Theatre Alliance Celebrates Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, 10/22

New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the service organization for the state's professional theatres, will celebrate with their member theatres, friends and supporters at Curtain Call on October 22nd. The event (formerly known as the Applause Awards), will be held at Ursino, the elegant new farm-to-table restaurant on the campus of Kean University in Union, which is also home to Premiere Stages, one of NJTA's 32 professional theatre members.

Curtain Call will continue the tradition of spotlighting honorees that personify excellence in theatre production, performance and support, including The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey - which is celebrating its 50th anniversary; Springpoint Senior Living Foundation - in recognition of its support of access initiatives undertaken by the Alliance and its member theatres; the Ocean County Library - whose partnership in the Alliance's annual Stages Festival has been most meaningful.

"We are delighted to honor these organizations," says the Alliance's Executive Director John McEwen. "Each one has made New Jersey a better place to live and work; Springpoint Senior Living Foundation, for helping to make the arts more easily accessible to all; the Ocean County Library, for their wonderful work as a venue partner for our Stages Festival; Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, for 50 years of artistic excellence and community outreach."

"We are thrilled to be honored by the New Jersey Theatre Alliance on our milestone 50th anniversary," says Bonnie Monte, Artist Director of Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. "We're grateful for the support of the Alliance and its membership, and proud to be part of the diverse and vibrant professional theatre community in the state."

"We are honored to be recognized by the Theatre Alliance," says Joseph T. Claffey, Senior Vice President of Springpoint Senior Living Foundation. "Our organizations are both driven to make a meaningful difference in people's lives – and particularly to make the arts more available and more easily accessible to people as we age."

Founded in 1981, the award-winning New Jersey Theatre Alliance has supported the growth and development of the current roster of 32 professional member theatres through innovative programs and services, and has been a major contributor to promoting the vibrant cultural scene in New Jersey. The Alliance offers programs that make the arts accessible to all members of the community regardless of geographic or economic constraints, including the popular month-long annual Stages Festival (formerly known as Family Week at the Theatre) as well as njArtsTix.org – a virtual ticket booth on the web. The Alliance's new Artist Membership now boasts over 90 individual members including actors, directors, playwrights, designers and stage managers.

The Alliance also supports its membership as well as other arts organizations in the state – through the Cultural Access Network Project, a co-sponsored program with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State – as they work to make their programming accessible to persons with disabilities.

The community has been an enthusiastically supporter of the Theatre Alliance, and the Curtain Call event. In addition to Producing Sponsor Prudential Financial, other sponsors include Leading Sponsor PNC Wealth Management, and Supporting Sponsors Bank of America, Carolyn J. Ferolito, H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture, PSE&G and Springpoint Senior Living Foundation.