Report To The Community 2020

eport to
the
community
a year like
no other

eport to
the community
2020 began on a high note, with an
electrifying January 4th performance in
Prudential Hall by chart-topping rapper
Ja Rule (pictured) and his frequent
collaborator, Grammy-winning R&B
singer-songwriter Ashanti.

2020 and
beyond

Shortly before the NJPAC campus was closed
by COVID-19, the Prudential Hall lobby was
filled with excitement at an after-concert
dance party organized by the Arts Center’s
Community Engagement department.

shutting down
and
reaching
out
For the first time in its history, NJPAC
was forced to close its campus in March
2020, when the coronavirus pandemic
overwhelmed New Jersey. Here, in the
words of the Arts Center’s leadership,
is how NJPAC shut its doors, but endured
the hiatus and grew into a powerhouse
of virtual programming.
At the New Jersey Performing
Arts Center, the first week of
March 2020 was almost normal.
The impact of the coronavirus
on China and other countries
dominated news reports, but
with only a handful of cases
in the U.S. (and none in New
Jersey), the crisis felt distant.
Shows in Prudential Hall and
the Victoria Theater went on,
classes in the Arts Education
Center continued. John
Schreiber, NJPAC’s President
and CEO, had a regularlyscheduled
meeting with staff
on March 4 and encouraged
anyone who felt ill to stay
home. (“Trust me, we don’t need
you that much,” he joked.) But
other topics took precedence.
Everything was fine. Until
quite suddenly, it wasn’t.
“At that time, the number of
cases was in the single digits.
We had no expectation that
it would be as contagious
as it was as quickly as it was.
We had no idea we’d be obliged
to shut down.” John Schreiber,
President and CEO, NJPAC
“We were extremely busy.
We were in the thick of all our
spring events — planning them,
getting ready for the next
wave of workshops, thinking
about the Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater coming in
May and that whole extensive
campaign. Everything was
full-speed ahead. We heard
rumblings, but we weren’t quite
sure what they meant.” Donna
Walker-Kuhne, Senior Advisor,
Community Engagement
On Friday, March 6, the
Prudential Hall lobby was
packed with hundreds of guests
for the Women@NJPAC second
annual Gathering of Givers
event, at which Andrea Jung —
the former CEO of Avon, now the
President and CEO of Grameen
America, an organization that
makes microloans to women
entrepreneurs living below
the poverty line — spoke to
a rapt audience of women
philanthropists jammed elbow to
elbow around catering tables.
“I remember I even made a joke
at that event. I said: ‘Well, we
shouldn’t shake hands anymore,
so what can we do? We could
salute? We could bow politely?’
njpac.org 3

It got some laughs. I had
no idea that there would be
nothing to laugh about just a
week later.” John Schreiber
“(Before Gathering of Givers),
the team from ADP called and
said they were not allowed
to attend external events.
Then Prudential announced
that their employees were
not allowed to attend events.
Every day that week, we
were like: Are we doing this?
But Chad (Spies, NJPAC’s Vice
President of Operations) and
Warren (Tranquada, NJPAC’s
COO) said we were going
ahead. We had 350 women
there, which was remarkable.
We were doing fist bumps
and elbow bumps and asking
people not to shake hands or
hug.” Sarah Rosen, Managing
Director, Women@NJPAC
The Arts Center had just closed
an incredibly busy February,
with a slew of sold-out
concerts scheduled around
Valentine’s Day: Jazz star
Gregory Porter, Neapolitan
crooner Patrizio Buanne, and
R&B headliner Raphael Saadiq
amped up the romance, and
the Arts Center’s traditional
Valentine’s All-Star Comedy
Show, featuring a long lineup
of comedians led by Newarker
Bill Bellamy, cheered the single
and the coupled alike. At the
end of the month, the beloved
norteño band Los Tigres del
Norte filled Prudential Hall
with fans. Night after night,
the campus was overflowing.
March bid fair to be equally
busy: On March 14, R&B star
Valerie Simpson was slated to
perform The Sugar Bar Comes
to Newark, a show created
exclusively for NJPAC, and on
March 15, beloved Irish folk
group The Chieftains was set
to perform to a full house.
And Ballet Hispánico was
booked for a five-performance
run in the Victoria Theater
the following weekend.
“At that point, there were
only a few cancellations.
A South Korean pop group
canceled because they didn’t
want to travel. But that was
really it.” Warren Tranquada,
Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer
“I had no idea
how bad it
was going to be,
but I remember
thinking: We’re only
nine miles from
New York City,
and this virus
doesn’t know
the difference
between New York
and New Jersey.”
— Beth Silver
“Early on, there was truly a
divergence regarding the
seriousness of COVID-19. So
much of the world was separated
between the believers and the
non-believers.” David Rodriguez,
Executive Vice President
and Executive Producer
“It was difficult to project how
long the pandemic would
last. My first guess was that
this would be a short-term
event, similar to SARS.” Lennon
Register, Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
NJPAC staffers went home for
the weekend on March 6 with
no inkling of what was about
to happen. Brazilian comedian
and YouTube sensation
Whindersson Nunes made his
NJPAC debut on the Prudential
Hall stage that Saturday night.
“I remember going to Star Tavern
in Orange — my favorite pizza
place — with friends. There were
a zillion people there. That was
Friday night, the week before
we shut down.” John Schreiber
“We went to dinner with
friends around the block.
It seemed normal enough —
but all we could talk about
was ordering aloe gel and
alcohol to make our own
hand sanitizer. People were
like: ‘Who knows what could
happen?’” Amy Fitzpatrick,
Vice President, Development
“I had no idea how bad it was
going to be, but I remember
thinking: We’re only nine miles
from New York City, and this
virus doesn’t know the difference
between New York and New
Jersey.” Beth Silver, Vice
President, Human Resources
On Monday, things started
to change — swiftly.
“Suddenly, I was involved in
coronavirus planning. We kept
putting events on sale, but
we decided not to have a
formal season announcement.
We were increasing cleaning,
we were not allowing people
to travel on planes or Amtrak.
We suddenly needed to know
about people’s personal
travel plans.” Beth Silver
“But on Monday, we also
hosted Olympic Pride, American
Prejudice, a screening of a
film about the 1936 Olympics,
with a talk-back with Blair
Underwood, who narrated
the film. CBS News was
there filming, we had a
reception for 70 people.
And people kept hugging
Blair Underwood. I was going
around saying, ‘Don’t hug
Blair! He has to go back to
Broadway!’” Sarah Rosen
(continued on page 7)
4
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countdown to closure
Friday, March 6:
John Schreiber attends the
Women@NJPAC Gathering of Givers
“I remember I made a
joke at that event. I said:
‘Well, we shouldn’t shake
hands anymore, so what
can we do? We could salute?
We could bow politely?’
It got some laughs. I had no
idea that there would be
nothing to laugh
about just a week later.”
— John Schreiber
“After a screening of
Olympic Pride, American
Prejudice, a film about
the 1936 Olympics, we
hosted a talk-back
and reception with
Blair Underwood, who
narrated the film – and
people kept hugging
him. I kept saying: ‘Don’t
hug Blair! He has to go
back to Broadway!’”
— Sarah Rosen
Monday, March 9:
NJPAC hosts actorproducer
Blair Underwood
in The Chase Room
Tuesday, March 10:
Kids learn their way around
the kitchen at MasterChef
Junior Live
“We had a couple hundred kids
decorating cupcakes in the
Vic before Master Chef Jr. Live
on Tuesday. The energy was so
high, I just remember all these
kids with icing on their fingers
and elbows and faces. It was
a room full of joy. We were
unmasked and carefree — the
alarms didn’t start going off
until the next day”
— Eyesha Marable

The multiple-Grammy-Award-winning
norteño band Los Tigres del Norte filled
Prudential Hall with fans in late Feburary
2020, just before the pandemic ended
live performances at the Arts Center.

“We had a couple hundred kids
decorating cupcakes in the Vic
before Master Chef Jr. Live on
Tuesday (March 10). The energy
was so high, I just remember all
these kids with icing on their
fingers and elbows and faces.
It was a room full of joy. We were
unmasked and carefree — the
alarms didn’t start going off until
the next day.” Eyesha Marable,
Director, Community Engagement
“I remember that night, I went to
a Devils game down the street.
There were 15,000 people in the
arena. You wouldn’t have known
anything was wrong. But the next
morning, Gabriel Van Aalst from
the NJSO called and said, ‘I’m
giving you guys a heads up, we’re
going to cancel our performances
through the rest of the fiscal
year.’” Warren Tranquada
“The biggest show we had
coming up was The Chieftains,
which was not only a nearly
sold-out show, but also
attracted an older constituency.
Even then, our thought for
audiences, artists and staff
was to err on the side of
safety.” David Rodriguez
“We had a conversation with our
Board chairs, Barry Ostrowsky
and Steve Goldman, and I think
we made the decision to stay
open through the weekend of
March 13, 14 and 15 because
we had a bunch of shows. We
thought we’d get through that
weekend and then shut it down.
But within an hour of having
thought that through, I called
the Mayor to tell him what we
intended to do, and he said he
was shutting down Newark
the next day.” John Schreiber
“I remember a conversation I
had with Warren. He, John and
Dave had just said, ‘Let’s plan
on canceling everything from
Monday forward.’ So I was in
Warren’s office talking about all
this when John opens the door.
That moment is seared into my
memory. John walked in and
said: ‘Forget everything I just
said. Forget closing Monday.
I just hung up with the Mayor.
He wants us shut down now.’ ”
Chad Spies, Vice President,
Operations and Real Estate
“And then the Governor
called that afternoon to say,
‘I’m going to recommend we
stop all public assemblies.’”
Warren Tranquada.
“We were getting
new information
every day.
Now, we’re used
to that. Now we
know that whatever
we know today,
we’re likely to
know something
different two
weeks from now.”
— David Rodriguez
“On Thursday, we had a call
with the 40 largest performing
arts centers in the country,
and only a small number had
made the decision to shut
down. We explained that we
are absolutely shutting down.
And by Friday morning, they’d
all shut down.” John Schreiber
“What followed was the
cancellation of 250 shows
and nearly 100 community
engagement events. But the
calls from the Governor and
the Mayor allowed us to do
that in a way where we had the
backing of the government to
declare a state of emergency.
It would have been financially
devastating to cancel all those
performances without being
able to declare force majeure.
It was still financially devastating,
but the impact would have
been far greater if we hadn’t
had the ability to contractually
claim that there was a state of
emergency.” David Rodriguez
“Robin Jones, NJPAC’s Senior
Director of House Management
had to get on the phone with
her team and call the ushers, her
entire staff of 120 people, to tell
them we were shutting down.
Anthony Rosta, NJPAC Facilities
Manager had to get with our
housekeeping groups, we had to
call folks at the parking garages —
all those phone calls had to be
done at that point.” Chad Spies
“There was a children’s
performance we had already
loaded in. We found out while
they were getting the show
ready that the schools had
canceled all their activities.
We ended up paying for
five performances in the Vic
because — well, the show
was there, but there was no
audience.” David Rodriguez
“I began doing the math in
my head. I started modeling
worst-case scenarios, in order to
develop strategies to maintain
enough liquidity to keep us
operational.” Lennon Register
“After John spoke with the
Mayor, that’s when things
went crazy. We had an all-staff
meeting, and we hadn’t even
decided how to pay people.
At that meeting, the message
was: ‘There’s been a rapid
escalation, unprecedented
in modern times, so we’re
shutting down for 30 days and
we’ll tell you more when we
know it.’” Warren Tranquada
“We were getting new
information every day. Now,
we’re used to that. Now we
know that whatever we know
today, we’re likely to know
something different two weeks
from now.” David Rodriguez
njpac.org 7

“And we said: We’re going to
take the high road, do things
to be safe for our employees.
We went into this very fast
mode and started all kinds of
conversations: Can we pay
people? How can people work
from home? We didn’t know
what Google Meet was. People
had no idea how to work from
home, it wasn’t part of our
culture. How do we do this?
I was really impressed with
the heart and soul of this
organization. What we were
concerned about was people
paying bills, people’s health,
making sure everyone had
insurance during the pandemic.
We went to extraordinary
lengths to do that.” Beth Silver
The first of NJPAC’s programs
to reconvene online was one
of its Saturday arts training
classes. The campus was closed
on March 13. On March 14,
NJPAC’s Hip Hop Intensive —
one of the smaller classes, and
one in which the student body
was already trained to use
computers in their art — had its
first online meeting. The rest of
the Saturday classes regrouped
virtually within a month.
“We shut down quickly, then
we had to figure out how to
get all our classes online and
determine the online capabilities
of both families and faculty.
The staff was learning themselves
while training the parents and
faculty on how to navigate the
virtual world. Nobody knew
Google Classrooms or Zoom
or the possibilities. We made
videos for our schools, and
trained the faculty how to
do that, too. Then we had
to plan for summer. It was
a steep learning curve, but
the Arts Ed community came
together and made it happen.”
Jennifer Tsukayama, Vice
President, Arts Education
(continued on page 10)
the new office:
anywhere you lay
your laptop
How did NJPAC’s staff adjust
to working from home?
All kinds of ways:
“At first, my workspace was wherever the kids were,
I was taking calls when the kids were eating lunch or
napping. They’re still young, so they’re not great when
I’m on calls — they just want my attention! For meetings
I would try to come up with things they would actually
do for 40 minutes or so. They liked being in the couch pillow
fort on their iPad while I was on my laptop. But the real work
got done on nights and weekends — because you can’t write
a report with kids there! The good thing is that everyone at
NJPAC was so flexible. It never got too crazy.”
Katie Sword, Vice President, Marketing
8
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“I refuse to do any work in my bedroom — that’s
sacred space. It’s very important to me to maintain
separation of home life and work life, so I’ve
created clear and distinct boundaries. I only set
up my workstation in one of two spaces in my
brownstone. I work on my sofa with the brick wall
in the back for all public-facing video meetings
because it looks good on camera and the lighting
works well. At work, I’m super intentional on how
I look and how I dress. If I can’t have fun with
clothes anymore because I’m stuck in the house in
front of a computer, I can at least be well lit. So my
ring light is my saving grace, because my life is
now a series of Google Meets!”
Kitab Rollins, Director, Performance
and Broadcast Rentals
“From March through September, we were in
Northwest Connecticut. We own a house
in a community that’s on 200 acres and backs
up to a state park. It looks like real Deliverance
country. An abundance of outdoor space,
but isolated — it was all about keeping my
family safe. I’m grateful that being virtual
allowed me to work from anywhere.
We had to figure out who went where, but
eventually we turned the spare bedroom into my
office, my husband took the loft, and my tween
daughter did her school work at the dining room
table. I don’t think people get how hard it is to
work from home when you have kids, who are
invariably asking for their lunch when you’re on
a video call. They’ll say ‘Oh, you can run errands,
do the laundry!’ No, I work when I work from
home. I may let my challah rise while I’m making
calls but that’s about it for multitasking.”
Simma Levine, Producer, Special Projects
“My family gave me an L-shaped glass desk for
Christmas and I love all of the space I have now.
I definitely created an office — with a calming
candle on the desk, greenery and a lovely vase,
along with a digital picture frame and an extra
lamp. I love this area now. I’m all for returning to
the office a couple days a week. But I think we
all learned that our physical location doesn’t
affect the quality of our work. I think in office
two days and home three days would be a
great schedule as we adjust to the new normal.
And this has been a time of expansion and
growth for me... It’s honestly boosted my
confidence as an employee.”
Latoya Dawson, Marketing Manager

Sheikia S. Norris (aka Purple Haze),
NJPAC’s Hip Hop Education Director,
transitioned from in-person to virtual
learning without missing a beat.
The first of NJPAC’s programs to reconvene online
was one of its Saturday arts training classes.
The campus was closed on March 13. On March 14,
NJPAC’s Hip Hop Intensive — one of the smaller
classes, and one in which the student body was
already trained to use computers in their art — had
its first online meeting. The rest of the Saturday
classes regrouped virtually within a month.
“I heard from parents that
their kids said, ‘Can we still
go to NJPAC on Saturday?’
The students kept asking
their parents, even though
school was being shut down
and no one knew what was
happening, ‘We’re still going
to NJPAC, right?’” Sheikia S.
Norris (Purple Haze), Hip
Hop Education Director
Although the shutdown was
originally slated to last 30
days, the hiatus of in-person
performances, classes and
events quickly extended to two
months, then to the rest of the
season — and then indefinitely.
As shows were canceled or
rescheduled, ticket buyers
were given refunds. In all,
some $20 million of potential
revenue evaporated, and NJPAC
suddenly found itself with very
little of the 64% of its annual
budget that was provided by
earned income, from ticket
sales to parking fees. Finding
a way to fill that financial
gap became a top priority.
“When we shut down, that’s
when it really started: Canceling
all my marketing buys for the
year, putting everything on
pause. First it was no shows for
March, then for April, then it was
a full cancellation for May.” Katie
Sword, Vice President, Marketing
“The state provided immediate
support by authorizing using
a portion of a restricted
capital grant for operational
purposes, followed by Prudential
repurposing an endowment
gift. The news of the PPP
[Paycheck Protection Program]
loans was huge but there was
a lot of uncertainty about the
legislation. The initial draft of
the legislation was not clear, so
I was not sure if we qualified. It
took some time before the SBA
[Small Business Administration]
provided enough clarity that I
had the confidence to advance
the loan.” Lennon Register
All NJPAC staff members were
paid for the first months of
the shutdown. In the end, the
budget crisis forced all staff
to take a pay cut, with senior
leadership taking the largest
cuts. Nevertheless, full-time
employees remained on salary
through the end of June.
“The PPP money was eventually
deposited in our account on
April 21, which just happens
to be my birthday. Happy
birthday to me: Three months
of payroll!” Lennon Register
Eventually, the PPP funding was
absorbed, and some staff was
furloughed. Later, 24 employees
were terminated, and several
more were reassigned to take
on roles that supported the
bounty of virtual programming
NJPAC was producing by
the summer months.
“The people who got reassigned
were so game. Their willingness
to embrace new departments,
(continued on page 12)
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the new
watercooler
Virtual staff meetings
kept the Arts Center
family together
How do you create an esprit
de corps when the corps is
spread out across hundreds
of miles and several states?
When NJPAC sent its staff home
to work remotely through the
pandemic, ensuring everyone’s
safety was management’s first
concern. But keeping the group
informed was also a priority.
So was keeping an unusually
collegial staff together in spirit.
One solution: A virtual
all-staff meeting.
While senior leadership had
long hosted such meetings
in person, they took on a
new urgency during the
pandemic. Almost every week
of 2020, at 3PM on Tuesday,
NJPAC’s scattered staffers
got to reconvene in a Zoom
homecoming of sorts. (Meetings
became bimonthly in 2021.)
These meetings didn’t just
address the Arts Center’s
business, they also helped keep
staff up to date on best health
practices, the pandemic’s
effects on the economy and
the impact of the burgeoning
social justice movement.
Guest speakers were a regular
feature. Early on, these were
experts in medicine: Dr John
Bonamo, Chief Medical
and Quality Officer at
RWJBarnabas Health, Dr. Zeke
Emanuel, Chair of Medical
Ethics and Health Policy at
University of Pennsylvania,
and Dr. Stuart Weiss, founder
of MedPrep Consulting Group,
all spoke not only about
the challenges faced by
performing arts institutions
during the pandemic, but
about how staff members
could stay safe at home.
After protests swept across
the country following the
murder of George Floyd,
speakers included Reverend
Dr. William Howard Jr., civil
rights activist and the former
pastor at Newark’s Bethany
Baptist Church, and Ryan
Haygood, President and CEO
of the New Jersey Institute
for Social Justice, who spoke
about the struggle for justice,
and how the summer’s events
impacted that long campaign.
Carlos Rodriguez, President and
CEO of the Community FoodBank
of New Jersey, spoke to the
staff about the “tremendous”
increase in demand at food
pantries around the state in
the wake of the pandemic
and its economic effects.
“We saw lines get longer
immediately,” Rodriguez recalled.
“Most of the families we serve
are one economic shock away
from not being able to provide
the basics, and we saw that
play out right in front of us. We
had to reimagine how we do our
work — both internally and at
the community level,” he said.
The meetings also served as
social touchpoints, where staff
spoke about the arrival of new
children, new pets, and even
new fitness regimes. Promotions
were celebrated. And the deaths
of several staff members and
supporters were mourned.
“These virtual town halls became
a remarkable opportunity for
the Arts Center team members
to connect as a family, to
celebrate successes and to share
our pain,” says John Schreiber,
NJPAC’s President and CEO. •
njpac.org 11

new bosses — that spirit was
remarkable. It shows how
much people care about who
we are and how we can make
a difference. It showed me
that we really are a shining
example of a highly functioning,
high-integrity performing arts
center. It gives me a lot of pride
to be associated with this group.
If I think about it long enough,
I could start to cry.” Beth Silver
At the same time, even as the
shutdown kept being extended,
plans to reopen the campus
safely were already underway.
A new HVAC system with an
extremely fine filtration system,
more than enough to pull virus
particles from the air, had
felicitously already been installed
the previous year, but more
capital improvements to make
the campus safe were quickly
brought online, including particle
ionization to further increase
the effectiveness of filtration.
“We had to prioritize all our
capital projects for COVID-19
mitigation. We bought
electrostatic sprayers. They have
hoses that spray disinfecting
liquid. Those usually just work
from air pressure, but the
electrostatic ones electrify the
spray as it comes out, which
adds electrons to the mist. The
mist is then attracted to the
handle of the seat, goes around
the entire handle, and gets to
all surfaces, so you don’t have
to get in there and spray in the
backs. The expectation was
we’d go in after each show and
spray down the seats, but if you
have back to back shows, there’s
not enough time to wipe each
seat. This way, a few people can
come, walk up and down the
aisles, and kill the virus instantly.
Plus, a year or two ago, Todd
Tantillo and I proposed the
installation of touchless faucets
and toilets. They have a sensor
that can tell if you’re there or if
you’re gone. Touchless fixtures
had become all the rage a
year or so ago, and we put
in a proposal to install them,
but the cost was $80,000 and
the feeling was that it wasn’t
critical. Well, guess what — we’re
doing it now!” Chad Spies
As the shutdown dragged
on, more shows were
canceled — but many more were
rescheduled, some more than
“I took great pride
in my colleagues’
response to the
pandemic. It’s not
often that you
are surrounded
by so many
who are so
focused and
dedicated.”
— Lennon Register
once. NJPAC’s calendar may
have been in flux, but shows
were always on the schedule
in anticipation of the day the
Arts Center could reopen.
“At this point, there truly is
a partnership between the
artists, agents and venues.
Everyone realizes what we’re
up against.” David Rodriguez
Incredibly, although earned
revenue for the Arts Center
almost disappeared,
philanthropic contributions to
NJPAC held more or less steady
throughout the shutdown,
making it possible for NJPAC
to not only retain staff, but
also to grow its slate of virtual
programming from one or
two events a week to dozens,
encompassing performances,
workshops, panel discussions
and social justice programming.
“That’s because of how
committed and loyal our
donors are. I have peers who
have seen their membership
go down significantly and
their revenue go down, too.
It’s remarkable that we’re still
raising a significant amount of
money, and that’s to the credit
of all the donors who continue
to give. I think all the virtual
programming helps. People see
that we haven’t really slowed
down. That broad base of
support NJPAC has is really the
running start.” Amy Fitzpatrick
“We all had to pivot, a couple of
times, but what we consistently
pivoted to was finding new
ways, new technologies and new
approaches that allowed us to
continue to be a useful, effective,
community-centered anchor
cultural institution, even when
all the traditional ways we did
that were no longer available
to us. Thanks to a staff that
was so committed, and thanks
to supporters who didn’t let us
down, we were able to do all
that, and in a remarkably short
time frame. When you look back
at everything that happened,
and everything we were able
to do in response, I’m genuinely
inspired.” John Schreiber
“A number of other arts
centers are down to almost
no one, but we still have a
reasonable amount of staff,
and a reasonable amount
of programming, albeit
virtual. We’re still present in
people’s hearts and minds as
much as we can be. And it’s
good to be a part of that.
I took great pride in my
colleagues’ response to the
pandemic. It’s not often that you
are surrounded by so many who
are so focused and dedicated to
seeing an organization through
challenges of this magnitude.
I take great pride in being a
part of it.” Lennon Register •
12
njpac.org

arts education
Without missing a beat, NJPAC
Arts Education established a
communications network
to keep students engaged
with faculty and staff, and a
task force was set up to dive
into digital instruction.

