The N.J. Repertory Company (N.J. Rep), Long Branch, will present the romantic comedy, Naked By The River, written by Middletown native Michael T. Folie Oct. 25.

Folie originally aspired to be an actor in the 1980s, but after deciding he didn’t earn enough acting to pay the rent, he took a job as a freelance paralegal and word processor for a New York law firm. The firm’s flexibility, however, allowed Folie to pursue acting jobs.

As time went by, he shifted his attention from on-stage opportunities to writing plays. Folie didn’t abandon his experiences in a law firm, but rather used the material to create the romantic comedy Naked By The River to premiere next month at N.J. Rep.

Folie said, "Naked By The River was inspired — although it is totally fictional — by my own experience. I was an actor then, and I would come and go at this place [the law firm] between acting jobs. Like Tim, I was something of a favored pet at the firm," he commented.

The play is set against the high-pressured backdrop of corporate law, where success is measured in dollars, and (not necessarily) "sense," Folie added.

A Rockland County, N.Y., resident, Folie also authored An Unhappy Woman which premiered at N.J. Rep last year. His next effort, Panama, will premiere July 11 and run through Aug. 11.

Although Folie resides with his wife and two children in Rockland County, he describes himself as "a New Jersey boy through-and-through, born and bred"; he was raised in various sections of Middletown Township.

N.J. Repertory Company, founded in 1998, is dedicated to the development and production of new plays with diverse themes. The theater is at 179 Broadway, Long Branch.

All productions run Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30, with discounts available for groups, students and seniors.

For more information, call the box office at (732) 229-3166.