Old world or new age, intimate spaces or seating for acres—there’s performance space for every season and sensibility in the Delaware Valley. Unlike the clutter of metropolitan theater districts, here each venue offers an experience reflecting its unique location and history, plus performances of a caliber that would make Peoria proud and ticket prices to make a New Yorker drool.
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Bethel, N.Y.
866-781-2922, bethelwoodscenter.org
Constructed in 2004 on the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, this $100 million outdoor performing arts center is a spirited yet civilized celebration of Sullivan County’s natural beauty with open-air shows by top performers amid nearly 2,000 acres of scenic countryside.
The center enters its fourth season this year 40 years after the icons of the sixties put Bethel on the map. Woodstock performer Richie Havens holds the distinction of having returned for the 2008 season, 39 years after his first appearance.
Stats: Main pavilion, 4,500 covered seats; lawn seating for more than 10,000; Amphitheater-style Terrace Stage seats 1,000.
Scene: Natural high meets high tech. Video screen projection for most performances. In contrast to its freewheeling hippie heritage, nowadays there are rules about what you can and can’t bring in. Order picnic baskets in advance from the museum cafe. Rent lawn chairs (don’t bring your own.) Arrive early.
Performances: June-September, rain or shine. Museum offers smaller, indoor shows. Coming up: June 14, Chicago and Earth Wind & Fire; July 11, New York Philharmonic; Aug. 5, Dave Matthews Band; Aug. 26, B.B. King and Buddy Guy; Aug. 29, Brad Paisley
State Theatre Center for the Arts
Easton, Pa.
800-999-7828, statetheatre.org
The cultural jewel of the Lehigh Valley endured 100 years of incarnations—from 19th century bank building, to vaudeville palace, to 1950s movie house, to 1970s rock concert venue–before being reborn as a multimillion-dollar arts center in the 1990s. Keep an eye out for Fred the Ghost, a onetime theater employee with undying loyalty and the namesake of the annual Freddy Awards honoring high school performing arts.
Stats: 1,500 seats, about 100 performances annually. Handicapped accessible. Reception spaces include grand Acopian Ballroom with full catering service.
Scene: Classic Broadway-style show-going experience, wrapped in theatrical opulence and gilded grandeur.
Performances: Diverse schedule of concerts, comedy, musicals, opera, ballet, and family-friendly shows. Coming up: June 11, Vince Gill; Oct. 3, David Sedaris; Oct 9-11, Menopause: The Musical. Performances pause this summer for an expansion and renovation project, with a new Patron Annex and production space improvements.Centenary Stage Company
Hackettstown, N.J.,
908-979-0900, centenarystageco.org
Centenary College prides itself on bringing serious theater to northwestern New Jersey with plays presented by this professional Equity company (i.e., not students), along with an eclectic blend of concerts, dance, and educational programs. That pride will swell in spring 2010 with the opening of the new Lackland Center for the Arts, which will provide 68,000 square feet of performance, studio and gallery space.
Stats: 174 seats now; new facility will house the 500-seat Lackland Theatre plus a 99-seat black-box theater.
Scene: An artsy, intellectual oasis in New the state’s sprawling Skylands region, with the new facility being heralded as “the most sophisticated performing arts venue in northwest New Jersey.”
Performances: CSC presents three plays each fall-winter season. Other programs include an annual Women’s Playwrights Series and regular jazz concerts. Coming up: A four-concert Jazz in July series, and a 10-day theater festival in August culminating the Young Performers Workshop Summer Theater Camp.
