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About APAC

About

About

The Avenel Performing Arts Center (APAC) is a multi-disciplinary performing arts center located in Avenel, New Jersey. Funded by the Woodbridge Arts Alliance, The APAC promises to energize Avenel and surrounding communities by programming exceptional, professional theatre, music, comedy, dance and more.

Mission

Woodbridge Arts Alliance (WAA) is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advocating, activating and animating Downtown Woodbridge and Avenel as hubs for the arts in the Township of Woodbridge. Starting with The Avenel Performing Arts Center, the WAA will play a leadership role in helping to advance the Township’s art-driven economic plan—a plan that includes further development of enhanced arts programming and education representative of the diverse population in the area. Woodbridge Arts Alliance will build and expand on these existing arts activities to further activate the Township of Woodbridge as a regional hub for the arts. The goal is to inform and help build capacities needed to organize and distinguish Woodbridge as an arts destination to help advance the economic position of artists, creative entrepreneurs and associated entities.

Staff

Anthony Wilkinson

Executive & Artistic Director

Bio

Brad Sarboukh

Executive Assistant to the Executive & Artistic Director

Kiersten Morgan

Marketing Manager

John W. Anderson-Silva

Box Office Manager

Alison Hegarty

Front of House Coordinator

Kaitlyn Crinigan Curtains

Front of House Manager

Woodbridge Arts Alliance Board of Trustees

Officers:

Caroline Ehrlich, President

Peter Visceglia, Vice President

Patrick Muller, Treasurer Mayor

John E. McCormac, Ex-Officio

Board Members:

Christine Dehart

Steve Dillon

Tom Favinger

John Hogan

Gail Lalla

Alan Schall

Jeff Schein

Mahesh Shah

Robin Lefkowitz

Cory Spillar

Pat Trombetta

Christina Vreeland

Hugh Drumm

Michael Widmer

Anthony Wilkerson Bio

A born and raised New York native, Anthony is a graduate of NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences for English and Creative Writing. He started his career as an Intern Writer at ABC Daytime’s One Life To Live in 1996 and during his fourteen years there he worked his way up to the position of Associate Director. While in that position he earned three Daytime Emmy Awards, seven nominations and was a two-time recipient of the Directors Guild of America Award.

Anthony’s original production of My Big Gay Italian Wedding started his other passion in the theatre world, when it opened Off-Broadway in 2003 at the Actor’s Playhouse and later moved to Theatre Four in the spring of 2004. In 2006, Anthony wrote and starred as “Rio La Rocca” in the Off-Broadway production of Boys Just Wanna Have Fun. Anthony restaged My Big Gay Italian Wedding in September of 2009 at the St. George Theatre for an audience of almost 2,000 people. After much discussion and huge debates with regards to the topic, its rave reviews and success prompted an explosive revival on Restaurant Row with a full out Equity cast in April of 2010. The run was expected to last six weeks, and wound up extending 14 times in the same location.

During the run, the show hosted some major celebrities in efforts to help raise money and awareness for marriage equality and the Trevor Project. Aside from New York City, the show has already played in multiple cities in the US as well as Edinburgh, London, Vancouver, Hong Kong and parts of France. On March 1, 2018, the film “Puoi Baciare Lo Sposo” opened all over Italy, an Italian film version based on the play “My Big Gay Italian Wedding.” The film has been distributed with subtitles across different parts of the world and did extremely well in the box office.

In June of 2013 Anthony opened the sequel to My Big Gay Italian Wedding, My Big Gay Italian Funeral. The funeral ran for over two years at St. Luke’s Theater in New York City, and has also been licensed in multiple locations by Samuel French. Wilkinson’s next chapter, “My Big Gay Italian Midlife Crisis” opened at the Theater Center Off-Broadway in November of 2015. My Big Gay Italian Midlife Crisis has also been published and has already been licensed in Kentucky, New Jersey and Michigan.

In December of 2017, Wilkinson launched the latest chapter of the series “My Big Gay Italian Christmas,” which opened in Atlantic City at the Golden Nugget Casino as a special holiday production. The show is being brought back to the Nugget for a special Christmas in July performance. Wilkinson continues to play the role he originated “Anthony Pinnunziato” in the New York and Casino productions.

Anthony currently resides in Woodbridge, New Jersey and can now be seen on Amazon Prime on the new hit series “Tainted Dreams,” which landed him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Digital Drama Series. He is currently employed by Woodbridge Township and was recently appointed as the Executive & Artistic Director for the new Avenel Performing Arts Center scheduled to open in February of 2019.