Plays-in-the-Park

In 1963, community theater volunteers contacted the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders asking for financial support in their endeavor to find a space to produce shows in the summer months. With only enough funding budgeted to construct a storage shed, a compromise was met. In the summer, the shed would be used as a theater, and in the winter it would be used for storage. A grove in Roosevelt Park was chosen as the site, and Plays-in-the-Park opened in 1963. Since then, the theater has become an integral part of the community, especially during the summer months. It is now a permanent structure with dressing rooms and a scenic shop.

However, on July 24, 1975, a garbage can fire destroyed the theater during the run of Man of La Mancha. The next day reconstruction began, and mobile trailers were brought in to finish the run of the show and the rest of the season. A new amphitheater, the Stephen J. Capestro Theatre, was opened in 1978 thanks to funding from the County and the Green Acres Commission.

The theater is staffed by working theater professionals and features some of the latest sound and lighting equipment. Since 1978, it is estimated that over one million people have attended Plays-in-the-Park performances.[2]

2020: Cancelled due to Coronavirus
2019: Evita, Newsies the musical, The Addams Family
2018: Fiddler on the Roof, Mamma Mia, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown
2017: Legally Blonde, West Side Story, Mary Poppins
2016: The Little Mermaid, Sister Act, South Pacific
2015: Oklahoma!, Young Frankenstein, Jesus Christ Superstar
2014: Sunset Boulevard, Shrek The Musical, Bye Bye Birdie
2013: Les Miserables, Spamalot, Xanadu
2012: My Fair Lady, Damn Yankees, Grease
2011: Annie, Hairspray, Godspell
2010: 1776, The Wedding Singer, High School Musical
1997: Guys and Dolls, The Pirates of Penzance,[4] Music Man, Arsenic and Old Lace
1975: Li'l Abner, Man of La Mancha, Peter Pan

Plays-in-the-Park has received attention and praise for its uncharacteristically high quality production values in a community theater setting.[5] It also provides the community with the children’s theater camp, Kids-in-the-Park, every summer. Children ages 8 through 11, generally grades 2 through 5, can participate. In a small-scale amphitheater located in Warren Park, NJ, a total of 250 children attend two workshops and put on performances at the end of the sessions for family and friends. Plays-in-the-Park also has a venerable relationship with the Cerebral Palsy Institute. Before the federal legislation made wheel-chair access mandatory, Plays-in-the-Park’s outdoor setting offered barrier-free entry. Local Senior Citizens and Veterans’ homes are frequent visitors, as are many local families due children being admitted free and to the senior citizen discount. Sign Language Interpretation, Audio Description, Sensory Seminars and Open Captioning are all used at specific performances for every run of a show.

Plays-in-the-Park is located in Roosevelt Park (Edison), at 1 Pine Drive, Edison, NJ, 08837.

Many people who got their start at Plays-in-the-Park have gone on to have successful careers in entertainment. Some notable alumni include: Brittany Murphy, Michael Schweikardt (set design for the James Taylor Tour), Timothy Gleason (Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical), Broadway), Amy Toporek (Hairspray (musical), the National Tour), Lorinda Haver (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Broadway), Andrew Hodge (Cats (musical), Tour), Russell Fischer (Jersey Boys, Broadway), Billy Piscopo (Jesus Christ Superstar, Tour), Veronica Kuehn (Mamma Mia (musical), Broadway, Xanadu (musical), Broadway), Susan Santoro (Cats, Broadway, A Chorus Line, Broadway), Coleen Sexton (Jekyll & Hyde, video), Casey Muha (Chicago (musical), Tour, On the Town, Paper Mill Playhouse), Jenny Hill (Seussical, Broadway, Spamalot, Broadway) and Gerard Lebeda (Jesus Christ Superstar, European Tours).

• "NJ On Stage". Archived from the original on 2010-07-01. Retrieved 2010-06-10.

The Producing Director is Gary P. Cohen who has held the position since 1991. Cohen directs the opening show every summer as well as all the October children's musicals, three of which he was authored. Production manager is Michelle Massa who has choreographed the first show each summer since the early 1990s and has directed JOSEPH AND THE DREAMCOAT for 17 years. Other permanent staff include David Gridfin, Mike D'Arcy, Roman Klima, Gabby Komleski and Chris Anderson.

• Plays In The Park official web site