“Some students do
better and even thrive
in a digital space. Some
actually prefer it to
being in the classroom.
For us that was an
‘aha’ moment.”
— Jennifer Tsukayama

the art of
the possible
fast action moves njpac arts education into
students’ homes
by Linda Fowler
In March of 2020, when the City
of Newark closed its schools
in response to COVID-19,
it was Friday the 13th.
Earlier that week, Jennifer
Tsukayama had been named
NJPAC’s Vice President of Arts
Education, succeeding Alison
Scott-Williams. Saxophonist
Mark Gross, Director of Jazz
Instruction, was on a plane,
touring Europe and Russia
with his quartet. And Hip Hop
Education Director Sheikia S.
Norris (aka Purple Haze) had
recently returned to NJPAC with
a dozen energized students,
fresh from a tour of New York
hip hop shrines like the
Universal Hip Hop Museum and
Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen.
NJPAC’s buildings were clamped
down and the Department of
Arts Education was charged not
only with “onlining” its on-campus
Saturday classes, but also its
programs and residencies in
the schools. Without missing
a beat, a communications
network was established to keep
students and families engaged,
and a task force was set up to
dive into digital instruction.
The team fielded endless
questions: What kind of
computer do I need? How can
I get my instrument repaired?
Who can edit video? With 40 kids
in a class, how many breakout
rooms are needed on Zoom?
The overriding question:
What is possible?
challenges
and solutions
“(The shutdown) affected
six training programs, 107
residencies, 114 faculty, six
SchoolTime performances,
seven professional development
sessions, 135 classroom
teachers, and 5,200 students,”
according to Tsukayama.
The department was mobilized
and ready to pivot late
Thursday, leaving just one day
before the start of Saturday
classes and three days before
residencies. First off, there was
an assessment of students’ and
teachers’ online capabilities.
The Zoom platform’s time and
space limitations prompted
a switchover to Google
Classroom, and necessary
materials were transitioned
from the department server
so everyone could share
remotely. Digital instruction
and video recording were
already tools of the department,
but now they had to be
expanded. By April, some 90
videos had been added to
the archive, most provided to
schools as free resources.
“I knew for certain we could
(record) the core classes:
theory, listening and history,
composition and technique,”
says Gross, whose challenges
included insufficient
bandwidth for some of the
jazz musicians, and the
finessing of synchronized,
collaborative playing. Using
the Soundtrap program,
he transformed a room at
home into a virtual recording
studio where he consolidated
tracks emailed by students.
As many students lacked
Wi-Fi at home, the school
district distributed household
devices and negotiated with
cable companies. Meanwhile,
NJPAC partnered with NJ PBS
to air video lessons for third
through sixth-graders
on public television.
Though video has its advantages
(especially in reaching a
worldwide audience), live
performing arts often adapt
poorly to digital platforms.
With singing, lag is a problem.
In dance, movement frequently
calls for special camerawork.
With NJPAC and schools
dormant, two popular spring
njpac.org 15

programs — Disney Musicals
in Schools and Dancing
Classrooms: Colors of the
Rainbow Team Match — became
casualties of the pandemic.
However, Recorder Arts for
Musical Pathways, already
under way in classrooms,
transitioned to online, including
a culminating performance
made possible by video editing.
In the summer of 2020, nine
NJPAC programs were up and
running. City Verses: Amplifying
New Voices Through Jazz and
Poetry offered a digital camp
(see sidebar) and the roster
of disciplines expanded to
encompass hip hop music
production, podcasting, and
graphic design. “We’re teaching
fifth grade were renamed
and redesigned: Storytelling
Through Dance and Storytelling
Through Drama. In the Mix
was developed as a virtual
clubhouse where students
drive conversations about
climate change, social justice,
arts activism. A scheduled field
trip of Newark’s street murals
was instead turned into a film,
T.A.G. NWK Virtual Graffiti Tour,
created in only 15 days to be
part of the Newark Arts Festival.
Tuitions were significantly
reduced, and classes attracted
students from Maine to California.
“We didn’t want to keep anyone
from participating because of
cost,” says Tsukayama.
workers, to conduct support
groups for families, staff and
faculty. All of that was crucial.
“Throughout the summer,
environmental justice and social
justice were prevailing topics.
Students had a lot to say, in a
beautiful, thoughtful way, and
they were guided by a stellar
faculty that’s helped them
continue to move forward.”
Norris says off-site teaching
has raised her awareness of the
importance of amplifying girls’
voices, and of enhancing the
focus on special needs students
and bilingual programming.
When advising students about
careers in music during the health
crisis, Gross says he also talks up
how to make spray paint at
home, and how to repurpose
clothing or shoes, things that you
normally have around,” Norris
explains. “We also created
social justice artwork in hip hop
classes. Graffiti can be important
to delivering a message
that makes a difference.”
Thanks to technology, new
students from across the
country and around the globe
were drawn to NJPAC. The Geri
Allen Jazz Camp convened
online, but now registrants from
as far off as Australia could
watch videos while their U.S.
classmates were fast asleep.
To stay nimble while juggling
slashed budgets, two
residencies for Pre-K through
Visual artist Malik Whitaker (left) helped transform a canceled field trip of
Newark’s street murals into a film, T.A.G. NWK Virtual Graffiti Tour, created
online in only 15 days. Guided by jazz violinist and arts educator Regina
Carter (right), NJPAC’s Geri Allen Jazz Camp utilized digital technology to
attract new students from as far off as Australia.
“The cornerstone of NJPAC’s
arts education philosophy is
to remove as many barriers
to participation as possible.”
discoveries
“Online instruction can be
effective,” Tsukayama says.
“Some students actually
preferred it to being in the
classroom. Some do better and
thrive in a digital space. For
us, that was an ‘aha’ moment.
“During the pandemic, we’ve
also continued to engage social
related professions. “If you know
how to do video collaborations,
let that be known,” he tells them.
“If you’re a good copyist or
arranger, power up on those
skills. Some of you might become
a great educator based on your
own learning experiences.
Don’t think of your career as
only being a performer in one
genre. If you put in the hard
work, it’s going to reward
you down the line in some
unforeseeable way.” •
16
njpac.org

ewired city verses
The conversion of City Verses:
Amplifying New Voices Through
Jazz and Poetry into a video
format stands out among NJPAC’s
virtual success stories. Launched
in 2019 in collaboration with
Rutgers-Newark’s MFA creative
writing program, the three-year
project had to be reconfigured
when COVID-19 struck.
Supported by a $1.5 million
grant from the Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation, City Verses
offers an orientation to the
nexus of jazz and poetry
by creating new pieces and
connects with jazz poets
celebrating time-honored work,
particularly by legendary
Newarkers like Amiri Baraka,
Sarah Vaughan, and Wayne
Shorter. Free community poetry
workshops, artist residencies
in high schools, a touring
assembly program and more
were described in the initial
proposal made to the Mellon
Foundation. Following the
shutdown, some elements
were kept, some temporarily
scrapped (namely live
performances), and
most refitted for
digital platforms.
by Linda Fowler
From his own home studio, NJPAC
Teaching Artist Jarrett Walser
introduced young artists to the magical
nexus of jazz and poetry as part of the
City Verses Virtual Summer Camp.

City Verses Summer Camp was
not part of the original concept,
but born of the necessity to
extend the program’s reach
and keep students engaged.
Nearly 40 participants, ages 13
to 18, signed on for an immersive
two weeks. Their videos, sent
from Greater Newark and as
far away as Canada, were
edited into a collaborative
presentation. Student poets
read their work, accompanied
by young jazz musicians
performing fresh compositions.
“The goal was to create a
curriculum that allows students
to create new work and to
understand the history of these
genres,” says City Verses Project
Director Ashley Hughes, who
arrived at NJPAC in January
to brainstorm with project
partners, including Rutgers’
Institute of Jazz Studies,
Newark Public Schools, and
the Newark Public Library.
When the shutdown began
in March, artist residencies
were already underway in
three pilot high schools with
a fourth poised to begin.
A video content series was
created and shared with schools
so that faculty could conduct
lessons online. After about every
third lesson, a flurry of recorded
tracks were synchronized by
Director of Jazz Instruction
Mark Gross, Jazz Co-Artistic
Lead Alvester Garnett, and
Rigoberto González, City Verses
poetry artistic director and
head of Rutgers’ creative writing
program, to illustrate what a
collaborative performance
looks and sounds like.
“The schools loved it, and
the students loved it!” Gross
says of the virtual residencies,
which wrapped in June. “That
success allowed us to grow
the program from the four
schools we began with to six
schools the fall semester.”
Nearly 40 participants, ages 13 to 18,
signed on for either a jazz or poetry
track for an immersive two weeks. Their
videos, sent from Greater Newark and as
far away as Canada, were edited into a
collaborative presentation.
A similar process of pre-recording
was used to transition the free
Jazz and Poetry in the Stacks
series of live educational concerts
plus a slate of poetry workshops
out of public libraries and onto
digital platforms and social
media. Setlists and readings were
curated in advance and edited
into collaborative performances
shared on NJPAC’s channels.
A City Verses touring assembly
about the history of jazz poetry,
intended to be a free event
presented at outdoor festivals,
community centers, and other
public venues, saw its debut
stymied by COVID-19. Inspired
by the life of Newark jazz
pianist Willie “The Lion” Smith,
the project will return as a film
directed by actor and director
Brandon Dirden, guided by
Garnett, Gross, playwright
Simeon Marsalis (son of Wynton
Marsalis), and vibraphonist
and NJPAC Artistic Director of
Jazz Education Stefon Harris.
Additionally, the pause button
was pressed on a celebratory
evening of jazz poetry, featuring
a suite composed and performed
by Grammy-winning bassist
Christian McBride, NJPAC’s
Jazz Advisor. McBride’s
The Movement Revisited:
A Musical Portrait of Four Icons,
released as a studio album in
February 2020, features a big
band, chorus and narrators
in tribute to the Civil Rights
Movement. The live event has
been re-targeted for fall 2021. •
Working entirely online, City Verses
poet and curator Evan J. Cutts
helped blend the work of jazz and
poetry students into a collaborative
virtual performance.
18
njpac.org

teaching via video
NJPAC’s popular Books on the
Move was adapted to a series
of video lessons featuring the
storytelling skills of Teaching
Artist Wincey Terry.
When the pandemic suspended
NJPAC’s ability to conduct arts
training programs in person,
the students in the Arts Center’s
own Saturday workshops were
not the only children affected.
NJPAC teaching artists were also
in the middle of 139 in-classroom
residencies at schools in seven
school districts, and workshops
for young children had been
scheduled at five Newark Public
Library branches. None of
that in-person teaching could
continue during the health crisis.
Converting those residencies
into Zoom classes was
logistically impossible; at
the time, teachers across
the state were struggling to
simply get their students online
to pick up assignments.
But pre-recorded video
instruction was suddenly
an essential resource for
teachers struggling to pull
together digital curricula.
Jennifer Tsukayama, Vice
President of Arts Education,
assigned her staff the task of
converting their lessons into
shareable video mini-classes.
“When schools switched to
digital learning, teachers were
unprepared for the sudden
change,” Tsukayama explains.
“It was important for us to find
ways to support them and serve
as a resource. We were in the
middle of many residencies,
some scheduled to meet up to
15 times in the spring. Knowing
our absence would be felt,
it was important to create
content for those classroom
teachers, content that was
aligned with residency learning
goals. So that’s what we did.”
In the end, NJPAC teaching
artists created 90 three-minute,
10-minute and 20-minute videos,
in all the genres taught at the
Arts Center, from acting to hip
hop dance. The department
created accompanying
activity packets which were
shared free with teachers in
classrooms where residencies
had been scheduled.
Five video lessons were created
specifically for the much-loved
Recorder Arts for Musical
Pathways (R.A.M.P.) program,
which serves third graders in the
Newark and Asbury Park school
systems. Those students were
able to complete their lessons in
playing the recorder, which for
many was their introduction to
instrumental music. (They even
got to have their semesterending
performance, in the
form of a video compilation
of their lessons, in place of
the traditional joint concert
in Prudential Hall.)
Video versions of seven Orff in
Your Community instrumental
lessons for preschool children
were created and shared with
the Newark Public Library.
In addition to those video
lessons, a SchoolTime
performance of The Boy Who
Grew Flowers was offered on
video to the schools originally
scheduled to attend the
live show, and NJPAC Arts
Education staff developed
digital lessons to accompany it.
Meanwhile, children across the
state were able to take part
in arts education programs
through three-minute videos
shared by NJ PBS, which ran
them between academic lessons
offered in its NJ PBS Learning
Live programming, created
to offer remote education to
students unable to access
internet-enabled lessons •
njpac.org 19

free bird
flies high
George Wein helps
NJPAC bring the story
of ‘the divine one’ to
Newark schools
Above: Shenel Johns as Sarah
Vaughan in Free Bird, adapted
by Myxolydia Tyler from Elaine
M. Hayes’s definitive Vaughan
biography, Queen of Bebop.
Right: Students at Newark Arts
High attend a free performance
in early 2020. Below: Jazz
impresario George Wein, who
sponsored the creation of this
new musical about Vaughan’s
early life in Newark.
George Wein, the legendary
jazz impresario who founded the
Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals
and the New Orleans Jazz and
Heritage Festival, among many
other landmark musical events,
had been involved in NJPAC’s
arts education programs for
some time, primarily through
his sponsorship of the George
Wein Scholars — an elite cadre of
the Arts Center’s jazz students,
who receive scholarship
assistance, individualized
instruction, mentorship from
working musicians, and (in
typical years, if not in 2020) the
chance to hone their skills by
playing gigs all around the city.
Wein became even more
deeply engaged with the
Arts Center’s educational
programming in this season.
Through the Newport Festivals
Foundation, Wein sponsored
the creation and production
of a new musical about one
of jazz’s greatest singers, and
one of Newark’s most beloved
daughters, Sarah Vaughan.
Free Bird: The Early Life of Sarah
Vaughan, a half-hour musical
theatrical, depicts Vaughan’s
early life, when she sang in the
choir of her church in Newark —
but also soaked in the sounds of
bebop at the city’s jazz clubs.
The production toured Newark’s
schools and community centers
in January and February of
2020 — including performances
at East Side High School and
Newark Arts High, both of
which Vaughan attended,
and at Vaughan’s childhood
church, Mount Zion Baptist.
Some performances were
only for students; others were
free and open to the public.
“There never was — and
probably never will be
20
njpac.org

“There never was — and probably never will be another —
singer with a voice like that of Sarah Vaughan...
the magnificence of her sound was incomparable.”
— George Wein
another — singer with a voice
like that of Sarah Vaughan...the
magnificence of her sound was
incomparable,” said Wein when
the tour began on January
12, with one of its several
free public performances,
the first at Newark’s Ahavas
Shalom synagogue, which
frequently hosts jazz events
in conjunction with NJPAC.
“Introducing young people
to the performing arts is such
a central part of NJPAC’s
mission — and when we can do
that with a story about a young
person who grew up right here,
who went to church and school
in buildings that still surround
us today, it has that much more
impact,” says John Schreiber,
NJPAC’s President and CEO.
Free Bird was written by
actress and author Myxolydia
Tyler, based on the acclaimed
Elaine M. Hayes biography
of Vaughan, Queen of Bebop.
Young jazz vocalist Shenel
Johns essayed the role of
Sarah herself, and musicians
affiliated with the Arts Center’s
Wells Fargo Jazz For Teens
program — either as faculty or
alumni — made up the cast’s
ensemble, seamlessly moving
between performing behind
Johns as she sang Vaughan’s
signature tunes like “Send in
the Clowns” and acting out
the roles of her friends, family
and fellow jazz club habitués.
The play follows Vaughan
from her breakthrough at the
Apollo Theater through the
night when, at the height of
her fame, she walked out of a
club in protest of her treatment
by the white club owners.
The relationship between
NJPAC and Newport Festivals
Foundation predates both
institutions’ founding, to
NJPAC President and CEO
John Schreiber’s nearly two
decades as Wein’s protege at
Wein’s Festival Productions,
Inc. Today, Newport and
NJPAC also share a resource in
acclaimed jazz musician and
historian Christian McBride,
who serves as both Newport
Jazz Festival’s Artistic Director
and NJPAC’s Jazz Advisor.
The alliance between the Arts
Center and the Foundation
led to plans for another
performance this season:
Swingin’ at 95: A Tribute to
George Wein, an all-star jazz
concert tribute to Wein’s life
and work. Originally slated
for November 2020, just after
Wein’s 95th birthday, it has
since been rescheduled for
late November 2021. •
njpac.org 21

One of NJPAC’s first virtual concerts
featured singer-songwriter Suzanne
Vega in An Evening of New York
Songs and Stories, presented live from
NYC’s legendary Blue Note Jazz Club.
“This has been both a
very frustrating and
a very exciting
time – figuring out
new ways that the
industry can support
both the artists
and the venues.”
— Evan White
22
njpac.org

how njpac kept the
music
playing
programming
for a pandemic
In the entertainment
industry, it’s idiomatic:
“The show must go on.”
But how does a performing arts
center live up to that mantra
in the middle of a pandemic?
With determination,
innovation and a little bit
of help from technology.
More than 250 in-person
NJPAC performances had to
be canceled or rescheduled
when COVID-19 shut down the
Arts Center in March — and by
year’s end, some shows had
been rescheduled three times,
as the pandemic dragged on.
But the work of rescheduling,
daunting though it was,
quickly became secondary.
The programming team’s
most urgent problem then
became: How could NJPAC
keep entertaining audiences,
without the ability to put an
audience and an artist in
the same physical space?
The effort the Arts Center
invested into finding ways
to program virtually wasn’t
simply an attempt to mitigate
financial losses. The real goal
was to keep audiences engaged
through the shutdown.
“How do we keep a connection
with our patrons, even during
an extended hiatus? How
do we achieve our mission
under these circumstances?”
explains David Rodriguez,
NJPAC’s Executive Producer
and the man captaining the
effort to make that pivot.
“Everyone on the entire
NJPAC team was thinking
entrepreneurially about this,
thinking in terms of how we can
sustain impact during COVID-19.
Maintaining that connection to
our classical subscribers, and to
our jazz audiences, our pop and
comedy audiences — we needed
to make sure that no one would
be left off the bus,” he says.
“The producers we work with,
we really leaned on them to say:
‘What are you working on now?
How can we help, how can we
make this work and continue to
engage our audiences?’’
says Evan White, Assistant
Vice President of Programming.
“Even in the beginning, the
really smart ones were saying:
‘We’re already working on it,
we’re already talking to artists
about performing from home.’
It was both a really frustrating
and a really exciting time,
figuring out how the industry
could support both the artists
and the venues,” White says.
NJPAC’s very first entertainment
offerings were performances
from its archives, captured on
film either by the Arts Center
itself, its partner organizations,
or television programs like PBS’s
State of the Arts, which were
shared on the NJPAC website
on a new page, NJPAC In Your
Living Room, which became a
portal to all the organization’s
virtual offerings. These were
followed by the Community
Engagement department’s
online version of its free live
classes and conversations,
posted to Facebook or shared
through Zoom virtual meet-ups,
njpac.org 23

