The new arts center will be
home to George Street Play-
house, Crossroads Theatre Com-
pany, American Repertory Ballet,
and Mason Gross School of the
Arts. Additional organizations
may locate there in the future
as well. The facility will feature
two theater spaces, including a
465-seat lyric proscenium the-
ater, designed to accommodate
musical theater, dance, opera,
and dramatic theater, with an
86-foot stage and an orchestra
pit. It will also include a tower
for suspended stage scenery
and equipment and a trap sys-
tem below the stage used for
scenery effects. The smaller the-
ater will seat 253 people and is
designed for theatrical perfor-
mances, smaller dance perfor-
mances and lectures, as well as
community and musical events.
A new 344-space parking ga-
rage on an existing parking
lot on Bayard Street, currently
NJ STAGE 2017 - Vol. 4 No. 8
owned by the New Brunswick
Cultural Center and TD Bank, is
also part of the project.
The $60 million project is be-
ing run by New Brunswick De-
velopment Corporation (Devco).
In addition to the theatres, 207
residential units will be cre-
ated in an 18-story apartment
tower. With the State Theatre
(and its 1847 seats) located next
door, Livingston Avenue in New
Brunswick will be home to great
events nearly every night. Dev-
co sees that as a great marketing
angle for the apartments.
According to Chris Paladino,
Devco President, 80% of the
apartments will be listed as mar-
ket rate and 20% are listed as af-
fordable. The latter will be mar-
keted to the arts community.
“We’re working with the Actors
Guild with the goal of market-
ing the 20% affordable units
towards people involved in the
arts,” said Paladino. “Not only
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