Two River Theater facts for kids
Two River Theater entrance, October 2009
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| Location | 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, New Jersey 07701 |
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| Coordinates | 40°20′58″N 74°04′29″W / 40.3495°N 74.0748°W |
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| tworivertheater.org/ | |
The Two River Theater is a special place in Red Bank, New Jersey. It's a professional theater company that creates plays and offers fun learning programs. People from all over central New Jersey come to enjoy shows here. The theater gets its name from the two rivers nearby: the Navesink and the Shrewsbury River.
Two River Theater wants everyone to enjoy their shows. They offer many helpful services. Sometimes, they have free childcare. They also have performances with audio descriptions for people who can't see well. Other shows have captions for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. They even have performances with American Sign Language interpreters. Some shows are designed to be sensory-friendly, and others are fragrance-free.
This theater has won awards, like "Theatre of the Year" from the New Jersey Theatre Alliance in 2006. The Star-Ledger newspaper also gave them this award in 2006 and 2008. In 2009, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts called Two River Theater a "Major Impact Organization." This means it's a very important theater for the state.
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History of Two River Theater
The Two River Theater was started by Joan and Robert Rechnitz in 1994. For their first three years, they put on plays at Monmouth University. After that, they moved to Manasquan. Finally, in 2005, they built their very own theater building in Red Bank.
Today, John Dias is the Artistic Director and Michael Hurst is the Managing Director. They lead the theater in creating new American plays. Each year, more than 55,000 people visit the theater. They come to see shows in the two main performance areas: the Joan and Robert Rechnitz Theater and the Marion Huber Theater.
Exciting Programs and Shows
Two River Theater offers many interesting programs and helps create new plays.
New Play Development
The theater has a program that helps new plays come to life. Since 2010, they have asked writers to create two new plays each year. Many of these new plays have been performed on stage. The theater also hosts special workshops and readings. These events help writers and artists develop new ideas for American theater.
- Crossing Borders: This is a five-day festival each year that features new plays by Latino writers. It also includes free events for the community. This festival started in 2011.
- Nosotros: This program helps build stronger connections between the theater and Latino artists and audiences.
- Cabaret of New Songs: This is an annual event that showcases new songs written for musical theater.
In 2020, Two River Theater started working with the National Asian American Theater. This partnership helps include more Asian American artists in theaters across the country.
Educational Programs for Students
Two River Theater believes in teaching young people about theater. They offer many programs for students from first grade all the way through high school.
- Student Matinees: Students from 50 schools in New Jersey come to see special daytime performances.
- Classroom Residencies: Theater artists visit classrooms. They help students learn and improve their schoolwork through theater activities.
- Programs for At-Risk Teens: Special programs introduce theater to young people who might not otherwise experience it.
- A Little Shakespeare: This program started during the theater's 20th anniversary. High school students perform a Shakespeare play each year. It's a great way for young actors to experience classic theater.
- Metro Scholar Program: High school juniors get to learn about professional theater. They also play a role in the daily life of the Two River Theater.
- PlayBack: High school students work with teaching artists. They create and perform their own original plays. These plays are inspired by the main stage productions at the theater.
- Summer Ensembles: This is a three-week summer program for students from first to twelfth grade. Students learn creative thinking and teamwork through theater games and songs. They also create their own original material. Students get to perform for their friends and see what goes on backstage.
The Theater Building
The Two River Theater building has a unique roof that looks like river waves. A New York architect named Stewart Jones designed it. He also designed other famous theaters, like the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia.
The main performance space is called the Rechnitz Theater. It has a "thrust stage," which means the stage sticks out into the audience. It can seat 350 people. The theater was built so that even the seats furthest away are only about 11 meters (36 feet) from the performers. This makes every seat feel close to the action.
The Marion Huber Theater is a smaller, flexible space. It seats 99 people and is called a "black box" theater. This space is used for more experimental shows, readings, classes, and rehearsals. It gives audience members a very close and personal experience.
The theater complex also has its own costume shop and set shop. This is where all the costumes are sewn and the stage sets are built. A new three-story building next to the theater has added even more space. This new building provides more rehearsal rooms, bigger costume and set shops, and more room for public programs.
Special Guests and Performances
The Two River Theater has hosted many famous people and special events.
The theater officially opened in April 2005 with a live recording of VH1 Storytellers featuring the famous musician Bruce Springsteen. Later that year, the band Bon Jovi performed a two-hour concert there. In summer 2007, Jackson Browne held a benefit concert, and Bruce Springsteen even joined him on stage!
Many other well-known actors and artists have visited Two River Theater. These include Olympia Dukakis, Edward Albee, comedian Stephen Colbert, and Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. Other notable guests have been Alec Baldwin, Kevin Kline, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Hyde Pierce, Seth Rudetsky, and Joel Grey.
In 2013, when he was just nine years old, actor Alex Garfin performed in the play On Borrowed Time at the Two River Theater. This was his first time in an Actors' Equity production, which is a professional theater union.
Popular Shows That Moved On
Some plays that started at Two River Theater became so popular that they moved to bigger stages.
In 2009, the theater premiered ReEntry. This play later had a month-long run in New York City. It was also performed for Navy and Marine Corps leaders and veterans in San Diego.
In 2008, Two River Theater presented The Garden of Earthly Delights. This performance piece then moved to a theater in New York City.
One of the most famous examples is the musical Be More Chill. It had its very first performance at Two River Theater in 2015. It became a huge hit and later moved to Broadway in New York City in 2019. In 2020, it even went to London's West End!