NJPAC programmers
experimented with
new kinds of online,
ticketed entertainment,
including Host My Game
Night, a Zoom-enabled
evening of trivia contests,
name-that-tune and more.
then recorded and posted
to the website for those who
wanted to watch them later.
By early summer, as it became
clear that live performances
would not resume for several
months, programmers started
to experiment with new kinds of
online, ticketed entertainments,
including Host My Game Night, a
Zoom-enabled evening of games
ranging from trivia questions
to rounds of name-that-tune.
“Mentalist” Max Major brought
his Zoom performance, Remote
Control: A Mind Reading
Experiment, to NJPAC as well.
“For the Max Major magic show,
each participant was mailed
a box of materials they could
participate with, cards and
things like that. So people were
participating at home with the
random items mailed to them,
and he was guessing their pin
numbers, all kinds of crazy
things. We did three shows with
him in June, during the height
of feeling like no one could go
anywhere or do anything — and
they all sold out,” says White.
“Our main focus, in the beginning,
was family interaction — that’s
“This experience became a beta-test for
us, for new ways to produce, new
technologies that will allow us to share
NJPAC’s programs even further
and with even more people than we ever
could have before.”
—David Rodriguez
why we focused on magic shows
and game nights, so people
could spend the evening with
their family, and invite people
they were separated from to
join them. We saw lots of friends
and families in the same shows,
competing against each other,
talking to each other,” White says.
More such events — including
the comedy duo Colin Mochrie
and Brad Sherwood, with
their show Colin and Brad:
Stream of Consciousness, and
magician Justin Willman,
with an online magic show,
Magic for Humans — followed.
Working guidelines for online
performances began to
emerge: For example, too many
people couldn’t be crowded
into the virtual “room,” even
if physical space wasn’t a
limitation, because then the
online experience lost the
“feel” of an intimate event
that was part of the appeal.
With those successes,
programming began branching
out: Actors and comedians
discussing their best-loved films
live with a virtual audience
was another winning online
format — Chevy Chase talked
about the making of National
Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,
and Bruce Campbell shared
memories about the filming of
zombie cult classic, Evil Dead.
Staff members tapped contacts
to create new online offerings:
Kitab Rollins, Director of
Performance and Broadcast
Rentals, hosted Jersey Fresh,
24
njpac.org

a virtual open-mic night for
Garden State performers,
professional or amateur,
on Facebook Live. Another
NJPAC Facebook Live offering:
Marketing Manager Latoya
Dawson interviewed artists
who’d appeared at the Arts
Center in the past in a weekly
series called NJPAC Backstage.
Both efforts were so successful
a second round of events
was scheduled for 2021.
And finally, live virtual concerts
found their way into laptops
and living rooms too.
“One of the first was Suzanne
Vega, who did a show live at
the Blue Note in New York.
But different venues could
sell tickets, and they were all
aggregated to this one live
performance,” explains White.
For NJPAC audiences, Vega’s
An Evening of New York Songs
and Stories was followed by
live online concerts featuring
Arts Center favorites Darlene
Love and Ledisi. Later virtual
concerts featured not just
pop and R&B performers,
but classical artists as well.
NJPAC’s frequent visitors pianist
Jeremy Denk and violinist
Joshua Bell appeared on the
Arts Center’s digital “stage.”
(What about outdoor concerts,
or “drive-in” concerts in
parking lots? NJPAC producers
considered these formats,
which were briefly in vogue
mid-pandemic, particularly
in the summer months. But
in the end, ever-changing
government regulations about
the number of people allowed
at any event, and the costs of
setting up an outdoor venue
that would adhere to NJPAC’s
standards for safety, security
and quality, were prohibitive.
“And we didn’t want to do it if
we couldn’t do it right and make
it spectacular,” says White.)
In fact, the Arts Center
became so successful at online
programming that, before
the year was out, it became
clear that this new way of
reaching audiences, although
born of pandemic necessity,
would likely remain a part of
NJPAC’s offerings even after
the health crisis subsided.
“Look, we know we will be
among the last industries to
reopen. Even when there’s a
vaccine, and the CDC says filling
theaters is okay again, people
are going to make their own
personal decisions about when
they feel comfortable coming
back,” explains Rodriguez.
“But the good news is that,
virtually, we’re reaching far more
people than we would ever
have seats for in our theaters.
Now nothing will ever duplicate
a live performance, and we’re
still looking forward to filling
every seat in Prudential Hall.
But we are already thinking: How
can we combine these two ways
of experiencing a performance?
There will always be people who
can’t attend a live show, either
due to geography, or disability,
any number of reasons.
This experience became a
beta-test for us, for new ways
to produce, new technologies
that will allow us to share
NJPAC’s programs even further
and with even more people
than we ever could have
before,” Rodriguez says. •
Virtual events that found their way onto laptops and into living rooms
included the comedic duo Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood in
Stream of Consciousness; a live online concert with NJPAC favorite
Darlene Love; and legendary funnyman Chevy Chase, who hosted a
screening of his classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
njpac.org 25

George Marriner Maull moved
classical music appreciation
programs online via Zoom,
beginning on November 14th with
a deep dive into Stravinsky’s The
Rite of Spring. The event included
a real-time Q&A as well as a
downloadable listening guide.
classical conversations
give music lovers
something to talk about
by Linda Fowler
When NJPAC operations shut
down in mid-March, George
Marriner Maull, longtime host
of the Arts Center’s Classical
Overtures program, had already
wrapped the 2019-2020 season
of his popular pre-concert
lecture series and was ready
to start planning 2020-21.
However, he suspected that
when the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra, scheduled for
November 14, canceled its
U.S. tour, the remaining three
concerts in the 2020-21 Classical
Series might begin “falling like
dominoes” as the pandemic
precluded live performances.
The prospect of moving the four
talks online made sense to Maull,
an educator who has made
hundreds of videos during his
career as Artistic Director of the
Discovery Orchestra and as a
violist, international conductor,
radio personality, and three-time
Emmy nominee. The rechristened
Classical Conversations made
its debut via Zoom on the
evening of November 14 with an
hourlong primer to Stravinsky’s
The Rite of Spring, one of the
works in the Israel Philharmonic’s
repertoire for NJPAC.
Like The Rite of Spring, the
premiere was a real nail-biter.
“My computer crashed the night
before we were to go on, so
I tried to reconstruct it on the
day of the ‘performance,’” Maull
recalls of the hours leading up
to “curtain.” “It crashed again.”
Fortunately, Maull, who
has enjoyed 16 seasons as
NJPAC’s pre-concert lecturer,
had a Plan B to substitute a
licensed YouTube video with
commentary for additional
digital illustration. Thanks to
the nimble engineering of the
production team, Maull can
conduct Q&As in real time
“If I can help induce a goosebumps
experience, or have someone moved to the
soles of their feet, or have someone weep
from listening to this music — if I can cause
that to happen by helping them to listen
better, they will want to repeat that
experience on their own because
it feels so good.”
—George Marriner Maull
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with his audience — 100 of
whom registered for the first
conversation — and provide a
downloadable listening guide
to the featured masterwork.
The maestro says necessity
has inspired him to pick up
new skills, such as fluency
in Apple’s Garage Band
and iMovie programs.
But his basic mission hasn’t
changed. For at least a
half-century, the Philadelphia
native has been teaching people
how to listen to classical music
and connect to it emotionally.
“If I can help induce a
goosebumps experience, or
have someone moved to the
soles of their feet, or have
someone weep from listening
to this music — if I can cause
that to happen by helping
them to listen better, I know
they will want to repeat that
experience on their own because
it feels so good,” says Maull.
Maull’s deep dives into
beloved works of the classical
canon were scheduled for
every night that an offering
from NJPAC’s Classical Series
was originally scheduled.
back on stage
The NJSO returned to Prudential Hall
for a virtual season, sans audience
Music Director Xian Zhang led the
NJSO in a series of virtual concerts
recorded in NJPAC’s Prudential Hall.
Other classical musicians also
took the pause in traditional
concerts to offer audiences a bit
of an education in the classical In October, the security crew at the NJPAC stage door
repertoire: Acclaimed pianist
entrance was faced with a problem it hadn’t had to handle
Jeremy Denk, for example, joined in months: A crowd!
NJPAC President and CEO John
After a 232-day hiatus, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Schreiber in June for an evening
returned to NJPAC, and the musicians clustered around new
of not just playing his favorite
stage door health check stations with their instruments to gain
pieces from his home, but also
access to Prudential Hall.
illustrating their inner workings.
Denk’s performances of several While the entire orchestra did not return — wind instruments,
Bach Preludes and Fugues were among others, were still considered unsafe in a crowd — some 35
a masterful introduction to the musicians playing string instruments and the harp reassembled
composer’s work, and his talk
on the stage with the NJSO’s Music Director Xian Zhang.
about and performance of
“As rehearsals began, I was unprepared for the emotions
Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata
I felt, seeing everyone in person again,” NJSO President
focused on how the composer
and CEO Gabriel van Aalst told NJPAC’s President and
wrote music to illustrate the lives CEO John Schreiber later that week. “This is the first
and philosophies of the New
step in a long journey.”
England Transcendentalists. •
njpac.org 27

Among the concerts filmed at NJPAC
was the world premiere of i am a white
person who _____ Black people, an
NJSO commission by violinist-composer
Daniel Bernard Roumain, later made
available free-of-charge through a
variety of digital channels.
“This year hasn’t seen just the pandemic,
but also the largest social justice
movement in our country’s history, and
both had a variety of impacts on the arts.
We’ve always been committed to diversity
and inclusion, but this time has allowed
us to focus our attention on those aspects
of our work even more.”
— Gabriel van Aalst
The NJSO returned to the Arts
Center to rehearse and record a
series of virtual concerts, which
were filmed by the Newark-based
DreamPlay Media at NJPAC,
then distributed free through
digital channels including the
orchestra’s website, YouTube
channel and Facebook page.
“Because of the pandemic,
we’ve had to pivot away from
concerts with live audiences. But
instead of canceling all activity,
we wanted to be the first major
orchestra in the tri-state area to
come back and record virtual
concerts,” van Aalst says.
The inaugural program, filmed
in October, featured the world
premiere of i am a white person
who _____ Black people, a new
NJSO commission by composer
Daniel Bernard Roumain.
The Orchestra also performed
Michael Abels’ Delights & Dances
with a quartet of soloists from
the Sphinx Organization (which
champions emerging Black and
Latinx artists): violinists Rubén
Rengel and Jannina Norpoth,
violist Dana Kelley and cellist
Thomas Mesa. The program
also featured the Adagietto from
Mahler’s Fifth Symphony and
Mozart’s Divertimento in D Major.
“This year hasn’t seen just the
pandemic, but also the largest
social justice movement in our
country’s history, and both had
a variety of impacts on the arts.
We’ve always been committed
to diversity and inclusion, but
this time has allowed us to
focus our attention on those
aspects of our work even
more,” van Aalst notes.
The series was an outgrowth
of the large volume of online
content the NJSO created
throughout the pandemic.
From their homes, the
orchestra’s musicians produced
performance videos that
ranged from giddy to inspiring,
and found unprecedented
success on social media,
reaching more than a million
viewers, dwarfing the 160,000
who attend its live concerts
during a typical season.
That video content included
the NJSO’s English horn player
Andrew Adelson playing
at home, serenading his
music-loving cat, Tina, with
the Sarabande from Bach’s
Cello Suite No. 2 — a hit on
Facebook — as well as a moving
orchestral and choral at-home
performance of a new work,
Gratias Tibi, commissioned
from José Luis Domínguez
as a tribute to frontline
workers of the pandemic. •
28
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dance, dance,
revolution
DJ Danny Krivit was
featured last summer
when NJPAC’s Horizon
Foundation Sounds of the
City concert series was
reinvented as a series of
live, virtual dance parties
offered free via Facebook.
NJPAC’s staff found many
different ways to reach out to
the Arts Center’s community
virtually during the pandemic.
But one of the first virtual
formats to go live on NJPAC’s
digital channels was also one of
the most lasting and successful:
The live DJ dance party.
“I’m a house-head, I love
house music — I don’t care
where you are, when you
hear that music, you will
start dancing,” says Eyesha
Marable, Director of Community
Engagement at NJPAC.
So in the very first days of the
shutdown in March, she tuned
into a phenomenon that was
blowing up on Instagram:
DJ D-Nice started spinning
tunes live on the social media
network, an offering he
dubbed #ClubQuarantine.
His sets became so popular
that celebrities from Oprah
Winfrey to Missy Elliott and
First Lady Michelle Obama

dropped into the comments
and posted about it on their
own social media feeds.
“And knowing about house
heads, I said: ‘They’re going
to lean into this.’ If you’re an
extrovert or you’re used to
socializing, a dance party
will let you get that energy
out, and let you do some
socializing,” even when
quarantining, Marable says.
So she immediately set about
producing an NJPAC live DJ
dance party as part of the Arts
Center’s virtual Community
Engagement offerings.
played. The combination of
upbeat music and a chance
to reach out to friends
proved a potent antidote to
the fear and isolation of the
pandemic’s early months.
NJPAC’s Community
Engagement department
continued to offer DJ dance
parties weekly through the
spring, with locally famous DJs
including DJ D-Real spinning
gospel house music, DJ Ran
playing hip hop R&B, DJ
MS playing Afro-Caribbean
beats, DJ Jihad Muhammad
spinning house and DJ Paul
Anthony playing “throwback
“We had to find a way to keep
the music playing, and that
Sounds of the City tradition alive,
this summer….. We hope these
live dance parties, presented
in a format that allows you
to see that your friends and
neighbors are listening in their
own homes at the same time,
will be a welcome weekly break
in the pandemic routine for
all,” David Rodriguez, NJPAC’s
Executive Producer, said when
the series was announced.
Longtime Sounds of the City
stalwart and radio personality
DJ Felix Hernandez brought
his “Rhythm Revue Dance Party”
Dance parties with a DJ had
been a feature of some of
Community Engagement’s “afterparties”
in the Prudential Hall
lobby following live concerts,
but they’d never been offered
online before. DJ Jay-J and DJ
Checo offered the Arts Center’s
first Facebook Live DJ Latin
dance party on April 10, and
the format was an instant hit.
“And the next week we had
DJ Storm Norm da General,
and he came with so much —
he had amazing filters, he had
this big radio personality….
you really felt like you were in
the studio with him,” Marable
says. Online participation grew
from thousands of people
listening to the live sets, to
tens of thousands, with friends
connecting and chatting in
the comments while the music
NJPAC’s live virtual dance parties offered
upbeat music as well as a chance to
reach out to friends, providing a potent
antidote to the fear and isolation of the
pandemic’s early months.
classics.” Enthusiastic listeners
not only tuned in, they hosted
socially-distanced “listening
parties” on their lawns.
The format was so successful
that NJPAC’s much-loved
Horizon Foundation Sounds of
the City free summer concert
series was reinvented as a
series of live DJ dance parties,
with turntablists with national
reputations spinning music
that Arts Center audiences
could dance to in their
basements and back yards.
to Facebook Live as part of
the summer series, which
also featured old-school New
York City DJ Danny Krivit, and
DJ and founder of Black Girls
Rock!, Beverly Bond. DJ Blazer
One spun old-school freestyle,
Rich Medina played house and
dance classics, and DJ Lobo
curated a mix of reggaeton
and hip hop tunes. •
30
njpac.org

from ballads
to bebop
Online programs take
a deep dive into jazz
Jazz, “America’s classical
music,” has always been
a centerpiece of NJPAC’s
programming, and during the
pandemic, the Arts Center found
new ways to present this music,
and to talk to, and about, the
artists who bring it to life.
Some of NJPAC’s earliest virtual
programs were Community
Engagement performances
called Jazz Tunes on Tuesday,
which featured Arts Center
affiliated musicians, including
jazz instruction lead Mark Gross,
in performance and conversation.
The Backstage @ Home interview
series included chats with three
past Sarah Vaughan International
Jazz Vocal Competition winners,
Samara McLendon, Laurin Talese
and Quianna Lynell, as well
as with jazz station WBGO’s
music director, Gary Walker.
Over the summer, the Arts
Center’s virtual jazz offerings
grew more elaborate, an
evolution signaled by the
August celebration of the 60th
anniversary of Miles Davis
and Gil Evans collaboration,
Sketches of Spain. NJPAC joined
forces with the Jazz Standard
to present the premiere of
the GRAMMY-nominated
Gil Evans Project’s video
recording of one work from
the album, Joaquin Rodrigo’s
Adagio from “Concierto de
Aranjuez.” The virtual concert
included a live discussion
with the featured musicians.
And in the fall, a whole virtual
jazz season kicked in, with
all kinds of jazz represented
in performances, tributes
and musician roundtables
lined up for the virtual
TD Bank Jazz Series.
John Schreiber hosted several
virtual meet-ups with performers
and adherents of the American
Songbook, including vocalist
Ann Hampton Callaway (who
GRAMMY-winning saxophonist
and jazz instruction lead
Mark Gross was featured
in performance and in
conversation as part of Jazz
Tunes on Tuesday, one of NJPAC’s
earliest virtual programs.
sang and played the music of
the Gershwin brothers), and
Frank Sinatra historians James
Kaplan and Chuck Granata.
The Icons Series of live virtual
jazz events — which featured
tributes to jazz greats by
contemporary artists, another
collaboration between NJPAC
and Jazz Standard — kicked
off in October with Alto
Madness: A Charlie Parker
Centennial Celebration with
Charles McPherson and
Donald Harrison, presented
100 years after Parker’s birth.
Other Icons Series deep dives
into the work of the masters
included a sit-down with the
njpac.org 31

“Godfather of Funk”, George
Clinton, who was interviewed
by R&B Hall of Famer Nona
Hendryx (an event titled
Funk Wizdom and Other
Afrofunkafuturistic Tales) as
well as a roundtable discussion
about Newark-born sax master
Wayne Shorter, featuring his
bandmates Danilo Perez, John
Patitucci and Brian Blade in
conversation with producer
Seth Abramson. (The title of
that event? Wayne’s World, of
course!) Take Five and More
celebrated the centennial of
the great pianist and composer
David Brubeck, with Abramson,
pianist Bill Charlap (director
of jazz studies at William
Paterson University) and
drummer Kenny Washington.
In the spring, a program
called Jazz Partners focused
on musicians who were
partners in both their lives and
their work, like sax master
Paquito D’Rivera and opera
singer Brenda Feliciano, and
drummer T.S. Monk and music
publisher Gale Monk.
The Artist to Artist series featured
musicians in conversation
with each other, including a
discussion between pianist,
composer and bandleader
Arturo O’Farrill and drummer
and composer Antonio Sánchez.
Even more interesting
conversations and pairings filled
NJPAC found new ways to showcase “America’s classical
music” online (clockwise from top left): Artist to Artist
discussion with jazz musican Artuto O’Farrill and Mexican
drummer Antonio Sánchez; vocalist Ann Hampton
Callaway performed the music of the Gershwin brothers;
R&B Hall of Famer Nona Hendryx conducted a sit-down
interview with “Godfather of Funk” George Clinton; and
drummer Danilo Pérez appeared in an event devoted to
Newark-born sax master Wayne Shorter.
the Hear All About It series, which
focused largely on contemporary
musicians. Multiple GRAMMYwinning
jazz composer and
bandleader Maria Schneider
sat down with jazz saxophonist
Donny McCaslin to talk about
her 2020 double-LP release Data
Lords, an album made in protest
of “big tech.” Songwriter and Live
From Here host Chris Thile joined
singer-songwriter Madison
Cunningham for a rap session
on Writing for Yourself And
Other Ways to Stave Off Musical
Loneliness During A Pandemic. •
32
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ecreating
community
online
community engagement
“Well, we’ve got some
lemons here, we better make
some lemonade,” is what
Eyesha Marable remembers
thinking in late March 2020.
NJPAC had just shut its campus
for 30 days — and called a halt
to all the in-person events it
produces off-campus as well.
That announcement threw
Marable, Director of Community
Engagement for the Arts Center,
and her department of four
into a flurry of activity. Instead
of planning and producing a
spring’s worth of free events,
as they normally would that
time of year, the team spent
a week working the phones,
letting all of the Arts Center’s
120 community partner
organizations know that at
least 50 of the free
community events that
NJPAC had already
scheduled for the
coming months would
not be happening.
In a typical year,
NJPAC’s Community
Engagement
department produces
and hosts more than
200 free events in libraries,
schools, parks and houses
of worship, reaching more
than 19,000 people.
With those calls done, however,
the Community Engagement
team immediately started
thinking of ways they could
reinvent these programs
as online gatherings.
NJPAC’s Wellness Wednesdays free online dance
workshops attracted thousands of participants,
thanks to a lineup of exceptional instructors like
Ballet Hispánico’s Gabrielle Sprauve.

