The Open Air Theatre in

Washington Crossing State Park Washington Crossing State Park is a New Jersey state park that is part of Washington's Crossing, a U.S. National Historic Landmark area. It is located in the Washington Crossing and Titusville sections of Hopewell Township in Mercer County ...

in the Titusville section of Hopewell Township, Mercer County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, is a permanent outdoor venue with a six-month summer seasonand has hosted a variety of performances, including musicals, plays, concerts, and dance recitals. The venue is available for use by submitting a special use application to the Park Office. The theatre was built in 1935 as part of the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

(WPA) programme.UMD
- Retrieved 2023-10-30 It was designed by architect

Aymar Embury II Aymar Embury II (June 15, 1880 – November 15, 1966) was an American architect. He is best known for commissions from the New York City, City of New York from the 1930s through the 1950s when he frequently worked with Robert Moses in the l ...

, who also designed the Cape May Point State Park Lighthouse and the New Jersey State Capitol Annex. From 2010–2017, the venue was leased by the Downtown Performing Arts Center (DPAC). The company have now moved indoors and rebranded as the Music Mountain Theatre. The company has no intentions of coming back, and the theatre has remained closed and abandoned since.

Early History (1935-Late 1900s)

As part of the

Federal Theatre Project The Federal Theatre Project (FTP; 1935–1939) was a theatre program established during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal to fund live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United States. It was one of five Federal ...

the theatre was constructed in 1935. Architect

was responsible for its design.

Downtown Performing Arts Center (2010–2017)

Founded in 2001 by Virginia 'Ginny' Brennan, Downtown Performing Arts Center moved into the Open Air Theatre for the summer of 2010. The company was led by Co-Artistic Directors

Louis Palena Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

and Jordan Brennan. During their eight-year tenure, the company produced over 50 productions. Amongst these were numerous World Premieres, written by playwright

. In addition to their extensive list of "Mainstage" productions, the company ran a parallel programme of "Children's Theatre" shows, which were produced in a week and performed for two weekends. "Mainstage" Production History included: * The Legend of Sleep Hollow '' orld Premiere' (2012) *

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice ...

(2016) * an annual production of a concert called "Stars 'n Stripes" *

the Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

(2017) "An Open Air Theatre tradition" "Children's Theatre" Production History included: * Sleeping Beauty '' orld Premiere' (2016)

Curtain Up! Productions

Due to the difficulties experienced with the weather they soon began looking for a new indoor venue. In November 2013, the company founded Curtain Up Productions Inc. to fund the creation of a new theatre. The two organisations worked together to fund indoor performances during the off season away from the park, including DPAC's annual performance of ''A Christmas Carol''. Production History included: * ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' (annual) * ''Rapunzel'' (2015) * '' Charlie Brown Christmas'' (2016)

Recent History (since 2017)

Downtown Performing Arts Center has since relocated indoors and changed its name to the Music Mountain Theatre. The theatre has been "dark" and deserted ever since, though it is accessible to the public via footpaths and the original car park.

References

External links

Back to the Beginning - Just Upstage of Downtown (S1E1)
a Podcast History of Music Mountain Theatre & Downtown Performing Arts Center {{coord, 40.3078, -74.8604, region:US-NJ_type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in Mercer County, New Jersey Theatres in New Jersey Tourist attractions in Mercer County, New Jersey