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 plays and performances. It is located on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. It is a "not-for-profit" company, which means it uses its money to support its mission, not to make a profit for owners.
McCarter Theatre has won two Tony Awards, which are like the Oscars for live theater. Its history goes all the way back to 1930. Many famous plays, like Thornton Wilder's Our Town and Bus Stop, were first performed on the McCarter stage.
Contents
The Theater's Story
How McCarter Theatre Began
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, who was a Princeton graduate.
The theater first opened its doors on February 21, 1930. The very first show was the Triangle Club's 40th annual performance, called The Golden Dog. Two future famous actors, Joshua Logan and James Stewart, were part of that show.
A Stage for New Plays
In the 1930s, McCarter Theatre became very popular. It was a great place for plays to be shown before they went to Broadway in New York City. This was because it had a large stage and lots of seats. It was also not too far from New York.
Many important plays had their very first performances here. These included Thornton Wilder's Our Town and You Can't Take It with You. Other famous plays like The Male Animal and Without Love also premiered at McCarter. Without Love even starred the legendary actress Katharine Hepburn.
Music and Dance Performances
For 50 years, McCarter Theatre also hosted many concerts by famous orchestras. The Philadelphia Orchestra started these concerts in 1932. Other famous groups like the New York Philharmonic also performed there.
Famous musicians like Rudolf Serkin and Jascha Heifetz played at McCarter. The first dancer to perform there was Ruth St. Denis in 1930. Later, in 1935, the American Ballet performed. This was the first dance group put together by the famous Russian choreographer George Balanchine.
Changes Over Time
After World War II, Broadway plays stopped having their try-outs in other towns. This meant McCarter Theatre could no longer support itself financially. So, in 1950, Princeton University took over the building and its running costs.
In 1963, Princeton University decided to let a separate group run the theater. This group became the McCarter Theatre Company. Important leaders, called artistic directors, helped the theater grow.
One of the most well-known artistic directors was Emily Mann. She focused on creating new plays. For example, McCarter commissioned and first performed Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. This play later won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play.
Modern Updates
In the 1990s and early 2000s, McCarter Theatre had big renovations. They added a smaller second theater next to the main one. This new theater is called the Roger S. Berlind Theater. Now, two different shows can be performed at the same time!
Today, Sarah Rasmussen is the Artistic Director, and Martin Miller is the Executive Director. McCarter Theatre says that about 100,000 people from the community enjoy their work every year. This includes 6,000 students who get involved.
McCarter Theatre is also a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
Theater Productions
Under former Artistic Director Emily Mann, McCarter Theatre put on many important new plays. These included works by famous playwrights like Athol Fugard and Christopher Durang.
Many of these plays, such as Having Our Say and Anna in the Tropics, became very popular. They are now some of the most frequently performed plays in American theater.
McCarter is also known for performing classic plays in new ways. For example, they put on new versions of plays by Marivaux and Anton Chekhov.
Two of McCarter's productions from 2006–2007, Translations and Radio Golf, moved to Broadway. Both of these plays were nominated for Tony Awards.