NJPAC’s Wellness Wednesday events included live virtual classes
in (clockwise from top left) Indian classical dance with Akhila V of
the Kalagangothri Foundation; voguing class with Jose Lapaz-
Rodriguez; ballet with Greta Campo of Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company;
and modern dance with Amos Machanic, Jr. of Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater. Bottom row: Virtual attendees of all ages beat back
the quarantine blues with NJPAC’s virtual dance classes.
In this task, they had one
advantage most other departments
in the Arts Center did not:
A pre-existing Zoom account.
“When I’m not at NJPAC,
I run an organization called
the National Liturgical Dance
Network, and it was already
virtual, all its trainings and
workshops were online,”
explains Marable, who was
awarded the Arts Center’s 2018
M. John Richard Community
Service Award for her volunteer
work with the Network.
“So I knew about Zoom because
we were already using it to meet
with our Advisory Councils,”
says Marable. “So often, we’d
invite 20 or more people to our
Advisory Council meetings,
and only a handful would be
able to make it in person, so
we’d started Zooming them in.
That made recalibrating to
virtual a little bit easier for us.”
Community Engagement was
the first of the Arts Center’s
departments to produce new,
live virtual events. One by
one, all of its programs were
reinvented as online offerings.
By April 6, they had already
arranged for teaching artist
Wincey Terry to film all six of
her Books on the Move classes,
in which she reads aloud
picture books about great
performing artists — from salsa
star Celia Cruz to ballerina
Misty Copeland — while
weaving in lessons on rhythm,
literacy and counting for the
youngest readers.
Terry and other artists usually
offer these readings at libraries,
“I truly believe that the challenges of the
pandemic have forced us, as an organization,
to reimagine and reinvent ourselves
in ways that we never thought possible.
We are now laser-focused on creatively
empowering the communities
we serve, through the arts.”
—Eyesha Marable
34
njpac.org

and the video versions of the
Books on the Move classes were
offered to libraries to share on
their websites, even as they also
were available through NJPAC’s
online portal on its own website,
NJPAC In Your Living Room.
In short order, other
long-running Community
Engagement programs
went online: Free Wellness
Wednesday dance classes
were first reimagined as
videos shared on Facebook
Live — and then, when that
format failed to capture the
interactive elements of an
in-person dance class, became
Zoom online workshops.
The Wellness Wednesday series
resumed in mid-April, and
continued through the rest of the
year. Dance teachers — including
members of professional dance
companies like Nai-Ni Chen
Dance Company, 10 Hairy Legs,
Limón Dance Company, Ballet
Hispánico, and Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater —
offered workshops in ballet,
contemporary dance, jazz
fusion, West African dance,
capoeira, line dancing, salsa,
samba, step dance, Indian
classical dance, and even yoga.
Thousands participated in these
virtual classes over the course
of the year, with about 100
people signing on to each event.
The department also kicked
off a musical series, Jazz Tunes
on Tuesday, that offered both
performances and conversation
with musicians Wayne
Winborne, James Austin, and
Mark Gross, the acclaimed
saxman who is also NJPAC’s
Director of Jazz Instruction.
In July, the Community
Engagement team relaunched
the monthly Pearls of Wisdom
program, in which community
elders shared their stories
with younger generations. In
the wake of the social justice
movement that spread across
the country, this series took on
a new activist tone: Deborah
Smith Gregory, president of the
Newark Branch of the NAACP,
and Columbia University Ph.D.
student Susan Pope hosted
the events, at which prominent
seniors talked about their
engagement with protests and
elections, past and present.
Eugene Campbell, Newark’s
first Black superintendent
of schools; Junius Williams,
official historian of the city of
Newark; Larry Hamm, founder
of the People’s Organization for
Progress (POP) and a lifelong
activist on progressive issues;
and Bill Payne, the former New
Jersey assemblyman whose
work in Trenton included
establishing the Amistad
Commission, were among those
who shared their stories.
“It’s something that working
through the era of COVID-19
taught us: Not all programming
has to be in-person. An audience
can still be stimulated, still
be engaged, when they’re
watching and listening and
learning in their homes. So now
we have a brand-new stage
we didn’t know we had — and
we’re going to keep using it!”
says Donna Walker-Kuhne,
NJPAC’s Senior Advisor on
Community Engagement.
“I truly believe that the
challenges of the pandemic have
forced us, as an organization,
to reimagine and reinvent
ourselves in ways that we never
thought possible. We are now
laser-focused on creatively
empowering the communities
we serve, through the
arts.” says Marable. •
Junius Williams,
the official historian
of the city of Newark,
participated in NJPAC’s
Pearls of Wisdom
program, in which
esteemed community
elders shared stories of
protest and activism with
younger generations.

stepping up
NJPAC staff create new
kinds of virtual events
Haeyoung Bach (a.k.a. MADaam
Bach) was among the emerging New
Jersey artists who took part in Jersey
Fresh @ Home, a virtual open mic
night, broadcast via Facebook Live.
Laurin Talese appeared
as part of Backstage @
NJPAC, a new series of online
interviews with performers
who have been featured at
the Arts Center.
Visual artist Layqa Nuna
Yawar was part of the
10 Newark Creators, an
Instagram Live series
that focused on some of
Newark’s most innovative
young artists and activists.
After all of Community Engagement’s
signature events had been reinvented as
virtual programs, the team began to expand
the department’s offerings. Many NJPAC
staff members from outside the department
dreamed up new ways to reach audiences
virtually, and stepped forward to produce,
curate and host these events as well.
Kitab Rollins, NJPAC’s Director of Performance
and Broadcast Rentals, produced and
hosted Jersey Fresh @ Home — a virtual
open mic night for emerging New Jersey
artists, broadcast via Facebook Live.
“As part of our strategic plan, we were talking
about what NJPAC could do to engage
up-and-coming artists,” says Rollins.
More than 100 singers, comedians, dancers,
rappers and poets auditioned (via video)
to take part in the series, which ran from
October through November. A second season
of the series ran throughout spring 2021.
A diverse array of Jersey artists appeared
in the series, including Newark native
Janetza Miranda, who performed Gnarls
Barkley’s “Crazy” as a sultry ballad;
Haeyoung Bach (a.k.a. MADaam Bach),
a jazz vocalist who performed a Brazilian
ballad; and Prince Derek Doll, an actor,
singer and LGBTQ activist, who sang and
rapped about his experiences growing up
in Louisiana and, later, living in Newark.
Marketing Manager Latoya Dawson launched
and hosted an interview series, Backstage @
NJPAC, in which she spoke with artists who’d
performed at the Arts Center in the past.
Yasmeen Fahmy, Associate Director of
Digital Marketing, conceived of and hosted
a new interview series, 10 Newark Creators.
That series turned a spotlight on the city of
Newark’s innovative young people — the
artists, activists and entrepreneurs who make
the city’s downtown scene so vibrant. Artist
Layqa Nuna Yawar, artist and activist Diana
Candelejo, musician and entrepreneur Adam
Bergo, Newark Pride president Sharronda
“Love” Wheeler and sexuality educator
Jessica “JV” Valladolid were among those
who discussed their work in the series. •

njpac’s first
virtual kwanzaa
Celebrating online makes
for a much bigger party
Thousands were drawn to NJPAC’s first fully
virtual Kwanzaa Festival which included
(clockwise from top left) a Zumba fitness class
with Malaika Anaya; an Afrobeat workshop
led by percussionist Farai Malianga; Afrobeat
dance with instructor Adeola Fashina; and
a Hip Hop Graphics workshop conducted by
visual artist Malik Whitaker.
NJPAC’s Kwanzaa Festival,
an annual Arts Center
Community Engagement event,
translated beautifully into a
joyous online gathering.
On December 19, the virtual
Kwanzaa Festival drew more
than 2,200 registrants who
took part in workshops, classes
and panel discussions as well
as 3,200 participants who
joined in via Facebook. Even
more viewers watched once
the events were archived on
NJPAC’s In Your Living Room
web page. The Kwanzaa
Festival is sponsored annually
by Toby and Leon Cooperman.
In addition, more than 26,000
attendees, many of them
schoolchildren, took part in a
show and workshop by Step
Afrika!, the Washington D.C.-based
company made up of both
African and American performers
dedicated to the African-American
tradition of step dance.
By comparison, the in-person
festival in the Prudential Hall
lobby in years past often
drew about 1,100 visitors, who
effectively filled all available
space. While the virtual Kwanzaa
Festival might not have been able
to fully recreate the feeling of the
Arts Center crammed with visiting
families and reverberating to
the sound of African drumming,
the spirit of the celebration was
preserved — and extended to
thousands of new participants.
njpac.org
37

Tribute to the
Elders, with
Dr. Akil Khalfani,
Director of the
Africana Institute
at Essex County
College as well as
Newark Council
President Mildred
Crump.
The fully virtual Kwanzaa Festival drew more than 2,200 registrants
who took part in workshops, classes and panel discussions as
well as some 3,200 participants who joined in via Facebook.
Virtual arts and crafts
workshops offered families
videos outlining step-by-step
instructions for creating craft
projects, created for the
Kwanzaa Festival by partner
organizations including
Newark’s GlassRoots studio,
which focused on the Ghanian
art of creating jewelry with
glass trade beads. Participants
had the option of picking up
packets of crafting materials
at NJPAC ahead of the festival,
although many of the projects
presented could be created
using items easily found at home.
Virtual Kwanzaa movement
classes included seven different
workshops that were held in
Zoom breakout rooms after
a joint introductory welcome.
Participants were able to
try out West African Dance,
Afro-Brazilian capoeira,
Afrobeat, stepping, djembe
drumming, and even graffiti
during these sessions.
The heart of this year’s festival,
however, was a series of Zoom
events at which participants
gathered to discuss different
aspects of the Black experience.
The festival began with
A Tribute to the Elders, an intergenerational
conversation in
prose and poetry, featuring
readings by honorees including
poet Amina Baraka and
Newark Council President
Mildred Crump, as well as
by poets from NJPAC’s City
Verses jazz-poetry workshops.
Mayor Ras Baraka opened
the discussion, and Dr. Akil
Khalfani, Director of the Africana
Institute at Essex County College,
and Deborah Smith Gregory,
President of the NAACP’s
Newark branch, also spoke.
Later, representatives from the
nine original Black fraternities
and sororities gathered for
a Zoom panel called Social
Justice Through The Lens of
The Divine 9. Abdel Salaam,
Artistic Director of the Forces of
Nature Dance Company and a
producer of Kwanzaa festivals
around the country, moderated
a discussion between members
of the fraternities and sororities —
Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa
Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega
Psi Phi, Delta Sigma Theta,
Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta
Sigma Gamma Rho and Iota Phi
Theta — that ranged from the
role of historically Black colleges
and universities to the impact
of Black entrepreneurs and the
issue of reparations. Afterward,
contributions of Black artists
and arts administrators were
celebrated through The Strength
of Black Theater, a Zoom talk that
brought together performers and
staff from five arts organizations.
The grand finale was a virtual
performance by the Washington
D.C.-based dance company, Step
Afrika! Thanks to the outreach
efforts of NJPAC’s Arts Education
department, thousands of school
children, as well as individuals
and families, participated
in this event, which included
a performance as well as a
lesson in how to perform step.
The performance was made
available to school districts
along with a teacher’s resource
guide. Classes could participate
at any time in the week leading
up to the festival, making the
event as accessible as possible.
And the Kwanzaa Artisan
Marketplace, Newark’s go-to
source of unique, hand-made
items, also went virtual, with a
dedicated website where artists
and crafters could sell their
goods. The market remained live
throughout the virtual festival
and the holiday season, staying
active through December 30. •
38
njpac.org

More than 26,000 attendees, many
of them schoolchildren, took part in a
show and workshop by the acclaimed
company Step Afrika!

Following the May 25 murder of George Floyd
in Minneapolis, Newark responded with
a markedly peaceful protest led
by Mayor Ras Baraka — and NJPAC almost
immediately made the push for social justice
a centerpiece of its programming.
In May of 2020, peaceful protestors swept through
the streets of Newark, part of a nationwide cry for
equal justice for Black Americans.
40
njpac.org

standing in
solidarity
Jakayla Toney/unsplash.com
njpac.org 41

policing
the police
pseg
true diversity
film series
Clockwise from top left: Archival image from the
online town hall, Democracy, Voting, Census:
A Conversation about Power; Ava DuVernay’s
documentary 13th, part of the PSEG True Diversity
Film Series; panel member Rick Thigpen, PSEG’s
Senior Vice President, Corporate Citizenship; Becca
Zimmerman, panel member for White Fragility:
A Conversation of Allyship; archival image from
White Fragility; a scene from the PBS documentary,
Policing the Police; Andrea McChristian, Law &
Policy Director for the New Jersey Institute for Social
Justice, New Jersey State Trooper Patrick Callahan,
a participant in the Policing the Police event.
42
njpac.org

seekingjustice
in the wake of nationwide protests,
NJPAC took a deep dive into issues of
racism and equity
The pandemic and the
economic collapse that followed
had already put the nation in
a state of heightened anxiety.
But on May 25, Memorial
Day, the murder of George
Floyd in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, added a third
crisis to the mix — a national
outpouring of anguish over the
mistreatment of Black citizens.
Video of Floyd’s death — at
the hands of police officers
responding to allegations that
he had used a counterfeit $20
bill to purchase cigarettes — hit
the screens of a nation stuck
at home, glued to the news
and already terrified.
The resulting explosion of
outrage, and of protests
demanding equal justice for
Black Americans, swept not
just through major American
cities, but across the globe and
into towns small and large.
“Right after I saw [the video],
I was just so shocked I couldn’t
speak,” says Donna Walker-
Kuhne, NJPAC’s Senior Advisor
on Community Engagement.
“I was in shock — and then
I started to think about
what we could do.”
As Newark responded with
a markedly peaceful protest
march led by Mayor Ras
Baraka, the Arts Center almost
immediately made the push
for social justice a centerpiece
of its programming.
Walker-Kuhne, in collaboration
with John Schreiber, NJPAC’s
President and CEO, and
Executive Producer David
Rodriguez, quickly established
a Social Justice Programming
Task Force, drawing team
members from across the
organization and charging
them with a new mission:
To produce virtual events that
NJPAC quickly established a Social Justice
Programming Task Force, charging team
members from across the organization
with a new mission: To produce virtual
events that would offer context to the issues
being discussed in the streets, in the halls of
government, and in countless homes.
would offer context to the
issues now being discussed
in the streets, in the halls of
government, and in countless
homes, offering insight from
those who had long been
engaged in the fight for
equity. Both the Newark
Branch of the NAACP and
the New Jersey Institute for
Social Justice were engaged
as consultants to the work.
NJPAC had long been proud of
its position as the most diverse
performing arts center in the
country — in terms of the artists
it presented, the audiences it
welcomed, and the make up
of its staff and volunteers —
but this programming would
be different from almost
anything the Arts Center had
attempted before. These new
programs would address issues
of justice, equity and inclusion
directly, with a clear focus
on issues that affected the
Black community, and would
attempt to offer audiences
concrete steps forward.
“We needed to do more than
just open a dialogue,” says
Walker-Kuhne. “Dialogue
can open a door, but to walk
through that door, you have
to actually do something.”
“We don’t say out loud
how prevalent racism is,
especially toward Black people,”
njpac.org 43

says Kitab Rollins, who chaired
the task force with Walker-
Kuhne. “We found ourselves at a
moment when we had to be loud
and up front about all these ills
that affect Black people. It was
right in our face, and we had
to do our part to address it.”
The Task Force’s first event was
held on July 6, little more than
a month after Floyd’s death,
and it addressed head-on the
steps the community could
take to advance social justice
immediately: Registering
to vote, participating in
the census, and contacting
elected representatives.
The online town hall, called
Democracy, Voting, Census:
A Conversation about Power,
was moderated by Andrea
McChristian, Law & Policy
Director for the New Jersey
Institute for Social Justice,
and featured a panel of
activists and educators.
At the same time, NJPAC
established Standing in
Solidarity, a new portal on its
website which not only became
an archive of recorded virtual
social justice events, but also
offered a wealth of resources,
from links to the census to
a curated lists of films and
podcasts that addressed
issues of equity and racism.
The Task Force committed itself
to producing at least one virtual
program around social justice
each month, a goal it frequently
exceeded as more and more
events were scheduled. Very
quickly, PSEG became a partner
in the work, as the Arts Center’s
long-standing collaboration
with the company, the PSEG True
Diversity Film Series, became
the vehicle for the majority
of the events. When the Task
Force reached out to PSEG’s
leadership, “they were already
thinking about how they could
(continued on page 46)
voices
raised
“Change must
happen now”
insist speakers
at a season’s
worth of social
justice events
A photograph of children from Newark’s Avon
Avenue school placing laptops in windows to pick
up a Wi-Fi connection so they could attend remote
lessons, shared by Charity Haygood, Avon Avenue’s
principal, during a panel on Educational Justice.
Governors and
Congresswomen, activists,
artists, teachers and
executives all took part in
events that were part of
NJPAC’s social justice
programming, a new slate of
events created following the
murder of George Floyd and
the renewed nationwide
reckoning with race and
equity that followed. From
memories of the segregated
South to glimpses of what
education looked like for
children of color during the
pandemic, participants in
these events offered their
insights, their experiences
and their strategies for
mapping out a more
equitable future.
Charity Haygood
Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad
44
njpac.org

Charity Haygood, Principal of
Newark’s Avon Avenue School,
spoke at the PSEG True
Diversity Film Series panel on
Educational Justice:
“We’ve always talked about
an educational gap, but I
think this pandemic has
revealed that we have a life
gap. Black families have
erroneously been pegged
with not caring about
education, but the pandemic
has shown us that Black
families are willing to go to
all sorts of lengths to make
sure their children are able
to learn. Black parents have
had their phones turned
off because they’d used
all their minutes to get their
kids online…. Our parents
were doing everything in their
power to get their children to
be able to learn, but they
were hitting walls over and
over and over again.”
Governor Tom Kean
Governor Tom Kean, an NJPAC
Founder, spoke at August’s
A Nation in Crisis, a panel
that paired the Governor with
Reverend Bill Howard, formerly
of Newark’s Bethany Baptist
Church, to discuss the history
that led to today’s push for
social justice:
“Look, I lived in Washington
when I was 3 years old,
when my father was elected
to Congress. And people
don’t remember what kind
of a city it was. Black people
and white people couldn’t
go to the movies together!
When my father had
Black constituents to town,
he couldn’t take them to
restaurants because the
restaurants were segregated.
Everything was segregated.
It was a Southern town,
and it was the nation’s
capital. So I grew up in that
kind of environment.”
Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad,
Ford Foundation Professor of
History, Race, and Public Policy
at Harvard Kennedy School,
gave the keyote address at
NJPAC’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Awards, held virtually
in January 2021:
“We can celebrate King today
and year after year, and treat
him as a saint and a martyr.
We can whitewash his legacy
in such a way as to sanctify
the myth of American Exceptionalism
— that only in America
can a Black man rise up
out of the red clay of Georgia
and single-handedly change
America and the world. But
this is a myth, because of
course King did not do this
alone. He learned time and
time again that individuals
don’t bend the moral arc of
the universe by themselves.
Communities do.”
The Honorable Tahesha Way
At Pioneers of Protest, a
Women@NJPAC event held to
recognize the centennial of the
passage of the 19th Amendment
ot the U.S. Constitution,
a sisterhood of New Jersey’s
political representatives spoke
about their experiences.
Tahesha Way, New Jersey’s
current Secretary of State, was in
attendance, and advised:
“Whenever you do get a chance
to have a say, make sure you
aren’t the only woman or the
only person of color in the
room. No matter what your
identity is, if you are in a leadership
position, gather others
around you whose experience
is different from your own.”
Black and white activists
who pushed for the vote to
be extended to women were
honored during the Women@
NJPAC event, Pioneers of
Protest, celebrating the 100th
anniversary of the passage
of the 19th amendment.

e responsive to the movement,
and they were happy for us
to continue this programming
under the True Diversity
banner,” says Walker-Kuhne.
To host a film-screening series
during the pandemic, a “book
club” model was adopted:
Each month, participants were
asked to screen a selected film
at home through one of several
video streaming platforms.
Then they were invited to
join a Zoom conference with
a moderator and a panel of
activists and thought leaders
of the fight for social justice:
A screening of a documentary
featuring Dr. Robin DiAngelo,
author of the best-selling
White Fragility: Why It’s So
Hard for White People to Talk
About Racism, was followed
by a discussion called White
Fragility: A Conversation of
Allyship (which, deliberately,
featured an all-white panel).
A conversation about law
enforcement followed a
screening of Policing the Police
2020, a PBS documentary that
focused on New Yorker scribe
our Mayor, we’re steps ahead
of many cities on this issue.”
Other events looked at
everything from barriers to
voting, to the issues faced by
Black executives in the business
world, to a spring panel
discussion that examined the
history that left many in the
Black community hesitant about
taking the COVID-19 vaccines.
By year’s end, not only was a
full slate of events scheduled
for the rest of the season,
but plans were underway to
extend the series into 2021.
“We needed to do
more than just open
a dialogue. Dialogue
can open a door,
but to walk through
that door, you
have to actually do
something.”
— Donna Walker-Kuhne
who gave context to the issues
addressed in each film.
Ava DuVernay’s searing
documentary 13th, about
the relationship between the
abolition of slavery (achieved
with the passage of the
13th amendment to the U.S.
Constitution in 1865) and the
subsequent mass incarceration
of Black men, was the first film
to be featured in the series.
Rick Thigpen, PSEG’s Senior
Vice President, Corporate
Citizenship, and the chairman
of the PSEG Foundation,
moderated the discussion that
accompanied that screening.
Each subsequent event
focused on a different aspect
Jelani Cobb — a college friend
of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka —
as he reported on the Newark
police, examining the difficulties
of fixing the department’s
broken relationship
with the community.
“I was really taken with that
particular panel,” says Rollins,
who noted that the discussion
included representatives
from the state police. “We
were addressing the hottest
of hot-button issues, and
we showed that the city of
Newark has been taking
a really active stance in
addressing police conduct,
trying to implement checks and
balances that hold the police
accountable. I think because of
“We obviously have to start
listening to each other,” says
Eyesha Marable, Director of
Community Engagement and
another member of the Task
Force. “With each issue, we
tried to just address it — not to
resolve it, not to offer our own
opinions, and not to look for
judgment. We just wanted to
offer education. With the panel
about the vaccines, for example,
we wanted to enlighten and
educate participants. We’re not
trying to persuade anyone, but
we are offering context.” •
46
njpac.org

sharing the wealth
Virtual pivot
leads to
new strategy
of national
content
distribution
for NJPAC
Once NJPAC had thoughtfully
moved to a virtual programming
model, filling its weekly calendar
with multiple online events
in order to connect with its
audiences during the pandemic,
the Arts Center took another
step toward expanding its reach
during the lockdown: It started
offering that programming to
other arts centers, often for free.
Leadership at NJPAC realized
that there was an enormous
appetite for original content
around the country — and
a real need at other cultural
organizations for its growing
catalog of original virtual
events built around jazz, dance,
social justice and other topics.
So they leveraged one of
virtual programming’s biggest
advantages: How readily it can
be shared with new audiences.
“This is now part of our
organizational mission, and
one that will only grow,” says
David Rodriguez, NJPAC’s
Executive Producer, who
spearheaded the effort.
“We were so successful in
producing virtual content that
we were able to disseminate
that content to other arts
centers, many of which at
that point did not have the
In 2020, NJPAC distributed its
signature holiday program,
The Hip Hop Nutcracker, via a
nationwide virtual tour, presented
by major performing arts centers
coast-to-coast.
njpac.org
47

“John Lewis was a wonderful figure for us to focus on during a
year of so many renewed conversations about racial equity.
We were thrilled to be able to celebrate him and his work through
the film and unite audiences from Dallas to Seattle to Pittsburgh
around a discussion of his impact.”
— Chelsea Keys
staff to create this kind of
programming themselves.”
Some content, like the Arts
Center’s signature holiday
production, The Hip Hop
Nutcracker, was shared via
a “virtual tour,” with ticketed
streams of the program offered
by other arts centers around the
country — generating significant
revenue for NJPAC. Other
programs were shared for free,
offering other organizations a
way to engage with audiences
during the long intermission
in in-person programming.
In September, NJPAC
launched this work with
its first nationwide virtual
event: A screening of Good
Trouble, a documentary about
Representative John Lewis of
Georgia, the Congressman
and activist, paired with
a panel discussion about
his legacy featuring the
film’s director, Dawn Porter;
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka;
U.S. Senator Cory Booker;
Khalil Gibran Muhammad,
Professor of History, Race
and Public Policy at Harvard
Kennedy School; and Lonnie
G. Bunch III, Secretary of
the Smithsonian Institution.
More than 60 organizations
partnered with NJPAC to share
the event with their audiences,
and more than 12,000 viewers
participated, through either
Zoom or Facebook Live.
“John Lewis was a wonderful
figure for us to focus on during
a year of so many renewed
conversations about racial
equity. We were thrilled to be
able to celebrate him and his
work through the film and
unite audiences from Dallas to
Seattle to Pittsburgh around
a discussion of his impact,”
says Chelsea Keys, Special
Projects Lead at NJPAC, who
coordinated the effort.
In the fall, when the Arts Center
was able to produce a full
slate of jazz content through
the TD Bank Jazz Series, it
offered that content for free
to other organizations that
shared its mission of growing
new audiences for “America’s
classical music.” The Jazz
Standard, one of New York
City’s largest jazz clubs, as well
as the State Theater in New
Brunswick, the New Brunswick
Jazz Project, Montclair’s Jazz
House Kids, and the Cape
May-based Exit Zero Jazz
Festival, all offered NJPAC’s
virtual programs focused on
jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald,
Dave Brubeck, Wayne Shorter
and Herbie Hancock.
During the holiday season,
NJPAC took its virtual
programming even further,
launching The Hip Hop
Nutcracker on an extended
nationwide virtual tour. This
production, which marries
Tchaikovsky’s beloved holiday
music to athletic hip hop dance,
has been a staple of NJPAC’s
December programming and
has toured nationally over the
past several years. For this
virtual tour, a filmed version of
the production was presented
by arts centers coast-to-coast,
including Lincoln Center, The
Kennedy Center, Miami’s
Arsht Center, Cleveland’s
Playhouse Square and the
Los Angeles Music Center.
More than 200 scheduled
“streams” of the production
were shown in 74 markets over
the course of the tour, reaching
more than 100,000 viewers.
Audience members were even
able to chat with cast members
at virtual meet-and-greet
events after the performance.
These streams earned more
than $600,000 in revenue
for NJPAC. In addition, the
program was shared with 10,000
children around the country.
In December, the Arts Center’s
programming team formalized
a national distribution strategy
that will make much of NJPAC’s
content catalog available
to other arts organizations
free of charge going forward.
In addition to the TD Bank Jazz
Series, NJPAC is offering digital
programming in American Song
and classical music, as well as
the social justice programming
of its PSEG True Diversity Film
Series, its Books on the Move
series of storytelling literacy
workshops for preschoolers,
and its extensive library of
Wellness Wednesdays movement
classes, with more content
continuously added to a menu
of options as NJPAC’s virtual
programming grows. •
48
njpac.org

From John Lewis:
Good Trouble, a 2020
documentary that
explores the legacy
of the late Georgia
representative’s decades
of social activism.
NJPAC’s first nationwide
virtual event, a screening Good
Trouble, was paired with a panel
discussion featuring (left to right)
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka;
U.S. Senator Cory Booker;
the film’s director, Dawn Porter;
Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary
of the Smithsonian Institution;
and Khalil Gibran Muhammad,
Professor of History, Race
and Public Policy at Harvard
Kennedy School and Director of
the Institutional Antiracism and
Accountability Project.

closed, but
sparkling
clean
NJPAC’s campus has been
thoughtfully tended to
throughout the hiatus —
with a special
emphasis on safety
James McMorrow stepped into the
role of Director of Security at the
Arts Center mere days before it was
closed by the pandemic. During the
hiatus, he captained the use of a new
app that allows visitors to NJPAC to
document their health status before
they enter the building.

