New Jersey's Open Air Theatre Re-Opens for Limited Summer Season

As construction on Music Mountain Theatre, Lambertville, New Jersey's newest performing arts center continues, Curtain Up Productions and the Downtown Performing Arts Center have decided to continue their tradition of summer theater at the Washington Crossing Open Air Theatre and produce an abridged summer season prior to Music Mountain Theatre's fall 2017 opening.

The 13-week season at the Open Air Theatre in Titusville, N.J. will feature 6 mainstage musicals and 6 children's theatre productions. Auditions for the 2017 summer season at the Open Air Theatre will be held on Sunday, March 26 at the Downtown Performing Arts Center studios located at 54 Mt. Airy Village Road in Lambertville, N.J. Age breakdowns and audition requirements can be seen at www.downtownpac.com.

When asked about the decision to mount a 2017 summer series after deciding that 2016 would be the group's final season at the outdoor venue, Curtain Up Productions executive director, Ginny Brennan replied, "We wanted to continue to offer the region the kind of entertainment they've come to expect and love during the summer and since construction delays have made it so we won't be able to be in our new home until closer to fall, we decided to return to our second home at Washington Crossing State Park."

The roster of mainstage musicals includes a concert version of "Ragtime the Musical", "Footloose", "Bonnie & Clyde", "Hair", "The Wizard of Oz", and the annual Fourth of July concert, "Stars 'n Stripes". Performances for mainstage shows will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 pm. Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $10 for children (12 years and under) and $12 for seniors (65 years and older).

Children's Theatre productions include Louis Palena's versions of "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Snow White" and "Rapunzel" as well as Disney's "Cinderella" and "Aladdin". Showtimes for children's theatre are Friday and Saturday at 11 am and Sunday at 4 pm. The opening children's show, "The Little Mermaid" will only be performed on Saturday and Sunday at 11 am and 4 pm. Ticket prices are $5 per person.

Tickets for productions at the Washington Crossing Open Air Theatre are always available at the box office a half hour prior to any show. The Washington Crossing Open Air Theatre is located inside Washington Crossing Park, 455 Washington Crossing-Pennington Rd., Titusville, N.J. For full information on the 2017 season, call 267-885-9857 or visit www.downtownpac.com.

Photo credit: Chris Green