The primary mission of the Somerset County Cultural Arts Center is to grow the arts in Somerset County – currently by creating a performing arts center and arts incubator at the Brook Theatre in Bound Brook, NJ.
HOW IT BEGAN
About 8 years ago, a small group of local residents and businessmen looked at the Brook Theatre as a potential catalyst of artistic growth in the historic district. At that time, downtown Bound Brook was showing signs of cultural enrichment – 2 art galleries, a trendy “tea room”, etc. A nonprofit corporation, the Somerset County Cultural Arts Center, dba Brook Arts Center, was created to spearhead the effort. Then, the 1999 flood struck. The US EDA (Economic Development Administration), in a report written in combination with FEMA, suggested that the vision to create an “arts incubator” would be a valuable resource for revitalization in the flood-stricken area. An arts incubator is a breeding ground for new and existing arts organizations to thrive. The model for this project, the Arlington, Virginia Arts Incubator (www.arlingtonarts.org) has been in existence for over 10 years and is home to 35 different arts organizations. Currently, the number of audience patrons at the Arlington Arts Incubator surpasses twice the county’s population.
In September 2002, the US EDA backed up their support with a $2.4 million grant to help make the Bound Brook arts incubator a reality. Also, the Somerset County Freeholders generously committed $200,000 toward this special project. The theatre was leased with an option to buy and the theatre lobby was renovated. To begin the job of drawing audiences to the Brook, performances began in its 1500-square foot lobby in June 2001. Stage lighting, sound equipment and a small stage was installed. Comfortable seats, mostly donated from Verizon, were set up for the audience.
LOBBY SERIES
The purpose of the Lobby Series is to gauge what the audiences will attend, basically a marketing survey. In 2001, we did four productions in the lobby (LOVE LETTERS, AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’, GROSS INDECENCY: THE THREE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE, and NUNSENSE). Also, we added Children’s Show productions by a national touring theatre company – Sail Productions. The Garden State Theatre Organ Society offered silent movies with organ accompaniment. A 75-year anniversary celebration (January 19-20, 2002) presented 10 different performances in 36 hours. The following weekend, a play was performed in Spanish to tap that market, followed by a Spanish children’s theatre production sponsored by AT&T. Beginning in February 2002, we created a Cabaret Series and joined the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC). We began with a ROMANCE CABARET (on Valentine’s Day), followed by a PATRIOTIC CABARET (attended by Senator Jon Corzine), a JAZZ CABARET and finally a BROADWAY WAR MUSICAL CABARET, sponsored by Somerset County Vo Tech Schools Foundation, to commemorate the Battle of Bound Brook. Our 2002-2003 season included five productions by Alliance Repertory Theatre Company, an Associate Member of the NJ Theatre Alliance, the league of NJ professional theatres. They included Comedy Café, Children of a Lesser God, Spinning Into Butter, Lone Star/Laundry & Bourbon, and David Mamet’s Oleanna, which the Star Ledger’s Peter Filicia called, “a harrowingly effective production.” Other productions that season have included You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Mary, Mary, Stephen Sondheim’s Company, and the Pulitzer Prize winning Our Town.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
We have recently received a mortgage from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority through a special direct loan from the Community Economic Development Fund. That, along with the Federal and County funding, moves us closer to opening the doors to make the Brook an amazing showpalace for Somerset County audiences to enjoy and Somerset County artists to share.
Brook Arts Center
10 Hamilton Street, Bound Brook, NJ 08805 732-469-7700
www.brookarts.org
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