Starting a new job is
always a challenge.
For NJPAC’s new Director of
Security, Jim McMorrow, that
challenge was exacerbated
by the sudden onset of
a global pandemic.
McMorrow had just taken the
position of Director of Security
at the Arts Center, stepping into
the role long occupied by John
Hook. In the second week of
March, McMorrow was looking
forward to his first performance
at NJPAC, his first time at the
helm when the Arts Center threw
open its doors to the public.
And a year later, he’s still
looking forward to it.
“He was one day away from
his first show night, and it
got canceled,” remembers
Chad Spies, Vice President of
Operations and Real Estate.
For Spies, McMorrow and
their teams, that concert that
never happened (it would have
been The Chieftains, making
one of the band’s frequent
March appearances at NJPAC)
marked the beginning of a
year unlike any other, when
their jobs shifted to preserving
the Arts Center’s campus in
suspended animation — and
preparing to reopen it safely
when large gatherings, like
concerts, are once again
allowed in New Jersey.
As almost the entire Arts
Center staff began working
from home, a skeleton crew
of security and maintenance
staff remained in the building
most days — and although the
NJPAC campus was closed, they
stayed busy. Facilities Manager
Anthony Rosta tracked down
a stockpile of hand sanitizer, a
commodity incredibly difficult
to source during the early days
of the pandemic, as well as
masks, planning for the day
the theaters would reopen.
(“At the time, we thought we’d
have to have them on hand
in case anyone who came to
the theater didn’t have one,”
says Spies. “It’s funny to think
about now, because now
everyone has masks — but
we’re certainly prepared in
case anyone doesn’t!”)
The whole campus was cleaned
down with disinfectants certified
by the CDC to eliminate the
coronavirus, and Spies set
up a system whereby offices
and other rooms’ doors were
taped shut once sanitized.
As almost the entire
Arts Center staff
began working
from home, a
skeleton crew
of security and
maintenance
staff remained
in the building
most days — and
although the NJPAC
campus was closed,
they stayed busy.
If Arts Center staff members
returned to their offices during
the shutdown, or a room was
reopened for any reason, the
tape “seal” would be broken
and housekeeping staff
would re-clean that space.
And of course, masks for
anyone on-campus were quickly
made mandatory — as were
temperature checks for those
entering the building, and later,
evidence of a recent negative
COVID-19 test. (By spring of
2021, vaccination cards could
substitute for negative tests.)
McMorrow captained the
temperature-checking system,
and later instituted the use
of a health-screening app,
which allowed employees
and visitors to vouch for
their health status before
even entering the building.
But the most important task
for the team in charge of the
Arts Center’s physical campus
was finding ways to make
attending performances safer
once NJPAC could reopen.
“And the biggest item in the
reopening plan — for every
organization — is going to
be not just air filtration but
making sure the system is up
to code,” Spies explains.
NJPAC had just replaced most
components of its heating
and cooling system in the past
year — as part of a massive
upgrade of the building’s systems,
all of which were more than
two decades old — and even
before that, its HVAC system
had always used filters with
a MERV rating of 13 or higher,
which provides air filtration
powerful enough to remove
virus particles (like those that
transmit COVID-19) from the air.
But during the shutdown, Spies’
team, led by Chief Engineer
Todd Tantillo, brought in
consulting engineers to study
the new system and make
recommendations about
how to “tweak” it so that the
air quality in the building
was as safe as possible.
“They looked at everything
we had, and made several
recommendations that would
maximize filtration and
maximize efficiency,” says
Spies. “They suggested a lot
of ways that we could help
the system to run better.”
Tantillo also oversaw the
installation of bipolar ionization
njpac.org 51

equipment for the Arts Center’s
HVAC system — to improve the
effectiveness of the filtration
system by trapping small
particles in the air, including
virus particles, more efficiently.
As part of the adjustments, the
filtration system is now running
24 hours a day, to increase
the flow of fresh air into the
building. At this pace, the air
filtration system throughout
NJPAC replaces all the air in
the building with fresh outside
air within a few hours.
Once NJPAC
reopens, most
patron interactions
will be touch-free,
including paying for
parking, ordering
concessions, and
accessing notes
on the evening’s
program.
Other virus-safety upgrades a new kind of night out
to the building included the
installation of touchless bathroom
How will going to a concert at NJPAC be different
fixtures, so patrons can use the
when the Arts Center does reopen?
facilities without having to set a
finger to otherwise often-touched Much will be the same — but there will be noticeable
surfaces like sink faucets. In
differences, as NJPAC intends to comply with CDC
addition, hand sanitizer stations guidelines and all directives from state and local
were installed throughout the government when it throws open its doors once more.
building, and new, touch-free
• Masks will be mandatory on campus.
procedures for concession
stands and merchandise
• Performances will be socially distanced when the Arts
stalls will be implemented
when the campus reopens.
Throughout the shutdown, Spies • Until CDC guidance changes, audience members wlll
also stayed in touch with a
be required to present proof of a negative COVID-19
group he calls the “Operations
test within three days of the performance they wish
Roundtable” — a group of his
to attend, or proof that they received their final
counterparts at dozens of other
vaccination at least 14 days before the show.
performing arts facilities across
the country, to learn about
reopening plans and cleaning
techniques that were being
utilized by other organizations.
“In so many places, they
didn’t get a lot of guidance
from local officials — so we
all did a lot of research into
this, and we all shared what
we learned,” Spies explains.
“At this point, there are
well-established best practices
for safely welcoming an
audience to a performance in
• Thanks to new, electrostatic cleaning equipment,
a post-COVID environment,
theaters will be sanitized between each performance.
and all of those measures are
in place here at NJPAC.” •
Center first reopens; only about 575 patrons will be
allowed into Prudential Hall, which usually seats 2,865.
• The temperature of audience members will be checked.
Anyone with a temperature over 100.4 degrees will be asked
to return to NJPAC another time. In addition, audience
members will be asked to enter information about their health
status on a screening app before enterting the building.
• Most interactions while on campus will be touch-free or
hands-free, from parking and opening doors to using the
restrooms, or picking up a drink at the concessions stand.
• Paper programs will no longer be available for patrons.
Instead, information about the night’s entertainment
will be shared via a website that can be accessed
with a QR code that can be scanned by a phone.
• Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building.
• Air in the theaters will be changed and filtered faster
than ever before, with all the air in Prudential Hall
cycled through upgraded and ionized filtration
systems in the space of a few hours. •
52
njpac.org

arely-empty stages get a
makeover
In a typical year, NJPAC’s
theaters are rarely dark:
If there’s not a performance
in progress, then a tour is
loading in, or a theater is
hosting a rehearsal or special
event, or might be serving as
the set of a film production.
So when the pandemic put a
halt to such gatherings, NJPAC’s
production staff found a silver
lining: An opportunity to do
some serious upgrading.
For the first time in more than
16 years, the rechristened
Betty Wold Johnson Stage
in Prudential Hall, and the
Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch
Stage in the Victoria Theater
were sanded and re-stained.
Now, they gleam like new.
“Downtime in these venues
is extremely rare,” says Chris
Moses, Senior Director of
Production, “so we used this time
to make long-needed repairs.”
The team installed cutting-edge
LED theatrical lights in
Prudential Hall. These new
devices offer more energyefficiency
as well as the ability
to create light designs with
a near-infinite color range.
Other maintenance work
included inspections for genie
and pit lifts, and the cleaning
and reorganization of all
production equipment.
In addition to the upgrades,
many in the production
department used the pause to
take on new training. Several
stagehands became OSHA
30 certified, which gives them
advanced safety training
and deeper knowledge of
risk mitigation strategies.
Both Moses and Crystal
Cowling, Associate Production
Manager, became certified as
COVID Compliance Officers,
Crystal Cowling,
NJPAC’s Associate
Production Manager,
became certified as
a COVID Compliance
Officer during the hiatus.
an accreditation that allows
them to supervise film crews
and ensure the safety of those
visitors as well as NJPAC’s team.
“Our goal is to make it possible
for people to work and be
safe,” says Moses. “Now we’ve
been trained according to
CDC guidelines, so we can be
sure that everyone on a film
crew — and that can be up to
100 people at a time — is as safe
as they can possibly be.” •
njpac.org 53

a hub of
creativity
Design for new
Cooperman Center
takes shape
The Cooperman Center will create an
environment where new methods of
teaching the arts are developed, tested
and shared, both in person and digitally.
A place where teenagers can
learn to be actors, musicians,
poets and singers. A space
for entire families, from
senior citizens to toddlers,
to be engaged by the arts.
A center where community
performance groups can
rehearse, and visiting artists can
create and develop new work.
A haven where the many ways
that the arts contribute to health
and wellness are explored.
And a hub of learning, where
new methods of teaching
the arts are developed,
tested and shared, both
in person and digitally.
These are some of the goals
for what the NJPAC’s new
Cooperman Family Arts
Education and Community
Center will be. This concept of
a unique facility that serves
as a “a hub of creativity
and innovation, where the
performing arts are a tool for
education, understanding,
expression and healing,” as the
Center’s new vision statement
puts it, emerged over the course
of 2020, as the Arts Center’s
senior leadership put hour
upon hour into crafting the
design of this extraordinary
new facet of NJPAC’s campus.
Replacing NJPAC’s current
Center for Arts Education
was the genesis for the idea of
the Cooperman Center — as
that building, located behind
the Arts Center’s theater,
“is just inadequate to the task
of housing our arts education
programs. We’ve simply
outgrown it,” explains Warren
Tranquada, NJPAC’s COO.
“But while this building will
be a new home for our arts
education programs, we
have deliberately set our
aspirations for this building
to be much more than
that,” Tranquada says.
For one thing, it will bring the
Arts Center’s focus on arts
education and community
engagement literally out in
front of its theaters; it will be
built where one of NJPAC’s
parking lots now sits, facing
Prudential Hall across the
intersection of Mulberry and
Center Street. It will also be
the gateway to a lively new
arts and education district
that NJPAC plans to construct
across the developable 7.3
acres of land on its campus.
The Center will be named for
Leon and Toby Cooperman
and their family, who made a
foundational gift of $20 million
to NJPAC’s Capital Campaign in
2019 to fund the new building.
With that financial foundation
in place, the Arts Center’s staff
spent months meeting with
community groups across the
city, to gauge their needs, and
those of the city’s children,
senior citizens and young
people, that might be fulfilled
at this new NJPAC venue.
Tranquada, CEO John
Schreiber, and Executive
Producer David Rodriguez
54
njpac.org

then spent much of 2020
strategizing with Vice
President of Arts Education
Jen Tsukayama, Director of
Community Engagement
Eyesha Marable, Vice
President of Development
Amy Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice
President of Real Estate and
Capital Projects Tim Lizura and
Special Projects Lead Chelsea
Keys on how best to create
a venue that would fulfill the
community’s hopes, the Arts
Center’s requirements, and
create a place special enough
to draw audiences not just from
the Central Ward, but from
communities across the region.
“We felt NJPAC needed to
imagine a new way to engage
with the public on our campus
and create a home for our
entire community (especially
those who have not visited
NJPAC in the past) to engage
with the arts,” says Keys.
“The Cooperman Center is
the answer to that need and
we want everyone to feel a
sense of belonging here.”
What will that centerpiece look
like? Although much could still
change, a basic space plan
and design principles had
emerged by year’s end. The
overarching concept called for
The Cooperman Center will serve as “a hub
of creativity and innovation, where the
performing arts are a tool for education,
understanding, expression and healing”.
a building that could house,
among other elements: a black
box theater for education and
free community performances,
as well as NJPAC’s community
engagement events; a
professional rehearsal space
where artists could rehearse
and develop new work;
classrooms and practice rooms
of various sizes, that could
accommodate everything
from a single student
musician practicing scales
to wellness classes for the
community — with the latest
digital technology built in to
the design, so programs could
be shared virtually as well as
in person. Other necessary
elements included comfortable
lounges for the families of the
Arts Center’s students and other
visitors; a reading room for
children housing books about
art and artists; and outdoor
spaces for performances
and other gatherings.
NJPAC staff spent months meeting with
community groups across Newark, to
learn the needs of the city’s children,
senior citizens and young people.
Critically, all these spaces will
be designed for maximum
flexibility, to remain useful
both throughout any given
week — activated by seniors,
professional artists and
school trips during the day,
after-school programs and
community groups in the
evenings, and comprehensive
arts training and community
engagement programs on
the weekends — and into the
future, as both NJPAC’s and
the community’s needs evolve.
“We visited other arts centers
and community centers around
the country, and we learned
what made them work,”
Tranquada explains. “One of
the things we heard most often
was that whatever we think
our initial program offerings
will be when we open, they will
change. So as we designed
our ideal space, we focused on
flexible, multipurpose spaces.”
In March 2021, the Arts Center
released a request for proposals
to experienced architecture
firms, seeking a creative partner
in bringing this vision of the
Cooperman Center to life. Next
steps for the team creating
this new venue: Engaging a
design team and continuing to
develop programs and refine
budgets so that the Center
will be bustling on day one.
If all goes according to plan, a
groundbreaking for the facility
will be held in late 2022, and
Newarkers will be able to explore
all the Cooperman Center has
to offer by fall of 2024. •
njpac.org 55

giving back
in a hundred ways
a year of new purpose
and new challenges for
women@njpac
This year was always going
to be a transformational
one for Women@NJPAC.
The group of more than 2,500
women — who fundraise for
NJPAC, underwrite arts education
programs, and support other
philanthropic work in the
community — had just changed
its name (from The Women’s
Association of NJPAC) in January
of 2020 to reflect its inclusive
nature and broadened goals.
“The new name — Women@NJPAC —
really reflects who we are: An
incredibly diverse community of
women, a powerful group supporting
NJPAC and giving back to our
community in hundreds of ways,”
says Sarah Rosen, Managing
Director, Women@NJPAC.
“We’ve done a lot of great work
for 25 years, and we’re going into
the future with a new energy,”
she continues. “We’re still hosting
our fantastic annual events,
still fundraising, but we’re also
committed to programming and
developing community gatherings,
engaging women around ideas
of community-building.”
In March, Women@NJPAC
hosted back-to-back events that
highlighted its new enthusiasm.
On March 6, the second annual
Gathering of Givers, in celebration of
International Women’s Day, featured
a lineup of women philanthropists
discussing their work. The event
drew an audience of 350.
That was Friday. The following
Monday, Women@NJPAC
welcomed an audience of 150 to
a screening of Olympic Pride and
American Prejudice, a documentary
about Tidye Pickett and Louise
Stokes, the first African American
women to represent the United
States in the Olympic Games, in
1936. The screening was followed by
a conversation with the filmmaker,

Andrea Jung, former CEO of
Avon and current President and
CEO of Grameen America, was
one of the women philanthropists
featured at the Women@NJPAC
Gathering of Givers, held on
March 6 to mark International
Women’s Day.
njpac.org 57

Deborah Riley Draper, as well as
with its narrator and executive
producer, actor Blair Underwood.
“There really was this sense of
something building, of Women@
NJPAC being a consistent
programmer, offering content
around the experiences of
women,” says Rosen.
But as that evolution was gaining
momentum, more change
was suddenly thrust upon the
organization. Less than a week
after Gathering of Givers, the
pandemic shuttered NJPAC,
and a spring’s worth of events
were put on hold, including the
Spring Luncheon, and an annual
gathering of the group’s founders.
Like the Arts Center, Women@
NJPAC pivoted to virtual
programming, finding new
partners and new ways to share
women’s stories. First up was
A Breath of Fresh Air: Healing
Through the Arts, a series of Zoom
arts workshops hosted over the
summer and again in the fall,
presented in partnership with
The Zonta Club of Essex County.
“Art heals. Art provides voice
when you don’t have a voice.
The arts are so important,
especially now,” said Antoinette
Ellis-Williams, a Women@NJPAC
Trustee, when introducing
Kween Moore, a Newark artist
and poet who co-led the first
of these online workshops,
about using poetry to process
trauma and conflict.
Later, as part of the Arts Center’s
social justice programming,
Women@NJPAC produced
Pioneers of Protest: Celebrating
100 Years of Women Voting, an
event that featured a panel
discussion with some of New
Jersey’s highest profile women
“We’re going into the future with a new
energy and a new name. We’re still
hosting fantastic events, still fundraising,
but we’re also committed to programming,
to developing community
gatherings and engaging women
around ideas of community-building.”
Award-winning mixed media artist Danielle Scott led a Zoom arts
workshop as part of A Breath of Fresh Air: Healing Through the Arts, an
online series presented by Women@NJPAC in partnership with The Zonta
Club of Essex County.
— Sarah Rosen
political figures: Governor
Christine Todd Whitman, New
Jersey’s first (and only) female
governor; Bonnie Watson
Coleman, the first Black woman
to represent New Jersey in the
U.S. House of Representatives;
Secretary of State Tahesha
Way; and 11th district
Congresswoman Mikie Sherill.
These guests talked about the
barriers they faced as women
in government — and how they
worked through those barriers.
“Women have come into their
own, and things are changing
because of it,” Coleman said.
“Maybe we weren’t invited to
the table, maybe people weren’t
comfortable with us being at the
table, but we’re here now. Those
obstacles put in our way —
they’re gone. It’s a new day.”
In the fall, the Spotlight
Gala @ Home brought the
organization together to host a
much-needed fundraising event
that brought in over $1.8 million
to support the Arts Center.
The calendar year wrapped
up with a virtual take on
the Women@NJPAC Annual
Meeting — or, as President
Marcia Wilson Brown dubbed
it, “our Women@NJPAC Zoom
Hollywood Squares annual
58
njpac.org

meeting” — which included a
talk with the team behind the
newly created New Jersey Arts
and Culture Recovery Fund:
Evelyn McGee Colbert, President
of Montclair Film; Sharnita
Johnson of the Geraldine R.
Dodge Foundation; Ann Marie
Miller of Art Pride New Jersey;
and Allison Tratner, Executive
Director of the New Jersey
State Council on the Arts.
And in March 2021, as the
anniversary of NJPAC’s closure
approached, the third annual
Gathering of Givers event was
held, this time as a virtual event
devoted to examining the role
women will play in reinventing
a post-COVID world. Speakers
included Lara Abrash, Chairman
and CEO of Deloitte & Touche;
Leticia Caviness, Deputy Chief
of Staff in the Office of Diversity
& Inclusion at the Port Authority;
and Joanne Lin, a principal at
Newark Venture Partners.
In May 2021, the Spring
Luncheon was held virtually,
after a year’s hiatus. The
iconic fashion designer Norma
Kamali appeared at this annual
celebration — along with
Broadway star Laura Benanti
and jazz violinist Regina Carter.
While it seems likely that
Women@NJPAC will eventually
return to hosting in-person
events, the group’s new focus
on uplifting all women, and it’s
widened scope as a programmer,
are permanent alterations — and
ones Rosen feels are a natural
extension of the group’s mission.
“Women hold up half the sky,”
she says. “We’re charged
with being multitaskers, and
women shine and rise to the
occasion, over and over again.”
As does Women@NJPAC. •
hail and farewell
Faith Taylor
A leadership change at
Women@NJPAC
Marcia Wilson Brown
Of all the changes at the Arts Center over the year, one
of the most bittersweet was the end of Marcia Wilson
Brown’s tenure as President of Women@NJPAC, after four
years leading the organization into a new flowering of
purpose and mission. Brown, Vice Chancellor for External
and Governmental Relations at Rutgers-Newark, stepped
down from her Women@NJPAC post at the end of 2020.
“She is a unique and effective and remarkable community
leader, and she is one of a handful of people I will turn to
whenever I have a problem I can’t figure out,” John Schreiber
said, praising Brown at the Women@NJPAC Annual Meeting
in December, the last event over which she presided.
Executive and educator Faith Taylor stepped into the presidency
in 2021. The former first Chief Corporate Social Responsibility
Officer at Wyndham Worldwide, Taylor was teaching at the
Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University
when she took on the leadership of Women@NJPAC — and
shortly thereafter, she stepped into another new role, as
the Environmental, Social, Governance Leader at Tesla.
“I’m very excited about reaching out to the next generation of
women who are coming up in the world: Encouraging them to
be part of NJPAC, getting them involved, and making sure we
represent women across all ages and generations,” Taylor said. •

