Arts
WHERE SHOULD I VISIT?
Red Bank is home to both the historic Count Basie Theatre
and Two River Theater. The Basie features a wide range of
local and national talent ranging from music and theater
to stand-up and film, bringing over 200,000 people into
the town each year.
Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic
Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael
Hurst, has garnered national attention for developing
and producing great American theater with some of the
most talented directors and actors in the country.
Phoenix Productions of Red Bank, known by its tagline,
“Broadway in the ‘Burbs,” producing incredible main
stage musical theater with both local and big city talent.
Monmouth Civic Chorus has been called “Close to
perfect and close to home.” This all-volunteer group
of more than 100 members brings a professional level
of choral music to Monmouth County with concerts
throughout the year.
Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan offers a variety of
concerts, musicals, films and other events throughout the
year in this former movie house. NJ Repertory Company,
a professional nonprofit theater and a recent recipient of
the National Theater Company Award from the American
Theater Wing, develops and produces new plays. From
script-in-hand readings to full productions, you’ll see
world premieres by some of theater’s most talented
playwrights, directors and actors.
For those looking for visual arts, the Corridor has
numerous galleries and museums featuring changing
exhibitions. Middletown Arts Center, Brookdale
Community College’s Center for Visual Arts Gallery,
Art 629 Gallery, the Art Alliance, Atlantic Highlands Arts
Council’s Arts Corner, the Guild of Creative Art, Detour
Gallery and the Belmar Arts Council all show artwork by
local professional and amateur artists. Stop by Water
Witch Coffee in Highlands and enjoy an exhibit with
your caffeine.
The Monmouth Museum on the Brookdale Community
College campus in Lincroft features an Emerging
Artist Gallery, art, history and science exhibitions, and
hands-on children’s exhibits in the WonderWing and the
Becker Children’s Wing.
Monmouth University Center for the Arts has a rich
season of arts for everyone from students to residents
and visitors. It has everything: concerts, theater, dance,
simulcasts of national and international opera and
theater at the Pollak and Lauren K. Woods theaters
and the Multipurpose Activity Center, a 4,100-seat
arena that hosts topname
performers.
The Joan and Robert
Rechnitz Hall’s Dimattio
Gallery, the Ice House
and Pollak Galleries
showcase local, national
and international artists
in rotating exhibitions.
The Visiting Writers
Series brings the most
celebrated poets and
authors from around the
world to Long Branch.
m o n m o u t h a r t s . o r g
where community
+ arts connect
Looking for a class or another type of art experience? Visit the Monmouth
Arts online Member Directory for more information.
ENJOY THE OUTDOORS
Summertime brings a plethora of outdoor concerts and the much
anticipated FilmOneFest produced by the Atlantic Highlands Arts Council.
Smart Movie Making called this Festival “probably the best little film festival
in the world.” With submissions from around the corner and around the
world, this festival focuses on films shorter than 90 seconds.
Asbury Park Music in Film Festival, produced by the Asbury Park Music
Foundation, fuses the rich musical heritage of Asbury Park with filmmakers
and industry leaders from around the world. The festival focuses on musicinfluenced
films and videos and raises money to support K–12 music
education for children in Asbury Park.
Looking for free public art? From the serpentine mosaic mural benches
created by the Art Society of Keyport at Waterfront Park to the murals that
stretch across the buildings of Red Bank, Belmar and Asbury Park, exciting
art discoveries are just around the corner.
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