A New Jersey theater will celebrate two leaders this weekend who are taking a final bow when it comes to running the venue. The event will also raise money to help new shows find their way to the stage.

Anyone who has seen a show at Two River Theatre in Red Bank has seen the vision of artistic director John Dias.

Dias says that while he may not be able to count how many productions he has been involved in, he says he is most proud of the original works the nonprofit theater has staged.

"That was one of the first things we did when I got here, was to start up a literary department and commission writers and to start saying, ‘We're going to do new plays and we're going to do new musicals,’” Dias says.

And as he and managing director Michael Hurst both prepare to depart this summer, the theater is setting up a fund to develop new musicals.

A fundraiser is being held at the theater Saturday, launching the effort.

Dias joined Two River in 2010. He says he planned to leave two years ago but stayed to see the theater through the pandemic.

On Friday, Two River Theater announced its shows for the next year - four main stage productions that include classic and world premiere works. Information on programming and Saturday night’s fundraising concert are available on the Twin River website.