Brian Stokes Mitchell opened the
show with a heart-stirring rendition of
“The Impossible Dream,” a choice that
seemed designed to tap into emotions
evoked by the pandemic.
Broadway legend Brian Stokes Mitchell
starred in and hosted the hour-long concert
portion of the evening, which was broadcast
on NJ PBS on October 3. The television
program was called American Songbook
at NJPAC — A Virtual Gala.

a celebration
for everyone
NJPAC’s televised virtual
Spotlight Gala brought
the “party of the year”
to all of New Jersey
So many performances
scheduled for NJPAC’s 2020
season were canceled due to
the pandemic, but there was
one show that simply could not
be skipped or rescheduled: The
Women@NJPAC Spotlight Gala.
A vital part of NJPAC’s
fundraising efforts, the Spotlight
Gala is a highlight of every
season. But how to host “New
Jersey’s party of the year” in the
midst of a global pandemic?
“We decided at almost our
very first meeting, still in
March, that we believed no
one woud be going out in
October, and that our gala
would have to be virtual,”
says Sarah Rosen, Managing
Director of Women@NJPAC.
Rosen, her team, and NJPAC
senior leadership eventually
devised a virtual event — the
Spotlight Gala @ Home — that
not only showcased the Arts
Center’s work and mission,
but also shared a series of
exceptional performances not
only with NJPAC supporters,
but with all of New Jersey.
njpac.org
61

for special guests,
a box full of delights
A party just isn’t a party
without cocktails and
hors d’oeuvres — so
Women@NJPAC came
up with a way to offer
them to select gala guests
spread out all across New
Jersey and beyond.
Sponsors of the Spotlight
Gala @ Home were sent a
“cocktail in a box” the day
before the gala, filled with all
kinds of treats to brighten up
a special evening at home.
“I started getting texts
at 8:30 in the morning:
‘Omigosh, I got my box!’”
remembers Sarah Rosen.
“Laurence Craig Catering
of Maplewood helped
us get them out. It was
a massive effort behind-thescenes,
getting the names
and addresses for
everyone. Larry and his
team delivered them
starting the morning of
the day before the gala.
“They went to homes from
Summit to the Jersey shore to
the Hamptons,” Rosen says.
Each box contained not only
fixings to make cocktails,
but appetizers from four
different Newark restaurants,
including empanadas from
O’LaLa Empanadas, and
the famous cornbread from
Marcus Samuelsson’s Newark
hotspot, Marcus B&P.
All the goodies were packaged
up in a bag supplied by
Newark Working Kitchen, the
Audible-launched pandemic
relief effort that has employed
Newark restaurants to deliver
meals to Newark families in
need throughout the crisis.
The box even contained
party napkins, to make
the festivities complete.
“It was a lot of work, but
it ended up being a great
addition to the night,”
says Rosen. “Everyone
really loved it.” •
Broadway leading man Brian
Stokes Mitchell starred in and
hosted the hour-long concert,
which was broadcast on NJ PBS
on October 3. The program,
titled American Songbook at
NJPAC — A Virtual Gala, was
simultaneously streamed online.
Mitchell opened the show with
a heart-stirring performance
from the stage of Prudential
Hall, singing, to rows of empty
theater seats, “The Impossible
Dream,” the classic 11 o’clock
number from Broadway’s
Man of La Mancha. The
song’s invocation of the
strength needed “to bear
with unbearable sorrow”
seemed designed to tap
into emotions evoked by the
pandemic, then at the start of
its cold-weather second wave.
“It’s not quite the same, is it?”
Mitchell said, gesturing to the
darkened auditorium. “This
is what a theater looks and
sounds like when it’s empty.”
“But tonight, we’re celebrating
a place that’s very much alive,”
he continued, describing
NJPAC’s extensive lineup of
virtual programming before
handing the program over to
a roster of greats, performing

directly from NJPAC’s stages:
Christine Ebersole, Jessie
Mueller, Valerie Simpson, Billy
Porter, and Joshua Bell, all
presenting musical theater
favorites and classic pop tunes
from the American Songbook.
The performance also included
virtual visits by Late Show host
Stephen Colbert as well as
two New Jersey governors
who were honored with
NJPAC’s Founders Award:
the Arts Center’s founding
father, Governor Tom Kean,
and Governor Phil and
First Lady Tammy Murphy.
Charles Lowrey, Chairman
and CEO of Prudential
Financial, the Spotlight Gala’s
lead sponsor, appeared to
introduce the Governors.
“I want to thank our
Governor and First Lady for
understanding that the arts
are important, even in a time
of crisis,” Kean said, recalling
how he watched Lincoln Center
transform a rundown area
of Manhattan into a vibrant
neighborhood — an experience
that fueled his determination
to build NJPAC in Newark.
Also making appearance:
One of the gala co-chairs,
Aisha Glover, Vice President
of Urban Innovation at
Audible’s Center for Urban
Development. Scott Kobler,
Partner at McCarter & English
and Chairman of NJ PBS; Kevin
P. Conlin, Executive Chairman
of Horizon Blue Cross Blue
Shield of New Jersey; and
Spotlight Gala @ Home raised more than
$1.8 million for arts education
initiatives, community engagement events,
social justice programming, and to keep
the Arts Center operating through the
pandemic hiatus — making the virtual event
as successful a fundraiser as the live
parties had always been.
Mitch Livingston, President and
CEO of NJM Insurance Group
also co-chaired the gala.
And the celebration didn’t end
when the broadcast did: An
“after party” was streamed
on Instagram, where DJ Kiss
and DJ M.O.S. kept the party
going, spinning tunes live from
their home studio. Mayor Ras
Baraka, NJPAC Jazz Advisor
Christian McBride, and FX
Pose star MJ Rodriguez —
an alum of NJPAC’s arts
education programs — all
made guest appearances
during the live DJ dance set.
In the end, the Spotlight Gala
@ Home raised more than
$1.8 million for arts education
initiatives, community
engagement events, social
justice programming, and
to keep NJPAC operating
through the pandemic hiatus —
making the virtual event as
successful a fundraiser as the
live parties have always been.
“It was very gratifying that
the people who support
NJPAC were there for us,
because the need was great,”
says Rosen. “The gala really
was more important this
year than ever before.” •
The 2020 Spotlight Gala @ Home included virtual visits by (l-r) Governor
Phil Murphy with First Lady Tammy Murphy, Evelyn McGee Colbert,
President of Montclair Film, and The Late Show host Stephen Colbert.
The gala “after party” was streamed on Instagram, where DJ Kiss and
DJ M.O.S. kept the party going, spinning tunes between visits from
special guests like FX Pose star MJ Rodriguez.
njpac.org 63

Shortly after her death, NJPAC learned that
Betty Wold Johnson had made one
last gift: She bequeathed an additional
$20 million to NJPAC’s current Capital
Campaign, the largest bequest the Arts
Center has received to date.

a housekeeper
at heart
Philanthropist Betty Wold Johnson
bequeaths extraordinary gift to Arts Center
When the late philanthropist
Betty Wold Johnson became
a supporter of NJPAC more
than a decade ago, she
invited then President and
CEO Larry Goldman to her
Hopewell home. They sat at
her kitchen table (“that’s where
Americans do business,” she
said) and spoke about NJPAC,
then in the early days of its
second Capital Campaign.
Mrs. Johnson asked a simple
question: What aspects of
NJPAC’s operations were
hardest to fundraise for?
“I told her that everybody
wants to name a theater,
but nobody wants to pay for
maintenance,” Goldman recalls.
“And she said to me: ‘I’m a
housekeeper at heart. That’s
exactly what I’d like to support.’”
She offered to contribute $11
million. It was 2008, and at
that time, her commitment
to the Capital Campaign
Betty Wold Johnson
was the largest individual
gift ever made to NJPAC.
Mrs. Johnson’s philanthropy
kept NJPAC in sparkling
condition for many years.
Substantial portions of that
2008 gift were earmarked for
the upkeep of the campus,
and she continued to support
NJPAC throughout her lifetime.
In May of 2020, Mrs. Johnson —
matriarch of the Johnson family,
which founded Johnson &
Johnson more than 130 years
ago — passed away, at the
age of 99. She had visited
NJPAC the previous summer
to tour the campus, and to
talk about plans to expand
its community engagement.
“We toured the campus and
went into Prudential Hall,”
Goldman says. “It’s impossible
to stand there, with the lights
on and the chandelier sparking,
and not feel that New Jersey
has something extraordinary
in NJPAC. I hope she could see
how well we‘d used her gift.”
Shortly after her death, NJPAC
learned that Mrs. Johnson
had made one last gift to the
Arts Center: She bequeathed
an additional $20 million
to NJPAC’s current Capital
Campaign, now in its third year,
which has raised $128 million
towards an ultimate goal of
$175 million. The gift, earmarked
for NJPAC’s Endowment Fund,
is the largest bequest the Arts
Center has received to date.
Although Mrs. Johnson never
requested naming rights in
exchange for her generosity,
in January 2021, NJPAC
decided to recognize her
extraordinary philanthropy
by naming the stage of
Prudential Hall in her honor.
When NJPAC again welcomes
patrons to in-person performances,
post-pandemic
audiences will see this new
name on the wall of the
theater’s lobby as well as
on the building’s exterior.
“Mrs. Johnson had a mighty
spirit and a big heart,” John
Schreiber, NJPAC President and
CEO, says. “She cared about
the Arts Center’s mission and
business with equal intensity.
Her gift inspires us to be
the most effective, dynamic
and creative anchor cultural
institution possible.” •
njpac.org 65

njpac short stories
A Business Partners Roundtable
gathering in the Chase Room in
pre-pandemic days. These events
featuring New Jersey executives,
politicians and thought leaders moved
online during the pandemic.
getting down
to business
One of the most engaging,
interactive virtual events
NJPAC produced after the
onset of the pandemic was
an online reimagining of a
long-lived conversation series
at the Arts Center: The Business
Partners Roundtables.
The Arts Center’s business
partners, companies that support
NJPAC’s work and mission,
are recognized in marketing
materials and given employee
discounts to performances.
But they’re also invited to bring
their employees, four or five
times a year in a typical season,
to breakfast-time networking
events in the Chase Room that
feature talks by high-powered
business executives, public
officials, thought leaders
and community icons.
These chats with leaders in
many fields were reborn as
Zoom webinars right at the
start of the pandemic — and
they quickly became much
more frequent, often convening
twice-a-month to offer a
welcome chance for pandemicisolated
work-from-homers to
connect to the larger world.
The first virtual Roundtable
event was on April 17, when
executives leading three
Newark-based companies
that pivoted to the work of
producing PPE in the early days
of the pandemic, jumped on a
Zoom to tell John Schreiber how
they’d handled that transition.
Gil Spaier, the owner of All
Points West Distillery, which
turned from crafting vodka to
concocting then-impossibleto-find
hand sanitizer, joined
Mitch Gambert of Mel
Gambert Shirts, which started
stitching up face masks from
menswear fabrics, and Mitch
Cahn, president of Unionwear,
which shifted from making
backpacks to face shields, for
a still-in-the-trenches chat.
“We decided to do it first
and ask questions later,”
said Cahn, capturing the
figuring-it-out-as-we-go
scramble of those early days.
The arrival of the Zoom era not
only made scheduling events
with leaders from CEOs to
senators easier, it also allowed
NJPAC to open these events
to more attendees than the
Chase Room could ever hold.
Up to 500 NJPAC members
and donors, and sometimes
members of other organizations
like the Newark Museum of
Art, flocked to these events.
Roundtable speakers came
from all sorts of companies
with Newark and New Jersey
ties: Anton Vincent, president
66
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NJPAC Board Co-Chair Barry
Ostrowsky, President and CEO of
RWJBarnabas Health, offered guidance
directly related to the pandemic.
Last Halloween, NJPAC staff
assisted Newark neighbor Mars
Wrigley in safely handing out
treats to Newark kids.
of Newark’s multinational
Mars Wrigley organization,
joined Denise Woodard, the
Jersey City-based founder
and CEO of Partake Foods,
an allergy-friendly baked
goods company she started
in her home and swiftly grew
into a national brand, to talk
about business leadership
in a time of crisis. Early in
2021, renowned chef Marcus
Samuelsson, whose restaurants
include Newark’s Marcus
B&P, and Jonathan Tisch,
Chairman and CEO of Loews
Hotels and a great supporter
of NJPAC, spoke about how
the hospitality industry
could bounce back from the
difficulties of the pandemic.
They spoke not only about
the need to adapt to a new
reality, but of how essential
it was for all organizations
to engage in relief efforts.
“We’re all local businesses
now, and we have to support
our local communities — or
there will be nothing for us
to come back to” after the
pandemic, Samuelsson said. •
barry ostrowsky:
co-chair and ceo —
and pandemic mvp
When the pandemic hit,
NJPAC Board Co-Chair Barry
Ostrowsky, the President and
CEO of RWJBarnabas Health,
was called on for even more
guidance and leadership than
Board officers are usually asked
to provide — not only by the Arts
Center’s senior leadership, but
by its staff and patrons as well.
While his medical insight
was vital in guiding NJPAC’s
management through the
initial decision to close the
campus, and how to safely
handle staff needs both at
home and in the theaters during
the hiatus, Barry also made
a number of appearances at
Zoom events for both staff and
NJPAC’s larger community.
He also made not one but
two appearances at Business
Partners Roundtable events.
In May, he joined Merck’s Vice
President of Social Business
Innovation, Carmen Villar, also
an NJPAC Board member, for
an event called On the Front
Lines: Understanding the Present
and Future of the Coronavirus.
That Roundtable event offered
insight into how the virus was
affecting patients, how doctors
and health care workers were
combating it, and, critically, how
much vital information about
the illness was still required.
“We’re learning every day what
a better response is, but we
still need to know a lot more
about this virus,” Ostrowsky
said during the middle of the
pandemic’s first surge. “It is an
evolving piece of intelligence.”
He offered listeners guidance on
evaluating health information as
it came out, and Villar talked to
Roundtable participants about
the race to develop a vaccine.
Then in September, just a
few months after the death
of George Floyd launched a
renewed movement for racial
equity across the country,
Ostrowsky returned to the
Roundtable “stage” with
his RWJBarnabas Health
colleague, Michellene Davis,
the company’s Executive Vice
President and Chief Corporate
Affairs Officer, to talk about
Changing Missions, Changing
njpac.org 67

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka
delivered his State of the City
address at NJPAC in person,
although his audience was
entirely virtual.
Lives, their new book about the
power of companies, and of
individuals, to move the needle
on issues of social justice. He
spoke about how RWJBarnabas
Health was expanding its efforts
far beyond its usual scope
in order to ensure equitable
access not just to health
care, but to healthy lives.
“Historically, not-for-profit
healthcare organizations
have focused exclusively on
clinical programs,” Ostrowsky
said. “And what we know is
that clinical programs will not
ensure the best health of those
who live in our communities.
“Our book is an attempt to
convince those in leadership
positions….to look beyond the
core business they may be
currently running, to allocate
resources and engage in the
community. If you mean to
have healthier people in your
communities, you can’t rely
exclusively on clinical services.
You have to do things like build
houses, you have to invest in
(combatting) food insecurity.”
At this event, Ostrowsky
discussed not only
RWJBarnabas Health’s
efforts to improve community
health through distinctly
non-clinical means — from
offering fresh produce from
greenhouses to communities
in food deserts to tackling
air quality issues — but also
talked about his own personal
history of learning about
social justice from his father.
Ostrowsky movingly described
watching his father, who
owned a paint store, help
a Black painting contractor
by offering credit for a large
amount of paint — so that the
contractor could put in a bid
on painting an office building,
the kind of lucrative job often
denied to Black entrepreneurs.
He recalled walking through
the building with his dad and
the contractor to calculate
the amount of paint needed.
His anecdote had several happy
endings: The contractor got
the job and grew his business,
and Barry’s father grew his
own business as well. And in
the present day, Barry’s own
office ended up being located
in that very office building,
now a part of RWJBarnabas
Health’s extensive campus.
“The point is, if you see (social
justice) in action, if you
see that it works, then that
makes an indelible impact on
what you do with your life,”
Ostrowsky concluded. •
signs
of life
The Arts Center’s theaters
were “dark” — used neither for
rehearsals nor performances —
for much of 2020, but a few
special events brought the lights
back on, especially once the fear
and confusion of the pandemic’s
earliest months began to abate.
And NJPAC’s outdoor
campus hosted some very
special events as well.
In August, the Arts Center
hosted its first outdoor event
since the pandemic began:
The socially-distanced,
drive-through graduation
ceremony of the North Star
Academy’s Washington
Park and Lincoln Park High
School classes of 2020.
68
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Black Theater United, an activist group that counts
several high-profile African-American theater artists —
from Brian Stokes Mitchell and Vanessa Williams to Audra
McDonald and Norm Lewis — among its members, came
to the Arts Center to film a PSA in February.
In cars decorated with
balloons and messages of
congratulations, more than
200 of North Star’s young
scholars drove up to receive
their diplomas in a very brief
ceremony, but applause, music
and balloon displays made
up for the lack of other forms
of pomp and circumstance.
The pace of events picked
up in the fall. Not only was
NJPAC’s Spotlight Gala @ Home
filmed on the Prudential Hall
stage and in balconies and on
staircases in the lobby that had
long been empty, but Mayor
Baraka delivered his State of
the City address from the same
stage in October — although
his audience was virtual.
A series of performances by
members of the New Jersey
Symphony Orchestra were
filmed in Prudential Hall later
that month as well, with return
visits unfolding in January,
February and March.
October concluded with a
decidedly sweet event: NJPAC’s
new Newark neighbor, Mars
Wrigley, celebrated Halloween
a few days early by sending
its brightly-hued M&M truck to
Chambers Plaza, where NJPAC
staff assisted in handing out
treats safely to Newark kids.
Several film crews came into
the theaters as well: The pilot
of a new CBS political drama,
Ways and Means, starring
Patrick Dempsey (best known
as “Dr. McDreamy” from
the hit medical show, Grey’s
Anatomy) filmed at NJPAC for
a day, as did a segment of
Vice TV with MJ Rodriguez,
star of the FX drama Pose, who
is a graduate of NJPAC’s arts
education programs. (While
Rodriguez was on campus,
she also took time out to film
a “drop in” greeting for the
Women@NJPAC Spotlight
Gala @ Home afterparty!)
In addition, Black Theater
United, an activist group that
counts several high-profile
African-American theater
artists — from Brian Stokes
Mitchell and Vanessa Williams
to Audra McDonald and Norm
Lewis — among its members,
came to the Arts Center to film
a the video of its new theme
song, “Stand for Change,” on
the Betty Wold Johnson stage
in Prudential Hall, in February.
More in-person events are
slated to be filmed live on
stage if not in front of a
traditional audience, including
the finals of the ’20-’21 edition
of the Arts Center’s Sarah
Vaughan International Jazz
Vocal Competition. •
where
to now
It is impossible to deny that
the pandemic hurt NJPAC.
In addition to canceling or
postponing outright hundreds
of concerts, abandoning plans
for hundreds of free community
events, and losing tens of
millions of dollars in anticipated
revenue, the Arts Center also
was forced to furlough dozens
of staffers and permanently
sever ties with more than 20 — a
reduction in staff unprecedented
in the organization’s history.
And it remains to be seen
how much, and for how
long, the health crisis will
impact New Jerseyans plans
njpac.org 69

A member of NJPAC’s housekeeping
team, Andre Simmons utilizing
a new electrostatic sprayer to
disinfect seats in Prudential Hall.
“We’re reaching far more people virtually than we would ever
have seats for in our theaters. The challenge going forward
is learning how to combine the two — live performances
for those who can come to our campus that are simultaneously
virtual events for those who cannot.”
– David Rodriguez
to attend concerts and
other live performing arts
events. Surveys of audience
members conducted by NJPAC
(alongside other performing
arts venues) suggest that arts
lovers believe they’ll return to
live performances as often as
they did pre-pandemic once
the crisis subsides — although
NJPAC’s audiences seem more
cautious about their plans to
return to the theater than their
counterparts in other parts of
the country, where the toll the
virus took was less severe.
But that survey relied on
self-reporting by audience
members largely stuck in
their homes. It’s unclear how
audiences will react once
vaccinations are widely
available and restrictions on
large gatherings are lifted.
Some NJPAC staffers see an
explosion of live performance
activity in the near future.
“I think when it’s safe, people
will be going out to concerts, to
the theater, in numbers we’ve
never seen,” says Simma Levine,
Special Projects Producer.
“People have been stuck in their
homes for a year and a half, so
I think people will be going out.”
Others aren’t sure if
audiences, and in particular
older audiences, will ever
be as comfortable as they
once were with gathering
70
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shoulder-to-shoulder with
a roomful of strangers.
What’s certain is this:
“We will be among the last
industries to fully reopen, and
we are still running multiple
scenarios as to when that
might be,” says Executive
Producer David Rodriguez.
But despite all this uncertainty,
despite the tragedy of the
pandemic, what’s also clear
is that this long, unplanned
intermission was also a
time of remarkable growth
and evolution for NJPAC.
The Arts Center’s education
programs became virtual
offerings with exceptional
speed, in some cases literally
overnight. And those programs
were advanced and refined
throughout the pandemic, as
NJPAC teaching artists dove
into this new way to reach
and inspire their students.
And suddenly, those students
were not only from Newark and
Paterson and Union City, they
were from Chicago, Sacramento,
even Saskatchewan. Being
able to offer NJPAC arts
trainings virtually has meant
being able to reach and
engage talented young
people all over the country.
And the jump to virtual became
part of NJPAC’s programming
as well, with concerts and
conversations of all kinds
added to its digital offerings
throughout the pandemic. Arts
Center programmers learned
how best to present jazz
singers, classical pianists and
magicians digitally, and even
sent its production of The Hip
Hop Nutcracker on a digital
tour. It became clear that these
programs were reaching not only
the traditional NJPAC audience
in their homes, but also new
audiences who’d never entered
Prudential Hall in the past.
Audiences who would never
have found their way physically
to the Arts Center’s campus —
kept away either by distance or
disability or expense, or dozens
of other reasons — could now
be inspired and entertained
by NJPAC performances.
Programming for this huge and
diverse audience will now be a
part of the Arts Center’s mission.
“We are reaching far more
people virtually than we would
ever have seats for in our
theaters,” says Rodriguez.
“The challenge going forward will
be learning how can we combine
the two — live performances
for those who can come to our
campus that are simultaneously
virtual performances for
those who cannot.”
Already, hybrid in-person and
virtual events are planned
for the summer — the Sarah
Vaughan International Vocal
Competition, for example, the
highlight of NJPAC’s James
Moody Jazz Festival, will be
performed live on stage in June
for a primarily virtual audience.
Not only is NJPAC’s reach
suddenly wider than it’s ever
been, but the Arts Center’s
offerings have broadened as
well, with a renewed focus
on social justice and civic
engagement. The Social Justice
Programming Task Force is now
deeply integrated into NJPAC’s
programming calendar, and
more events that bring activists,
artists, politicians, students
and other leaders together to
illuminate the central conflicts
of our era will continue to be
part of NJPAC’s offerings.
They are, in their own way,
every bit as inspiring as a
concert that fills Prudential
Hall with a wall of sound, or
a dance performance that
mesmerizes an audience
into perfect stillness.
NJPAC’s plans for how it will
reimagine and redevelop its
physical campus also took
great leaps forward during the
hiatus. Senior leadership at the
Arts Center now has a strong,
clear vision of a whole new
neighborhood, centered on the
arts and education facilities that
will be constructed on NJPAC’s
campus over the coming years.
While the details might
change as these plans are
executed, the scope of these
plans — much advanced while
the Arts Center’s theaters
were dark — will remain and
prove transformative for both
Newark and for NJPAC.
The past year was not
the one NJPAC’s staff and
leadership had planned for.
The pandemic, the terrible
economic challenges of the
health crisis, and the nationwide
reckoning with issues of
social justice were unforeseen
events that deeply impacted
every aspect of all our lives.
But in this crucible, the
Arts Center, despite all the
headwinds it faced, grew
into an institution even
stronger, more diverse
and more thoughtful than
it had been — and an
organization with a wider
reach than ever before.
That growth, that reach, will
shape and inform NJPAC’s
future, which promises, in
the year ahead, despite
everything, to be brighter
than ever before. •
njpac.org 71

