OnStage Seniors

OnStage Seniors

Originally founded in 2007, Onstage Seniors officially became a part of McCarter Theatre Center in 2014. Like many theatre groups, our footlights went dim during the pandemic. As we emerged, we came under the sponsorship of the Center for Modern Aging of Princeton (CMAP), joining their host of programs designed to educate and engage the community.

Our impactful program creates documentary theater performances that explore the stories of our local community. Our ensemble members — all over fifty-five — perform in theaters, libraries, schools, and senior centers generating delight, insight, and affirmation about senior memories and experiences.

Our current collection of stories is titled “How Did We Get Here?” and is available for performances from May until December 2025. “How Did We Get Here?” includes both humorous and moving accounts of the people and events in our lives that have influenced where we are today.

VIDEO CLIPS

These video clips will give you a peek at what our shows are like.

Here is an older clip from when we were under the sponsorship of McCarter Theatre:

OUR PROCESS

We create original documentary scripts gathered from interviews ensemble members conduct with people in their communities.

Each year, the ensemble chooses a different theme and holds story circles where people share stories related to that theme. These interviews are recorded, transcribed, and shaped into monologues and scenes about everything from dating over age 65, to climbing to the top of a building in Greece, to having an epiphany in the grocery store, to making tough end-of-life decisions.

We rehearse and perform our productions under the direction of New Jersey teacher and playwright David Lee White. Each performance is followed by a post-show discussion about the issues that are raised in the scripts. Our ensemble’s year is divided into acting classes, script creation, and rehearsing our new projects.

The OnStage theater experience is one that comes full circle. One voice leads another to speak, with new stories emerge. After the show, the audience shares stories that matter to them—and some end up in next year’s show!

UPCOMING SHOWS

Lights. Camera. Action.

UPCOMING SHOWS

"Give And Take"

Wednesday, November 20 at 1:00 p.m.
THE JEWISH CENTER
435 Nassau St.
Princeton, NJ 08540

"How Did I Get Here?"

Our upcoming 2025–2026 season is titled "How Did I Get Here?" Public shows will begin in the Spring of 2025. Please check back here for times and dates in April. We hope to see you at our future shows!

Our upcoming 2025 season is titled “How Did I Get Here?” and public shows begin in the spring of 2025. Please check back here for times and dates. We hope to see you at our future shows!

TODAY
February 05, 2025
  • • 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

    Using your Wits Memory Workshop

    NSK

    This workshop offers a fun, interactive six-part series on brain health and dementia prevention!"

    Read More
  • • 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

    92nd Street Y Live: Allison Miller:...

    NSK

    Experience Rivers in Our Veins at 92NY! Allison Miller and Michelle Dorrance fuse jazz, tap, and video in a vibrant, immersive tribute to America’s waterways.

    Read More
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“OnStage has given me so much joy in my first year with the group. I have learned to have more confidence in myself and love being a part of this connection to the community”

— SAMUEL F.

BE THE FUEL

MAKE A DONATION TODAY

Your generosity is truly the fuel that empowers CMAP to change lives and to help older adults discover their “why!”

We invite you to donate to the 2023–2024 Annual Giving Campaign by June 30 to help us reach our goal.