voice” (Rolling Stone) has been described as “a cool, dry sandpaper-brushed near-whisper” by The Washington Post, with NPR Music noting that she “has been making vital, inventive music” throughout the course of her decades-long career.

South Orange Performing Arts Center

May 6, 2024

The Jungle Book

May 7, 2024

Laura Benanti

10 - 12 May, 2024

Disney’s The Little Mermaid

10 - 12 May, 2024

Heathers The Musical: Teen Edition

13 - 19 May, 2024

SOPAC Spring Auction

South Orange Performing Arts Center

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