Members of the Forces of Nature Dance
Theatre, socially distanced in Prudential
Hall, shortly before NJPAC announced its
summer 2021 limited reopening.

waiting to
welcome you
back
njpac.org
73

emembering
those we lost
Everyone at the Arts Center
was deeply saddened by the
loss of several members of the
NJPAC family this year. These
departed friends contributed
greatly to the work of the Arts
Center, and to the vibrant
spirit of this organization.
Walter Ford, of Irvington,
an usher at NJPAC for 15
years, passed in April. Walter
was remembered by his
co-workers for his courtesy
and his pride in the Arts Center,
and for his willingness to
mentor younger colleagues.
Faye Holmes, of Plainfield, who
served as an executive assistant
to several members of NJPAC’s
senior management during
her 12 years at the Arts Center,
died in December. After retiring
from a career at Prudential, she
began volunteering at NJPAC
and joined the staff in 2000.
Her colleagues admired her
for her intelligence, directness
and understanding.
Mohamed Isahawk, of Newark,
who worked on the Gateway
Security team posted at
NJPAC for more than 12 years,
was originally from Ghana.
He passed away in April, a year
after his retirement in 2019.
A devoted family man, he had
four sons and was known to
finish an overnight shift and
go directly to babysitting
one of his grandchildren.
Deborah (Debby) Bye Kean,
wife of former Governor and
NJPAC founder Tom Kean,
passed away in April. As First
Lady of New Jersey, Debby
undertook the renovation of
Drumthwacket, the New Jersey
Governor’s mansion. She was
also the prime mover behind
the establishment of day care
centers for state employees.
Brenda Murphy, who served
as NJPAC’s Director of Human
Resources and as a member
of the Board of Directors, also
passed away in April. During
her career, Brenda had also
been the Managing Director
of Newark Symphony Hall,
and the Managing Director of
Treasury for the former First
Fidelity Bank in East Orange.
Segundo Padilla, who was
a member of the Alliance
Maintenance housekeeping
team at NJPAC for five years,
passed away in April. Originally
from Ecuador, Segundo made
his home in Belleville. He was
remembered for working
diligently and cheerfully
assisting his team members.
Eunice Peterson, of East Orange,
NJPAC’s Senior Artist Assistant
for more than 20 years, passed
in November. Charged with
caring for artists while they
were at the Arts Center, Eunice
discharged her duties with
an insider’s understanding,
thanks to her own years of
experience on stage. In the
1960s and 1970s, Eunice was
a back-up vocalist for stars
including Dionne Warwick,
Whitney Houston and Darlene
Love. She had retired in 2018.
Bernard Ransom, of East
Orange, who served as an
usher at NJPAC for 23 years,
passed away in May. Bernard
was a performer himself, a
member of The Monotones,
the Newark-born doo-wop
group. He would occasionally
serenade colleagues with his
still note-perfect rendition
of the group’s biggest hit,
“The Book of Love.” He had
retired in September 2019.
Anthony Severin, who worked
at NJPAC for 15 years, first at
NJPAC’s call center, then as a
Box Office Representative, and
later as Acting Ticket Specialist,
passed away in February 2021;
tragically, Anthony lost his life
in a house fire that destroyed
several buildings in Trenton.
Remembered for his warmth and
generosity, Anthony had retired
from NJPAC in spring 2020.
Judy Weston, who was a
longtime supporter of NJPAC
along with her husband Josh,
a member of the NJPAC Board
of Directors, passed away in
October. Judy was a social
worker at Jewish Vocational
Services, and later served as
president of the Montclair
Adult School. She was also an
extremely active philanthropist,
supporting not just the Arts
Center but the American
Museum of Natural History
(where she was a docent) and
the National Dance Institute. •
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Anthony Severin Bernard Ransom Eunice Peterson

a message from
john schreiber
Dear Friend:
Could any of us have accurately predicted the trajectory of this once-ina-century
pandemic, this nightmarish blight that caused over 600,000
deaths across the country, and untold anxieties for all of us?
Could any of us have guessed at the bravery, grit, creativity, generosity,
thoughtfulness, connectedness, and active and practical optimism
this last, endless year or so has inspired in so many?
As we round the bend to a return to life as we (sort of) know it, these are questions
we’ll be discussing and debating for years. Without question, my gratitude to countless
individuals and organizations who helped keep NJPAC vital, useful and engaged
with our Newark community and the wider world during the pandemic is boundless.
As you read this Report, you’ll understand how the NJPAC team, working from home,
delivered as never before, and did so with no warning and no roadmap.
Professionalism, collaboration, and effectiveness shone through.
As we workshopped ways to add meaning, joy and substance to the lives of hundreds
of thousands of constituents, any new initiative or program we invented during
the pandemic was embraced, developed and produced with skill and love.
Giving in, giving up, shutting down —- well, that was never on the table for this Arts Center. That’s
not what a good anchor cultural institution does. From the get-go we insisted on staying present.
The global health crisis and the racial reckoning inspired by the murder of George
Floyd obliged everyone to rethink the essentials of our lives, from protecting
our health and the well-being of our loves ones, to what our role might be
in advancing the moral health of our communities and the nation.
A lot to consider, holed up in our homes, some of us surrounded by family, some of us alone. And
then there was the anxiety of not knowing — not knowing if or when there’d be a vaccine, trying
to stay abreast of how best to stay safe, remaining positive when the data was discouraging.
By necessity, whether one was an essential worker risking her or his life delivering
indispensable services while the virus raged, or a young mother with three small children
racing around the house while she tried to concentrate on another endless Zoom
meeting, this pandemic has forced us to grow and evolve in unimaginable ways.
I write this note to you in late June, 2021.
Masks are coming off, big hugs are back in fashion, folks are gathering in restaurants
and theaters and beginning to return to work. I think we’re all a bit tentative about
all this “normalcy,” but the cautious hope I feel is infectious (in a healthy way!).
Here’s to the intrepid Arts Center team: courageous, hard working, able to
pivot on a dime to deliver for our community in unprecedented ways.
And here’s to our donors, partners and allies, who stuck with us with consistency,
confidence and affection. I will never forget your engagement, your advocacy,
and your generosity. I can’t wait to greet you at an NJPAC event soon.
Never, ever, forgetting the trauma of what we’ve all been
through, let’s raise a glass to what’s to come.
May the lessons we’ve learned about life, love, family, each
other, be a beacon for the time ahead.
Very best,
President and Chief Executive Officer
John Schreiber

a message from
steven m. goldman
and barry h. ostrowsky
NJPAC Board of Directors Co-Chairs
Steven M. Goldman,
Partner at PBM
Capital Group
Barry H. Ostrowsky,
President & CEO
of RWJBarnabas
Health
Dear NJPAC Friends and Supporters:
The past year has been one of constant adaptation. None of us could have foreseen,
in March 2020, how radically all our lives were about to change as the pandemic
swept across our state and our country. All of us have had to reimagine how we work,
how we care for our families, and how we stay well as we go about our daily lives.
And while we both had every confidence that NJPAC would safely weather this
once-in-a-century storm, I don’t think any of us could have anticipated how
nimbly, and in how many ways, the Arts Center would grow and evolve as this
unprecedented health crisis made it necessary to close NJPAC’s physical campus.
Thanks to thoughtful leadership and a committed staff, all the ways the
Arts Center traditionally reached out to our community were reinvented.
When audiences couldn’t come to theaters, NJPAC brought music, dance,
poetry and film to them in their living rooms, through live virtual events.
When students couldn’t come to their arts training sessions, the Arts
Center’s teaching artists connected with them through their phones
and computers, with some classes never missing a session.
NJPAC’s signature strength, it’s wealth of free Community Engagement events
that bring the arts to everyone, found a new home online too, in Zoom dance
classes, Facebook Live DJ dance parties and Netflix-based film screenings.
And as the country’s Civil Rights Movement was transformed last summer following the
murder of George Floyd, the Arts Center expanded its mission to serve as a virtual town
square where issues of race, equity and justice could be discussed with thoughtfulness,
respect and the deep insight of activists who’ve been devoted to this work for decades.
All these new formats for presenting and teaching the performing arts, and these new
elements of NJPAC’s mission, will continue to be part of the Arts Center even as the
pandemic recedes. The past year was filled with tragedy. But the growth and renewal
that emerged during this time of crisis will propel NJPAC into the future, and help it serve
the people of this city and this state better and in new ways for many years to come.
We are very proud of what this Arts Center has endured and accomplished this
year. And while we are as anxious as you are for the day when live, in-person
concerts and events will again fill NJPAC with energy and excitement, we know
that the lessons and the memories of this season will always be with us.
We hope to see you at the Arts Center again very soon.
There is so much to look forward to!
Sincerely,
Steven M. Goldman
Barry H. Ostrowsky
njpac.org 77

the budget picture
as of July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020
operating Income - $34.4 million
endowment income and reserve transfers 11%
contributed revenue 33%
43%
performance and
performance related revenue
other earned income 12%
1%
arts education revenue
operating expenses - $34.4 million
development 7%
general and administrative 10%
41%
performance and
performance related
marketing and communication
6%
theater operations 27%
9%
arts education
78
njpac.org

new jersey performing
arts center corporation
consolidated balance sheets june 30, 2020 and 2019
Assets 2020 2019
Cash and cash equivalents $ 7,882,568 2,657,609
Accounts receivable,
net of allowance for doubtful accounts 2,951,134 3,523,827
Contributions and grants receivable, net 42,335,700 23,315,414
Prepaid expenses and other assets 2,727,254 3,156,869
Investments 74,764,756 78,186,244
Property and equipment, net 105,329,667 108,575,874
Total assets $ 235,991,079 219,415,837
Liabilities and Net Assets
Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 2,234,975 3,706,490
Advance ticket sales and
other deferred revenue 3,124,922 2,767,529
Loans payable 10,045,975 9,912,203
Other liabilities 6,987,371 2,266,646
Total liabilities $ 22,393,243 18,652,868
Commitments and contingencies
Net assets:
Unrestricted:
Designated for special purposes, including net
investment in property and equipment $ 95,392,902 98,387,369
Designated for operations _________ ________
Total unrestricted 95,392,902 98,387,369
Temporarily restricted 33,272,637 31,730,268
Permanently restricted – endowment 84,932,297 70,645,332
Total net assets 213,597,836 200,762,969
Total liabilities and net assets $ 235,991,079 219,415,837
njpac.org 79

njpa leadership
board of directors as of April 14, 2021
Co-Chair
Steven M. Goldman,
Esq
Co-Chair
Barry H. Ostrowsky
Treasurer
Marc E. Berson
Assistant Treasurer
David Jones
Secretary
Michael R. Griffinger,
Esq.
Assistant Secretary
Alma DeMetropolis,
CFA
Founding Chair
Raymond G. Chambers
Director Emeritus &
Chair Emeritus
John Strangfeld
Chair Emeritus
William J. Marino
Chair Emeritus
Arthur F. Ryan
Honorary Counsel
Donald A. Robinson,
Esq.
Lara Abrash Marsha I. Atkind Lawrence E.
Bathgate II, Esq.
James L. Bildner, Esq.
Daniel M. Bloomfield,
M.D.
Linda M. Bowden Modia “Mo” Butler Jacob S. Buurma, Esq. Nancy Cantor, Ph.D. Regina Carter
Mindy A. Cohen Kevin P. Conlin* Matthew Connor Wayne Cooperman Pat A. Di Filippo Robert H. Doherty Patrick C. Dunican,
Jr., Esq.
Debbie Dyson Shereef Elnahal, M.D. Anne Evans Estabrook Christine C. Gilfillan Savion Glover Yan Gu Ryan P. Haygood, Esq.
William V. Hickey Jeffrey T. Hoffman Ralph Izzo The Honorable
Thomas H. Kean
Scott A. Kobler Mitchell Livingston Charles Lowrey
Ellen B. Marshall Christian McBride D. Nicholas Miceli Victor Parsonnet, M.D. Eva Reda Christopher R. Reidy Richard W. Roper
80
njpac.org

Philip R. Sellinger, Esq.
The Honorable
Clifford M. Sobel
Gary St. Hilaire David S. Stone, Esq. Michael A. Tanenbaum,
Esq.
Rishi Varma
Carmen Villar
* retired
Robert C. Waggoner Amrit Walia Nina M. Wells, Esq. Josh S. Weston Karen C. Young
ex officio
The Honorable
Ras J. Baraka
The Honorable
Mildred C. Crump
The Honorable
Joseph N. DiVincenzo
Elizabeth A. Mattson
The Honorable
Elizabeth Maher Muoio
The Honorable
Philip D. Murphy
President & CEO
John Schreiber
Faith Taylor
The Honorable
Tahesha Way
NJPAC house management
staff masked, socially distanced,
and eager to welcome patrons
back to the Arts Center.
njpac.org 81

oard of directors as of April 14, 2021
Co-Chair
Steven M. Goldman, Esq.
Managing Partner
PBM Capital Group
Co-Chair
Barry H. Ostrowsky
President & CEO
RWJBarnabas Health
Treasurer
Marc E. Berson
Chairman
The Fidelco Group
Assistant Treasurer
David Jones
Co-Founder, President & CEO
Castle Oak Securitites, LLC
Secretary
Michael R. Griffinger, Esq.
Director
Gibbons P.C.
Assistant Secretary
Alma DeMetropolis, CFA
Managing Director
The Private Bank JPMorgan
Chase
Founding Chair
Raymond G. Chambers
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
Director Emeritus
& Chair Emeritus
John Strangfeld
Retired Chairman & CEO
Prudential Financial
Chairs Emeriti
William J. Marino
Retired Chairman, President & CEO
Horizon BCBS of New Jersey
Arthur F. Ryan
Retired Chairman & CEO
Prudential Financial
Honorary Counsel
Donald A. Robinson, Esq.
Partner
Robinson & Miller LLC
Lara Abrash
Chairman & CEO
Deloitte, LLP
Marsha I. Atkind
Executive Director & CEO
The Healthcare Foundation of NJ
Lawrence E. Bathgate II, Esq.
Partner
Bathgate, Wegener & Wolf P.C.
James L. Bildner
CEO
Draper Richards Kaplan
Foundation
Daniel M. Bloomfield, M.D.
Retired CEO
Cardurion Pharmaceuticals
Linda M. Bowden
New Jersey Regional President
PNC Bank
Modia “Mo” Butler
Partner
Mercury Public Affairs
Jacob S. Buurma, Esq.
Vice President
BELVIN Development
Nancy Cantor, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Rutgers University – Newark
Regina Carter
Jazz Master and Artistic Director
NJPAC Geri Allen Jazz Camp
Mindy A. Cohen
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Kevin P. Conlin*
Executive Chairman of the Board
Horizon BCBS of New Jersey
Matthew Connor
Chief Financial Officer
Broadridge Financial Solutions
Wayne Cooperman
President
Cobalt Capital Management
Pat A. Di Filippo
Executive Vice President
Turner Construction Corporation
Robert H. Doherty
New Jersey Market President
Bank of America
Patrick C. Dunican, Jr., Esq.
Chairman & Managing Director
Gibbons P.C.
Debbie Dyson
President
ADP National Account Services
ADP
Shereef Elnahal, M.D.
President & CEO
University Hospital - Newark
Anne Evans Estabrook
CEO
Elberon Development Group
Christine C. Gilfillan
President
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
Savion Glover
Actor, Tap Dancer, Choreographer
Yan Gu
Vice President, Head of Commercial
Mars Wrigley North America
Ryan P. Haygood, Esq.
President & CEO
New Jersey Institute for
Social Justice
William V. Hickey
Retired Chairman & CEO
Sealed Air Corporation
Jeffrey T. Hoffman
Senior Vice President
N.A. Field Operations Data
Analytics & Sales Effectiveness
Chubb
Ralph Izzo
Chairman, President, & CEO
PSE&G
The Hon. Thomas H. Kean
President
THK Consulting, LLC
Scott A. Kobler, Esq.
Partner
McCarter & English, LLP
Mitchell Livingston
President & CEO
NJM Insurance Group
Charles Lowrey
Chairman & CEO
Prudential Financial
Ellen B. Marshall
Northeast Regional
Market Executive
Santander Bank, N.A.
Christian McBride
Jazz Master and
NJPAC Artistic Advisor
D. Nicholas Miceli
Regional President,
Florida Metro
TD Bank
Victor Parsonnet, M.D.
Retired Director of
Surgical Research
Newark Beth Israel
Medical Center
Eva Reda
Executive Vice President &
General Manager
Global Partnership & Product
Development
American Express
Christopher R. Reidy
Executive Vice President
Chief Financial Officer &
Chief Administrative Officer
BD
Donald A. Robinson, Esq.
Partner
Robinson & Miller, LLC
Richard W. Roper
Public Policy Consultant
Philip R. Sellinger, Esq.
Managing Shareholder
New Jersey
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
The Hon. Clifford M. Sobel
Former U.S. Ambassador to Brazil
U.S. Department of State
Gary St. Hilaire
President & CEO
Horizon BCBS of New Jersey
David S. Stone, Esq.
Senior Managing Partner
Stone & Magnanini
Michael A. Tanenbaum, Esq.
Chairman
Tanenbaum Keale, LLP
Rishi Varma
Partner & Managing Director
Boston Consulting Group
Carmen S. Villar
Vice President
Merck, Co.
Robert C. Waggoner
Chairman
Burrelles
Amrit Walia
Regional Managing Director
Wells Fargo, Private Bank
Nina M. Wells, Esq.
Former Secretary of State
State of New Jersey
Josh S. Weston
Honorary Chairman
ADP
Karen Young
US Pharmaceutical and Life
Sciences Leader
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Ex Officio
The Hon. Ras J. Baraka
Mayor
City of Newark
The Hon. Mildred Crump
Council President
Newark Municipal Council
The Hon. Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr.
Essex County Executive
The County of Essex, New Jersey
Elizabeth A. Mattson
Chairperson
NJ State Council on the Arts
The Hon. Elizabeth
Maher Muoio
State Treasurer
State of New Jersey
The Hon. Philip D. Murphy
Governor
State of New Jersey
John Schreiber
President & CEO
New Jersey Performing
Arts Center
Faith Taylor
President
Women@NJPAC
The Hon. Tahesha Way
Secretary of State
State of New Jersey
Directors Emeriti
Dennis Bone
Barbara Bell Coleman
Albert R. Gamper
Veronica M. Goldberg
Judith Jamison
A. Michael Lipper, CFA
Morris Tanenbaum
Diana T. Vagelos
• retired
82
njpac.org

women@njpac board of trustees
as of April 14, 2021
President
Faith Taylor
Co-Executive
Vice President
Michellene Davis, Esq.
Co-Executive
Vice President
Margarethe Laurenzi
Vice President
Deborah Q. Belfatto
Vice President
Mindy A. Cohen
Vice President
Suzanne M. Spero
Treasurer
Lisa Osofsky
Secretary
Christine Pearson
Marcia Wilson
Brown, Esq.
Immediate Past President
Dini Ajmani
Rana Peterson
Barclay
Audrey Bartner Adenah Bayoh Sherri-Ann P.
Butterfield, Ph.D.
Patricia Capawana Alejandra Ceja Patricia A.
Chambers* **
Sally Chubb* ** Mary Lynn Clark Barbara Bell
Coleman**
Antoinette
Ellis-Williams
Catherine J. Flynn Christine C. Gilfillan Tenagne
Girma-Jeffries
Aisha Glover Veronica M.
Goldberg* **
Zenola Harper, Esq.
Tammye T. Jones
Sheila F. Klehm** Ruth C. Lipper** Dena F. Lowenbach** Sonia Luaces Marlie Massena Gabriella E. Morris,
Esq.*
Ferlanda Fox Nixon,
Esq.
* Founding Member
**Trustee Emerita
Lori Spoon Mary Kay Strangfeld** Mikki Taylor Diana T. Vagelos* ** Nina Mitchell Wells,
Esq.
njpac.org 83

