Free Performances in Memorial Park and SOPAC

Performers have been announced for the second offering of "SOPAC Inside Out," a series of free outdoor performances for kids and families at Meadowland Park in South Orange and Memorial Park in Maplewood this month.

SOPAC will present an original production of the fractured fairy tale Little Red Rosie and the Three Big Pigs by local playwrights Jeff Larkin and Nancy S. Chu. The cast includes Susan Leone (Mom and Granny), the director of Maplewood’s Jazzberries Kindermusic studio; Orange resident Hernell Gabriel (Flora the Pig); Gregory Omar Osborne (Gregory the Pig), a student at Montclair State University; Newark resident Pete Mars (Wolfgang), an NJ School of Dramatic Arts student; Maplewood resident Emma Leone (Rosie); Maplewood resident Elena Helming (Chelsea the Pig); and regional actor and musician, Marie Laine (Narrator and Musician).

Directed by Chu, the performances are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in South Orange and Thursday, Aug. 20 at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in Maplewood.

The outdoor series also features 2008 Grammy nominees Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could. Rymer was inspired to write family-friendly songs when he became a father and leads a band that has garnered 13 national awards and praise from critics across the country. 

Performances are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in South Orange and Thursday, Aug. 27 at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in Maplewood.