McCarter Theatre facts for kids
The entrance of McCarter Theatre Center
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| Address | 91 University Place Princeton, New Jersey United States |
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| Coordinates | 40°20′39.51″N 74°39′38.53″W / 40.3443083°N 74.6607028°W |
| Public transit | Princeton (NJT station) |
| Owner | Princeton University |
| Operator | McCarter Theatre Center |
| Type | Regional theater |
| Opened | February 21, 1930 |
The McCarter Theatre Center is a special place for performing arts. It is located on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. It is led by Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen and Executive Director Martin Miller.
McCarter is a non-profit organization. This means it uses its money to support its programs, not to make a profit. It offers many different kinds of shows. You can see plays, music, dance, and spoken word performances. They also have educational programs for people of all ages.
McCarter has won two Tony Awards, which are very important awards for theater. The theater first opened in 1930. Many famous plays had their very first performances here. These include Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and You Can't Take It with You. Another famous play that started here was Bus Stop.
Each year, about 100,000 people take part in McCarter’s activities. More than 6,000 of these are students. McCarter offers many arts education programs. They have programs in schools in Princeton and Trenton. Schools from the area also visit for special student matinee shows. McCarter also gives scholarships for its after-school and summer programs. This helps more students join in.
McCarter is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
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Discovering McCarter Theatre's History
McCarter Theatre was built to be the home for the Princeton University Triangle Club. This club still performs there today. The money to build it came from Thomas N. McCarter. The theater first opened on February 21, 1930. The very first show was the 40th annual Triangle show, called The Golden Dog. A young James Stewart was even in the chorus!
Early Success and Famous Plays
In the 1930s, McCarter became a popular place to test out plays before they went to Broadway. This was because it had a large stage and was close to New York City. Many famous plays had their world premieres at McCarter. These include:
- Thornton Wilder's Our Town
- George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's You Can't Take It with You
- The Male Animal (starring Gene Tierney)
- Without Love (starring Katharine Hepburn)
- William Inge's Bus Stop (starring Kim Stanley)
Music and Dance Performances
Even though it was built for plays, McCarter also hosted many concerts. The Philadelphia Orchestra performed there in 1932. Other famous musicians like Rudolf Serkin and Jascha Heifetz also played at McCarter.
The first dancer to perform was Ruth St. Denis in 1930. Later, in 1935, a group called "American Ballet" performed. This was the first dance company put together by a Russian choreographer named George Balanchine. This group eventually grew into the famous New York City Ballet.
Becoming a Professional Theater
After World War II, fewer Broadway shows toured outside New York. This made it harder for McCarter to support itself. In 1950, Princeton University took over the building.
In 1960, Milton Lyon became the first executive director. He suggested that McCarter should start producing its own plays. This led to the first professional theater company on a university campus in America. He hired a group of actors called APA. Famous actors like Rosemary Harris and Edward Asner were part of this group.
In 1973, Princeton University officially handed over the theater to the McCarter Theatre Company. This company became a separate non-profit organization. McCarter continued to grow, presenting many different artists in dance, music, and spoken word.
New Works and Renovations
Emily Mann was the artistic director for a long time. She focused on creating new plays. McCarter helped develop and first performed Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. This play later won a Tony Award for Best Play in 2013.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, McCarter had big renovations. They built a smaller second theater next to the main one. This new theater is called the Roger S. Berlind Theater. It allows two different shows to be performed at the same time.
New Leadership and Future Plans
In late 2020, Sarah Rasmussen became the new Artistic Director. She helped the company think about its goals for the future. Paula Abreu joined in 2022 as Director of Special Programming. She helps find new and exciting talent from all over the world. Martin Miller became the Executive Director in 2023. Together, this new leadership team is guiding McCarter into its next chapter.
McCarter's Theater Series
The theater series at McCarter often features new plays. Under former Artistic Director Emily Mann, many new plays by famous writers premiered here. Some of these plays, like Having Our Say and Anna in the Tropics, became very popular. They are now performed often in American theaters.
McCarter also puts on new versions of classic plays. These include adaptations of plays by Marivaux and Anton Chekhov.
The theater series also brings in touring shows. For example, Mary Zimmerman's The Odyssey was performed here. Two shows from the 2006–2007 season, Translations and Radio Golf, later moved to Broadway. They were even nominated for Tony Awards!
Images for kids
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The entrance of McCarter Theatre Center
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Main Auditorium of McCarter Theatre Center
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Foyers of McCarter Theatre Center
