An Urban Arts Festival for New Brunswick, New Jersey

For years now, we at the State Theatre have been trying to put together an Urban Arts Festival, a celebrated community experience of music, dance, poetry, and art. And now with the support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, our dreams have come true and the date is set for Saturday, May 23. Now if we can only figure out exactly what we want to do....

The city of New Brunswick is a diverse city, so planning for the festival (which will be free of charge) has been harder than we could ever imagine. We are currently in the process of booking local acts for an outside stage that will be open on the street in front of the State Theatre from 12:30pm to about 6pm. As you can imagine, there is a lot of work to be done in just under 2 months (and that's not to mention the evening performances on the State Theatre stage and the day-time workshops we want to do). There are TOO MANY options (and time is running out) and how often can you say that in times like these?! I guess what it comes down to is that we are very thankful for this opportunity, and we want it to be the best it can be, so our emotions and expectations are running high. And for lack of a better phrase, THE HEAT IS ON!

Performers scheduled for the Urban Arts Festival so far include Mayhem Poets and performance poet Glenis Redmond. If you are a solo performer or part of a group that would like to perform at the Urban Arts Festival, contact Andrew Fishman: afishman@StateTheatreNJ.org. No phone calls, please.

The State Theatre is located at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ. For information or to purchase tickets call 732-246-SHOW(7469) or visit http://www.statetheatrenj.org/.

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Rutgers to break Guinness World Record of most Waldos in one place!

In any other case, seeing over 1500 people dressed up as Waldo from the book series "Where's Waldo?" would probably frighten you. If you are a child of the 90's you probably remember Waldo as the tall, lanky, guy that always seemed to be lost amidst a crowd of people/objects that looked like his red and white striped shirt at first glance. On April 2, 2009 Rutgers University is attempting to break the Guinness World Record of the largest gathering of people dressed up as Waldo. I know what you're thinking, "THAT'S a world record?" You would be surprised to find out what other bizzarre world records there are out there (actually, last April, Rutgers students broke the world record for the most people dressed up as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

This year's record breaking attempt will take place at the State Theatre, with an entry fee of $5 or a new children's book. All books and proceeds will benefit literacy efforts for the students of the New Brunswick School District. So, not only will you be able to be a part of breaking a really unique world record, you will also be helping out the kids that live in the local community. We are living in a time where books are becoming a more and more obsolete source of entertainment for children. It is nice to know that there are still events like this that are fighting for books to remain a part of childhood. So, if you grew up in the 90's looking for Waldo, want to break a world record, or just want to benefit a good cause, put on your Waldo gear and stop by the theater.

--Teisia Park, Marketing/PR Intern

The State Theatre is located at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ. For information or to purchase tickets call 732-246-SHOW(7469) or visit http://www.statetheatrenj.org/.

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Mom and Dad, please put down that video camera!

Live performances -- theater, music, whatever, there is nothing like it. Sharing the experience with your family, priceless. You buy the tickets, refreshments, some quirky show merchandise, and sit to enjoy the show. But there's one problem, there is a square box of brightness distracting you (and blinding you) from a few rows up. Someone in front of you is filming every second of the show ...Argh! You sit and bear it, but a few minutes later a few more bright little screens pop up...cameras, phones, etc.

This is exactly what happened at our recent performances of Dora the Explorer Live. One parent would see another parent filming the show and so THEY would start filming the show. Our ushers would politely ask them to stop filming, but some people would intially refuse stating "Well that person is taping, why don't you stop them." Yikes! What to do, what to do...

Well, the filming of live performances at a performaning arts center like ourselves, is not allowed anywhere, at any time. However, saying that to patrons, is a difficult task. So, I just want to say think before you try to sneak a few pictures or video footage because it ruins it for everyone, plus you know you are never going to watch the footage more than once. Why spoil the moment by trying to recapture it for later? You are at the performance right now, so sit back and take it all in. You might just miss the most amazing moment because you are trying too hard to hide the fact that you are taking pictures or taping.

The State Theatre is located at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ. For information or to purchase tickets call 732-246-SHOW(7469) or visit http://www.statetheatrenj.org/.

Check us out on Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace.

What will you be spending money on three months from now?

What will you be spending money on three months from now? How about six months, or even a year down the road? Will you pop for those $75 tickets to see one of your favorite performers in concert, or dinner and a Broadway show? will I? Chances are neither one of us know answers to these questions. We are currently in the thick if of programming our schedule for the 2009-2010 season, which entails booking shows, setting ticket prices etc. for events as far away as May 2010. Normally we can predict with a fair degree of accuracy what the market will bear, but “normally” has gone out the window. The good news is, that in spite of the uncertainty, we forge ahead. Will we make concessions and adjustments based on the economy, of course, but compare next season to this one, and all that have come before, and you will see the same broad variety of quality shows that the Theatre is known for. We all know what predictions are worth these days, but here’s one thing for certain, three months, six months or a year from now, we’ll be here. Hope you will be too.

The State Theatre is located at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ. For information or to purchase tickets call 732-246-SHOW(7469) or visit http://www.statetheatrenj.org/.

Check us out on Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace.