Summit Playhouse
Summit Playhouse | |
Location | 10 New England Avenue Summit, New Jersey |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°42′54″N 74°21′55″W / 40.71500°N 74.36528°W |
Built | ca. 1891 |
Architect | Arthur Bates Jennings |
Architectural style | Romanesque |
NRHP reference No. | 09001177 [1] |
NJRHP No. | 4407 [2] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | December 30, 2009 |
Designated NJRHP | September 29, 2009 |
The Summit Playhouse is a theater in Summit, New Jersey and home to one of the oldest continuously operating amateur community theaters in the United States[3] producing a new show each calendar season.[4] In 2011, it presented Meet Me in St. Louis,[5] Closer Than Ever,[6] and Speed the Plow.[3]
History
The original stone Romanesque building designed by Arthur Bates Jennings was constructed in 1891 as the town's first library.[1] A municipally-operated Summit Public Library was established in 1900, and in 1910 the library was moved to another building, leaving the Romanesque building under-utilized but still belonging to the library. In 1918, The Playhouse Association was founded as a World War I relief organization, and the theatrical group rented the empty older library from the Summit Library Association for one dollar a year for the next fifty years on condition that the group maintain the facility. In 1960, a 120-seat auditorium was added and the original 1891 structure was converted into a stage. The Summit Library Association officially deeded the building to the theater in 1968.[4]
Directors
- Norman Lee Swartout (1918)[7]
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Union County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. April 1, 2010. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 24, 2012.
- ^ a b John De Bellis (January 19, 2011). "A Challenging Work in Progress at Summit Playhouse". Summit Patch. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
... the historic community theater–one of the oldest amateur companies in the nation–...
- ^ a b "Summit Playhouse". Summit Playhouse Association. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
- ^ "SUMMIT PLAYHOUSE PROUDLY PRESENTS 94TH SEASON". The Alternative Press. September 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS is running at the Summit Playhouse November...
- ^ Liz Keill (April 28, 2011). "'Closer Than Ever' at Summit Playhouse; a light-hearted musical romp across the life span". Independent Press. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
Director Susan Speidel brings the music to life in a spirited production at The Summit Playhouse.
- ^ Patricia E. Meola. Summit: Wish You Were Here.
The first director was Norman Lee Swartout, the first stage manager was Jack Manley Rose, and the first costume manager was Marjorie Cranstoun Jefferson ...
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External links
- Library buildings completed in 1891
- Theatres in New Jersey
- Buildings and structures in Union County, New Jersey
- Tourist attractions in Union County, New Jersey
- Summit, New Jersey
- Community theatre
- Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
- National Register of Historic Places in Union County, New Jersey
- 1891 establishments in New Jersey
- New Jersey Register of Historic Places