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Our Mainstage Season
Trenton Premieres
TrentonPREMIERES showcases mainstage performances, including new works and classic tales, never before seen in our city that speak directly to the heartbeat of the people of Trenton and the surrounding area.
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Season 41: Not Afraid marks a bold declaration of identity, resilience, and artistic ambition for Passage Theatre Company. In a time when the world feels adrift and institutions everywhere face uncertainty, Passage stands firm—not waiting to be rescued, but forging its own way forward. Season 41 draws its title and spirit from the song "Not Afraid” by The Suffers, echoing a defiant refusal to be silenced or sidelined. From the brink of closure just two years ago to a period of renewed growth and artistic vitality, Passage has emerged stronger than ever—expanding its community partnerships, rebranding its core programs, and deepening its commitment to Trenton’s most underrepresented voices. As always, Passage strives to make professional theatre accessible and relevant to the disenfranchised populations of Trenton and greater Mercer County, centering the stories, struggles, and triumphs of communities too often left out of the American stage.
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The season opens with a radical new staging of Amiri Baraka’s groundbreaking plays Dutchman and The Slave, presented as Act I and Act II of the same play, under the direction of longtime collaborator and Passage artist-in-residence Ozzie Jones. These provocative works examine the descent of Western civilization into madness, exploring race and identity across time, space, and relationship—from the fevered intensity of youthful passion to the raw aftermath of emotional betrayal. We close the season with Muleheaded, or Zora and Langston write a play, a vibrant world premiere by David Robson that brings to life the brilliant but turbulent creative friendship between Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. Both a love story and a cautionary tale, Muleheaded challenges us to consider how we heal after the dream is deferred and the history is rewritten. Season 41: Not Afraid, Passage Theatre invites our audiences to confront the past, reimagine the future, and walk through uncharted waters together with courage—not only to bear witness but to believe.
Dutchman is an emotionally charged and highly symbolic version of the Adam and Eve story, set on a subway car, was the first critical success for playwright/activist LeRoi Jones, aka Amiri Baraka.
The Slave is an examination of racial tension in contemporary America, The Slave is the story of Walker Vessles, a Black man who visits the home of his ex-wife, a white woman now married to a white professor.
Our production will be unlike any of this classic play done before it. Dutchman and the Slave will be done as one play. Act One and Act Two.
In Muleheaded, or Zora and Langston Write a Play by David Robson, literary legends Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes team up to write a Broadway play—but artistic dreams give way to betrayal, ego, and heartbreak. Set during the Harlem Renaissance and inspired by true events, this sharp, soulful drama explores the fragility of friendship, the weight of ambition, and what happens when the dream is deferred.
Passage Theatre's Season 41 production of Muleheaded will mark the play's world premiere!
Subscriptions
We are now offering season subscriptions to our Trenton Premieres series that will grant you admission to both shows in our mainstage series and additional programming through the year.