To celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial, nonprofit Jersey Central Theatre Company will be performing a staged reading of a new play highlighting New Jersey history on SUNDAY, AUGUST 2nd, 3:00 PM, at the Patricia M. Kuran Cultural Arts Center (The Carriage House) next to Fanwood Borough Hall.
“THE FRANKLIN PLAY: or, More or Less a Play About Benjamin Franklin” by Alaina Tennant. Set in 1775 and 1776, when Ben Franklin's son William was the Royal Governor of New Jersey. A large portion of the play takes place at William’s mansion in Perth Amboy. In taking on a new, more nuanced look at the American Revolution, Perth Amboy becomes a place of sympathy and belonging for these characters. Located between the very patriotic Philadelphia and the very loyal-to- the-crown New York City, New Jersey faced a unique conflict in 1776, and that conflict becomes personified here.
The cast will feature members of Actors’ Equity Association, the professional actors’ union.
Alaina Tennant is a playwright from Akron, Ohio. Her work often deals with questions in history and humanity. She is a BFA Playwright student at Ohio University and an Alumna of The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center’s National Theatre Institute. Recent awards include the ACTF Region V Julie Jensen Playwriting Award (2026), Bela Kiralyfalvi Student Playwriting Award (2025), and International Thespian Excellence Award for Playwriting (2025). In addition to writing, Alaina is a museum studies student who greatly values her time spent volunteering with local archives and military history museums.
Doors will open at 2:30 PM. Suggested cash contribution is $10.00 per person. No reservations; limited open seating.
The Patricia M. Kuran Cultural Arts Center is located next to Borough Hall at 135 Watson Rd. (off Martine Ave.), Fanwood, NJ, just one block north of the historic Fanwood Train Station on NJ Transit’s Raritan Valley Line.
In partnership with the Fanwood Cultural Arts Commission. For further information, or to be added to their email list, visit Jersey Central Theatre Company at jerseycentraltheatre.com.
This program is made possible in part by a 2026 HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant from the Union County Board of County Commissioners.