Count Basie Center for Theatre Arts

At the Basie, we have continued our mission to Inspire, Educate and Entertain through our distinct and engaging cultural and artistic offerings that embrace and amplify the diversity of the region. Following the brunt of the pandemic, The Basie once again welcomed students to the Grunin Arts and Education Building throughout the year for in-person instruction. Students performed "The Addams Family Young@part", "A Seussified Christmas Carol", "Rainbow Fish, and Puffs" to packed houses in The Vogel and mounted their first full-length musical since the inception of the program, "The Little Mermaid", in the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre. Students also participated in summer-stock style performances over the summer in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Jr.", "James and the Giant Peach", and "Sister Act Jr." The fiscal year July 2021 to June 2022 (FY22) also brought an increase in scholarships of over 250% from the previous year, providing arts experiences and classes to those who otherwise may not have had access. Over 60 students from our region participated in the Louis & Gia Maione Prima Music Camp, a free camp introducing students to vocal and instrumental music instruction. Additionally, the Count Basie Center Gospel Choir and the Calpulli Mexican Dance Company classes held performances on the Basie stages. Lastly, nearly 7,000 students have experienced Curtains Up for Kids school shows virtually and for the first time since March of 2020, in person. FY22 also brought a return to in-school programming where Basie Teaching Artists delivered arts instruction to students, professional development for teachers, and our first in-person Basie Awards ceremony since 2019.