Alpha Arts Players at Sussex County Community College Presents a New Play, “And Every Creeping Thing” by New Jersey Playwright Eric Craft



left to right: Tessa Gori of Sparta and Colin O’Sullivan of Hopatcong star in “And Every Creeping Thing” at Sussex County Community College, running August 3-5. Photo by Tessa Gori, SCCC student 

(NEWTON, NJ) — It’s the second day of creation, and the angels are hard at work creating plants, animals, fish, birds and . . . Insects. . . and every creeping thing. There’s a problem with the food chain! How do the celestial beings solve this crisis before the seventh day?

Alpha Arts Players at Sussex County Community College, the student performance group at the college, is excited to present the new play “And Every Creeping Thing,” written by New Jersey Playwright Eric Craft, in development with the NJ Play Lab, and directed by Professor Allison Ognibene of Sparta. The show runs Thursday, August 3 at 7:00pm; Friday, August 4 at 7:00pm; Saturday, August 5 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm at Sussex County Community College’s Student Center Theater, located in Building D. Sussex County Community College is located at One College Hill Road in Newton, NJ. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased online at https://sussex.simpletix.com or at the door.  Please note there is use of profanity.

“And Every Creeping Thing” takes place during the first seven days of Creation. In the beginning, the angels are hard at work designing and managing logistics for Creation, but in the Department of Beasts, an unbalanced food chain threatens to destroy the world before it even starts. One little angel’s passion project may just hold the key to saving Creation, and the creatures that may just be the world’s secret hope — Bugs. In this office comedy of biblical proportions, corporate politics clash with spiritual and artistic fulfillment in a story from before time itself.

 left to right: Colin O’Sullivan and Nicolas Galloza of Hopatcong star in “And Every Creeping Thing” at Sussex County Community College, running August 3-5.

This is the first summer production that Alpha Arts Players are involved with and are creating for the pure art of performing and using their skills that they learned during the past year of learning at SCCC. While Professor Allison Ognibene guided the students with different production roles, Professor Tim O’Connor helped students navigate the new projector and sound system in the student center theater.

In addition to acting in the show, the Alpha Arts Players at SCCC took on the responsibilities of the different theater production positions. SCCC students involved in the production include: Hopatcong residents Colin O’Sullivan (Entiel) and production manager, Nicolas Galloza (Terriel) and properties manager; Emily Rennie (Marina) and marketing, and Jess Dooley, graphic artist; Lafayette resident Nicole Mezack, sound designer and operator;  Sparta residents Tessa Gori (Arachne) and social media coordinator and assistant director, Chris Fiegel (Ariel – lion, performing on Saturday matinee) and assistant stage manager; Stillwater residents Dana Nigro (Ariel – human / eagle) and technical director, Leo Watson (Ariel – Ox) and projection designer and operator; Vernon residents Isabella Cruz (As Empyrean) assistant director and costume designer and Catarina Cruz, lighting designer and light board operator, Michele Dester (as Ariel – lion) and stage manager.

“Sussex County Community College provides a great start for theater students and allows them to explore their craft in a beautiful setting with state-of-the art facilities,” remarked Ognibene.“One of the most significant aspects of this summer workshop was the SCCC college students met with playwright Eric Craft and asked pertinent questions pertaining to the play and his vision. What an incredible way for the students to spend the summer at SCCC!”

Eric Craft holds a B.A. in Theater Students from Montclair State University is a playwright, director, and actor proudly based in New Jersey. He has written two full-length plays and a full-length musical, “The Blank Page”, for which he wrote the book and lyrics and self-produced out of college. His play “And Every Creeping Thing” was selected for a residency with the New Jersey Play Lab in 2022. He has multiple one-act plays and monologues for young actors, including his plays “Finding the Root” and “The Struggle Bus”, among other plays.

Sussex County Community College Fall registration is open! Register for classes and get involved with the Alpha Arts Players in the Theater department!  Learn more about the college by visiting https://sussex.edu.

left to right: Isabella Cruz of Vernon, Nicolas Galloza of Hopatcong and Colin O’Sullivan of Hopatcong star in the new play “And Every Creeping Thing” at Sussex County Community College, running August 3-5.

The Alpha Arts Institute, founded in 2022, operates under the Sussex County Community College 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code, a not-for-profit Higher Education institution in the town of Newton, County of Sussex, New Jersey, USA. The Alpha Arts Institute serves the Visual, Performing and Literary Arts communities locally and regionally, with national and international partners, by providing a high-quality premium platform for Artists, Arts Professionals, Students, Citizens, Residents and Guests.

The Alpha Arts Institute has five main areas of focus to support original Contemporary Art and traditional forms: Performances, Exhibitions, Lectures and Salons, Alpha Arts Film Festival, and a yearly Festival of the Arts. Alpha Arts Institute hosts Artists-in-Residence, visiting scholars, and provides venues for collaborations and partnerships through professionally-guided and administrative support of The College.  The Alpha Arts Institute is founded by Daniel Cosentino, an Artist/Educator currently serving as Dean of Arts and Humanities at SCCC, together with colleagues of the Visual and Performing Arts.