women@njpac board of trustees as of April 14, 2021
President
Faith Taylor
Environmental, Social,
Governance Leader
Tesla
Co-Executive Vice President
Michellene Davis, Esq.
Executive Vice President
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
RWJBarnabas Health
Co-Executive Vice President
Margarethe Laurenzi
Chief Philanthropic Officer
Community Foundation
of New Jersey
Vice Presidents
Deborah Q. Belfatto
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Mindy A. Cohen
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Suzanne M. Spero
Executive Director
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
Treasurer
Lisa Osofsky
Partner, Private Client Services
Practice Leader
Mazars USA, LLP
Secretary
Christine Pearson
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Immediate Past President
Marcia Wilson Brown, Esq.
Vice Chancellor for External and
Governmental Relations
Rutgers University – Newark
Dini Ajmani
Assistant Treasurer
State of New Jersey
Rana Peterson Barclay
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Audrey Bartner
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Adenah Bayoh
Owner/Managing Member
Foya Foods, LLC
Sherri-Ann P. Butterfield, Ph.D
Executive Vice Chancellor
Rutgers University – Newark
Patricia A. Capawana
Retired Vice President
Executive Events,
Prudential Financial
Alejandra Ceja
Executive Director
Panasonic Foundation
Panasonic Corporation
of North America
Patricia A. Chambers* **
Community Leader and
Philanthropist; Chair
Lambert Bridge Winery
Sally Chubb* **
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Mary Lynn Clark
Retired President
Wyndham Vacation Rentals
Barbara Bell Coleman**
President
BBC Associates, LLC
Antoinette Ellis-Williams
Chairperson and Professor
Department of Women’s and
Gender Studies
NJCU
Catherine J. Flynn
Partner
Flynn Watts Law
Christine C. Gilfillan
President
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
Tenagne Girma-Jeffries
Founder and CEO
The Cultivation Group
Aisha Glover
Vice President
Center for Urban Innovation
Audible
Veronica M. Goldberg* **
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Zenola Harper, Esq.
Vice President
Litigation, Labor & Employment
Horizon BCBS of New Jersey
Tammye T. Jones
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Sheila F. Klehm**
Managing Director
Wealth Management
UBS Financial Services Inc.
Ruth C. Lipper**
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Dena F. Lowenbach**
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Sonia Luaces
Partner
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Marlie Massena
New Jersey Trade Area Manager
Marketing & Special Events
Bloomingdale’s
Gabriella E. Morris, Esq.*
Senior Vice President
The UNICEF Bridge Fund, U.S.
Fund for UNICEF
Ferlanda Fox Nixon, Esq.
Editor
TAPinto Denville
Lori Spoon
Senior Vice President
Global Head of Customer &
Broker Engagement
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty
Insurance
Mary Kay Strangfeld**
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Mikki Taylor
President, Satin Doll
Productions, Inc.
Editor-at-Large, ESSENCE
Magazine
Diana T. Vagelos* **
Community Leader and
Philanthropist
Nina Mitchell Wells, Esq.
Former Secretary of State,
State of New Jersey
*Founding Member
**Trustee Emerita
njpac council of trustees as of April 14, 2021
Val Azzoli
Michael F. Bartow
Rona Brummer
John M. Castrucci, CPA
Elizabeth G. Christopherson
Susan Cole, Ph.D.
Robert S. Constable
Irene Cooper-Basch
Anthony R. Coscia, Esq.
Andrea Cummis
Samuel A. Delgado
Steven J. Diner, Ph.D.
Andrew Dumas
Dawood Farahi, Ph.D.
Curtland E. Fields
Albert R. Gamper
Bruce I. Goldstein, Esq.
Renee Golush
Paula Gottesman
Sandra Greenberg
Kent C. Hiteshew
Patrick E. Hobbs
John A. Hoffman, Esq.
Lawrence S. Horn, Esq.
Reverend M. William
Howard, Jr.
Reverend Reginald Jackson
Howard Jacobs
Robert L. Johnson, M.D.
Marilyn “Penny” Joseph
Donald M. Karp, Esq.
Gene R. Korf
Rabbi Clifford M. Kulwin
Ellen W. Lambert, Esq.
Paul Lichtman
Kevin Luing
Joseph Manfredi
Antonio S. Matinho
Bari J. Mattes
John E. McCormac, CPA
Catherine M. McFarland
Joyce R. Michaelson
Edwin S. Olsen
Richard S. Pechter
Daria M. Placitella
Jay R. Post, Jr., CFP
Steven J. Pozycki
Marian Rocker
David J. Satz, Esq.
Barbara J. Scott
Marla S. Smith
Suzanne M. Spero
Joseph P. Starkey
Sylvia Steiner
Arthur R. Stern
Andrew Vagelos
Richard J. Vezza
Kim Wachtel
Constance K. Weaver
Elnardo J. Webster, II
E. Belvin Williams, Ph.D.
Gary M. Wingens, Esq.
84
njpac.org

family of donors
NJPAC thanks each and every one of its members for making a commitment
that helps ensure the future well-being and success of your Arts Center.
To ensure that our donor acknowledgments are consistent from year to year, we
present this information based on NJPAC’s fiscal year of July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020.
NJPAC is enormously grateful for the many contributions the Arts Center received after
July 1, 2020, which will be recognized in next year’s Report to the Community.
njpac shining stars as of June 30, 2020
New Jersey Performing Arts Center reserves special accolades for its Shining Stars—
the generous visionaries, luminaries and great dreamers who make everything possible.
This list includes contributors whose cumulative giving to NJPAC totals $1 million and above.
dreamers
$10,000,000 & above
Anonymous
Anonymous
The Chambers Family and
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
City of Newark
Toby and Leon Cooperman
Essex County
Betty Wold Johnson+
New Jersey State
Council on the Arts
Prudential/The Prudential
Foundation
Estate of Eric F. Ross
State of New Jersey
Victoria Foundation
Women@NJPAC
luminaries
$5,000,000 & above
Bank of America
The Joan and Allen
Bildner Family Fund
CIT
The Horizon Foundation
for New Jersey/Horizon
Blue Cross Blue Shield
of New Jersey
Merck Foundation
Katherine M. and
Albert W. Merck+
NJ Advance Media
PSEG Foundation/PSEG
Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch
Wells Fargo
Judy+ and Josh Weston
visionaries
$1,000,000 & above
ADP
Alcatel-Lucent
American Express
AT&T
BD
Randi and Marc E. Berson
Casino Reinvestment
Development Authority
Chubb
Stewart and Judy Colton
Joanne D. Corzine Foundation
Jon S. Corzine Foundation
Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation
Doris Duke Charitable
Foundation
Edison Properties
Newark Foundation/
The Gottesman Family
Elberon Development Co.
Ford Foundation
Gibbons P.C.
Veronica M. Goldberg
The Griffinger Family
Harrah’s Foundation
Hess Foundation, Inc.
Jaqua Foundation
Johnson & Johnson
Family of Companies
JPMorgan Chase
Kresge Foundation
The Blanche and Irving
Laurie Foundation
Arlene Lieberman/The Leonard
Lieberman Family Foundation
A. Michael and Ruth C.
Lipper/Lipper Family
Charitable Foundation
William J. and Paula Marino
McCrane Foundation, Inc.,
care of Margrit McCrane
The Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation
New Jersey Cultural Trust
Panasonic Foundation
Dr. Victor Parsonnet and
Jane Parsonnet+
Pfizer Inc.
Michael F. Price
PwC
Robert Wood Johnson,
Jr. Charitable Trust
The Ryan Family
The Sagner Family Foundation
The Walter V. and Judith L.
Shipley Family Foundation
Sills Cummis & Gross, PC
The Smart Family Foundation/
David S. Stone, Esq.,
Stone and Magnanini
John Strangfeld and
Mary Kay Strangfeld
Foundation
Michael and Jill Tanenbaum
Morris and Charlotte
Tanenbaum
TD Bank/TD Charitable
Foundation
Turner Construction Company
Turrell Fund
United Airlines
Diana and P. Roy Vagelos
Verizon
Robert and Mary
Ellen Waggoner
Wallace Foundation
+deceased
the muse society
as of June 30, 2020
NJPAC’s Muse Society recognizes those visionary friends who include the Arts Center in their financial planning through bequests,
charitable gift annuities, insurance and other deferred gifts. We gratefully acknowledge the following friends who have included the Arts
Center in their estate plans and made known their future gift. For more information or to notify NJPAC of your intent to include it in your
estate planning, contact Joshua Adler, Director of Major Gifts, at 973.297.5821.
Audrey Bartner
Lawrence E. Bathgate, II
Judith Bernhaut
Andrew T. Berry, Esq.+
Randi and Marc E. Berson
Joan+ and Allen Bildner+
Candice R. Bolte
Edmond H.+ and
Joan K. Borneman
Ann and Stan Borowiec
Raymond G. Chambers
Toby and Leon Cooperman
Fred Corrado
Ann Cummis
Mr. and Mrs. James Curtis
Harold R. Denton
Richard DiNardo
Charles H. Gillen+
Bertha Goldman+
Steven M. Goldman, Esq.
Renee and David Golush
The Griffinger Family
Phyllis and Steven E. Gross
Mr. and Mrs. Warren Grover
Opera Link/Jerome Hines+
William and Joan Hickey
Betty Wold Johnson+
Jackie and Larry Horn
The Meg and Howard Jacobs
Family Foundation
Rose Jacobs+
Gertrude Brooks Josephson+
and William Josephson
in Memory of Rebecca
and Samuel Brooks
Adrian and Erica Karp
Gail and Max Kleinman
Joseph Laraja, Sr.+
Leonard Lieberman+
Ruth C. Lipper
Amy C. Liss
Dena F. and Ralph Lowenbach
Joyce R. Michaelson
Joseph and Bernice O’Reilly+
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Ostergaard
Maria Parise+
Dr. Victor Parsonnet and
Jane Parsonnet+
Donald A. Robinson, Esq.
Marian and David Rocker
Estate of Eric F. Ross+
Bernice Rotberg+
The Steven and Beverly
Rubenstein Charitable
Foundation
The Ryan Family
Ethel Smith+
Leonard R. Stern+
Paul Stillman Trust
John Strangfeld and Mary
Kay Strangfeld Foundation
Morris and Charlotte
Tanenbaum
Carolyn M. VanDusen
Diana and P. Roy Vagelos
Artemis Vardakis+
Nina and Ted Wells
Judy+ and and Josh Weston
+deceased

premier donors and sponsors as of June 30, 2020
NJPAC salutes the enormously generous institutions and individuals whose aggregate contributions
(gifts, grants, sponsorships and events) for the year total $50,000 or more.
$1,000,000 & above
Toby and Leon Cooperman
New Jersey State
Council on the Arts
Prudential/The Prudential
Foundation
State of New Jersey
Women@NJPAC
$250,000 & above
Bank of America
The Chambers Family and
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
The Horizon Foundation for
New Jersey/Horizon
Blue Cross Blue Shield
of New Jersey
Merck Foundation
PSEG Foundation/PSEG
RWJBarnabas Health
Victoria Foundation
$100,000 & above
ADP
American Express
Audible, Inc.
BD
The Blanche and Irving
Laurie Foundation
Stewart and Judy Colton
The Healthcare Foundation
of New Jersey
William and Joan Hickey
Betty Wold Johnson+
Mars Wrigley Confectionery
M&T Bank
New Jersey Cultural Trust
PwC
The Ryan Family
The Smart Family Foundation/
David S. Stone, Esq.,
Stone and Magnanini
John Strangfeld and
Mary Kay Strangfeld
Foundation
Tanenbaum Keale, LLP
Michael and Jill Tanenbaum
Morris and Charlotte
Tanenbaum
TD Bank/TD Charitable
Foundation
Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch
Wells Fargo
Judy+ and Josh Weston
$50,000 & above
Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office
Randi and Marc E. Berson/
The Fidelco Group
The Joan and Allen
Bildner Family Fund
Broadridge Financial
Solutions, Inc.
Jennifer A. Chalsty
Mindy A. Cohen and
David J. Bershad
Deloitte, LLP
Edison Properties
Newark Foundation
Mimi and Edwin Feliciano
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Gibbons P.C.
Steven M. Goldman, Esq.
Investors Bank/Investors
Foundation, Inc.
JPMorgan Chase
William J. and Paula Marino
NJ Advance Media
NJM Insurance Group
Panasonic Foundation
PNC Bank, N.A/The
PNC Foundation
Rutgers, The State University
of New Jersey
Santander Bank, N.A.
The Walter V. and
Judith L. Shipley
Family Foundation
Steinway and Sons
Turrell Fund
United Airlines
Nina and Ted Wells
+deceased
Lion dancers from the Nai-Ni
Chen Dance Company, which
has performed at NJPAC for many
years, offer a warm welcome
back to the Arts Center’s theaters.
86
njpac.org

usiness partners as of June 30, 2020
NJPAC sincerely thanks the following corporations, foundations and government agencies for their generous annual support
of the Arts Center’s artistic endeavors, arts education programs, endowment fund and maintenance efforts. For more information,
please contact Doris Thomas, Director, Corporate Relations and Sponsorships, at 973.353.7569.
benefactor
$1,000,000 & above
New Jersey State
Council on the Arts
Prudential/The Prudential
Foundation
State of New Jersey
Women@NJPAC
leadership circle
$200,000 & above
ADP
Bank of America
The Chambers Family and
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
The Horizon Foundation for
New Jersey/Horizon
Blue Cross Blue Shield
of New Jersey
Merck Foundation
PSEG Foundation/PSEG
RWJBarnabas Health
TD Bank/TD Charitable
Foundation
Victoria Foundation
co-chair circle
$100,000 & above
American Express
BD
The Healthcare Foundation
of New Jersey
The Blanche and Irving
Laurie Foundation
Mars Wrigley Confectionery
New Jersey Cultural Trust
Wells Fargo
director’s circle
$50,000 & above
Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office
Broadridge Financial
Solutions, Inc.
Deloitte LLP
Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation
Investors Bank/Investors
Foundation, Inc.
JPMorgan Chase
M&T Bank
NJ Advance Media
Panasonic Foundation
PwC
Rutgers, The State University
of New Jersey
Steinway and Sons
Santander Bank, N.A.
Tanenbaum Keale, LLP
Turrell Fund
United Airlines
president’s circle
$25,000 & above
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Capital One
CastleOak Securities, LP
Chubb
Gibbons P.C.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
L&M Development
Partners, Inc.
Lowenstein Sandler, LLP
McCarter & English, LLP
The Johnny Mercer Foundation
The Nicholas Martini
Foundation
NJM Insurance Group
PNC Bank, N.A./
The PNC Foundation
Sills Cummis & Gross PC
Turner Construction Company
Valley Bank
Windels Marx Lane &
Mittendorf, LLP
composer’s circle
$10,000 & above
Chiesa Shahinian &
Giantomasi, PC
Coca-Cola Refreshments
Disney Corporate Citizenship
Elberon Development Co.
EpsteinBeckerGreen
Flemington Car &
Truck Country
The Hyde and Watson
Foundation
J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc.
Jacobs Levy Equity
Management
F. M. Kirby Foundation
Landmark Fire Protection
Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Corporation
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton
& Garrison, LLP
The Russell Berrie Foundation
Sandalwood Securities
SP+
Verizon
Whole Foods
encore circle
$5,000 & above
Advance Realty
The Allergan Foundation
Arnold & Porter
BB Solutions
Frank and Lydia Bergen
Foundation
Berkeley College
Brach Eichler LLC
Connell Foley LLP
Credibility Capital
Davis + Gilbert LLP
DeWitt Stern Group
EisnerAmper LLP
Evergreen Partners
Gallagher Benefit Services
Gateway Group One
Genova Burns LLC
Gilbane Building Company
E.J. Grassmann Trust
HLW Architecture LLC
Inserra Supermarkets
Jewish Federation of
Greater MetroWest NJ
KPMG
Langan Engineering
The Lieb Family
(Bob and Sherry)
Linden Cogeneration Plant
Lite DePalma Greenberg, LLC
Lotus Equity Group
Mazars USA, LLP
Mercury Public Affairs
Michael Rachlin &
Company, LLC
MidAtlantic Arts Foundation
Peapack-Gladstone Bank
Pennoni
PS&S
RBH Group
Ronald McDonald House
Charities New York Metro
Sherman Wells Sylvester
& Stamelman
ShopRite of Newark
& Brookdale
SILVERMAN
Strategic Development Group
StructureTone
Union Foundation
Willis Towers Watson
Ware Malcomb
+deceased
njpac.org 87

the vanguard society as of June 30, 2020
New Jersey Performing Arts Center is deeply grateful to the following individuals and families for their generous annual support,
which makes it possible for NJPAC to maintain its world-class venue, fill it with star-studded, diverse performances, and carry
out its arts education programs that transform the lives of New Jersey’s children. For more information, please contact
Amy Fitzpatrick, Vice President of Development, at 973.297.5822.
leadership circle
$200,000 & above
The Chambers Family and
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
Stewart and Judy Colton
Toby and Leon Cooperman
William and Joan Hickey
John Strangfeld and
Mary Kay Strangfeld
Foundation
Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch
Judy+ and Josh Weston
co-chair circle
$100,000 & above
Betty Wold Johnson+
The Ryan Family
The Smart Family Foundation/
David S. Stone, Esq.,
Stone and Magnanini
director’s circle
$50,000 & above
The Joan and Allen
Bildner Family Fund
Jennifer A. Chalsty
Edison Properties
Newark Foundation
Mimi and Edwin Feliciano
Steven M. Goldman, Esq.
William J. and Paula Marino
Michael and Jill Tanenbaum
Morris and Charlotte
Tanenbaum
John and Suzanne
Willian/Goldman
Sachs Gives
president’s circle
$25,000 & above
Randi and Marc E. Berson
Ann and Stan Borowiec
Sally Chubb
Mindy A. Cohen and
David J. Bershad
The Celia Lipton and Victor
W. Farris Home Community
Fund at the Community
Foundation of New Jersey
The Griffinger Family
Mr. and Mrs. Warren Grover
Kaminsky Family Foundation
Don Katz and Leslie Larson
Dana and Peter Langerman
McCrane Foundation, Inc.,
care of Margrit McCrane
Bobbi and Barry H.
Ostrowsky, Esq.
James and Nancy Pierson
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie C. Quick, III
Marian and David Rocker
Steven and Beverly Rubenstein
Charitable Foundation
The Sagner Family Foundation
David S. Steiner and Sylvia
Steiner Charitable Trust
Walsh Family Fund of the
Community Foundation
of New Jersey
Nina and Ted Wells
composer’s circle
$10,000 & above
Jean and Bruce Ackerman
Anonymous
Audrey Bartner
Lawrence E. Bathgate, II
Judith Bernhaut
Stephen and Mary
Birch Foundation
Denise and Dennis Bone
Rose Cali
Carol and Roger Chartouni
Kevin & Linda Conlin
Patrick C. Dunican, Jr., Esq.
Debbie Dyson
J. Andres Espinosa
Robert and Nancye Falzon
Michael Fucci
Veronica M. Goldberg
Alice Gerson Goldfarb
Phyllis and Steven E. Gross
Jeffrey and Judith Hoffman
Meg and Howard Jacobs
The Honorable Thomas H. Kean
Scott and Susan Kobler
A. Michael and Ruth C. Lipper/
Lipper Family Charitable
Foundation
Amy and William Lipsey
The Harold I. & Faye B.
Liss Foundation
Mitchell A. Livingston
Charles F. Lowrey and
Susan T. Rodriguez
Barry and Leslie Mandelbaum
Charles J. Marchesani
Ellen Marshall and
Jim Flanagan
The Lester and Grace
Maslow Foundation, Inc.
Joyce R. Michaelson
Harold and Donna Morrison
Christine S. Pearson
Richard S. and Kayla L. Pechter
Christopher R. Reidy
Donald A. Robinson, Esq.
Philip R. Sellinger
Cliff and Barbara Sobel
Alexine and Warren Tranquada
Carmen Villar
Ms. Amrit Walia
Joyce and George
Wein Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Edward
D. Zinbarg
encore circle
$5,000 & above
Anonymous
Daniel Bloomfield
and Betsy True
Candice R. Bolte
Linda M. Bowden
The Hon. Jon M. Bramnick
Nancy Cantor and
Steven R. Brechin
Modia Butler
Norman L. Cantor
and Tamar Dror
Austin G. Cleary
Sylvia J. Cohn
Evelyn and Stephen Colbert
Alma DeMetropolis, CFA
Robert Doherty
Dexter and Carol
Earle Foundation
Thelma and Richard Florin
Leah and Edward Frankel
Lawrence P. Goldman
and Laurie B. Chock
Renee and David Golush
Stefon and Shane Harris
David Hodes and Julie
Schwabin in memory of
Robin Hodes Jacobs
Jackie and Larry Horn
Karen and Ralph Izzo
Roger, Joshua and Rachel
Jacobs in memory of
Robin Hodes Jacobs
Don and Margie Karp
Amy and Steven Kruvant
Rabbi and Mrs. Clifford
M. Kulwin
Lee and Murray Kushner
and Family
Ralph and Martyann LaRossa
Judith Lieberman
Dena F. and Ralph Lowenbach
Lisa Mantone and
Thomas Vilardi
Tom and Joanne Marino
Mr. and Mrs. D. Nicholas Miceli
Duncan and Alison Niederauer
Edwin S. and Catherine Olsen
Ms. Deanne Wilson and
Mr. Laurence B. Orloff
Jean and Kent Papsun
Dr. Victor Parsonnet and
Jane Parsonnet+
Judith and Kenneth Peskin
Richard E. Polton
Rob and Nora Radest
Lennon Register and
Barbara White
Karen and Gary D. Rose
Susan Satz
Virginia McEnerney and
John Schreiber
Stephen and Mary Sichak
Robert and Sharon Taylor
Rishi Varma
Robert and Mary
Ellen Waggoner
Thomas C. Wallace
Thomas Wisniewski
Turner Construction
Company/Pat A. Di Fillipo
Karen and Bill Young
Helene and Gary Wingens
Jan and Barry Zubrow
James Zucker
+deceased
88
njpac.org

spotlight gala @ home 2020 sponsorships
NJPAC and Women@NJPAC are profoundly thankful for these Spotlight Gala and event supporters:
lead sponsor
underwriter
Horizon Blue Cross Blue
Shield of New Jersey
PSEG
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
hometown heroes
aka vice chairs
BD
Toby and Leon G. Cooperman
Merck & Co., Inc.
NJM Insurance Group
PwC
Arthur F. Ryan
Tanenbaum Keale, LLP
Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch
platinum channel
surfer dinner
committee
Mindy A. Cohen
and David J. Bershad
Gibbons P.C.
Nina Mitchell Wells and
Theodore V. Wells, Jr.
members as of June 30, 2020
gold live-streamer
dinner committee
ADP
American Express
Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office
Bank of America
Chubb Corporation
JPMorgan Chase
Paula and Bill Marino
RWJBarnabas Health
silver remote controller
Bloomberg Philanthropies
BNY Mellon
Boston Consulting Group
Deloitte, LLP
Alma DeMetropolis
Edison Properties, LLC
Fidelco Group/ Randi
and Marc E. Berson
Greenberg Traurig LLP
Joan and William Hickey
Jones Lang LaSalle Americas
The Honorable
Thomas H. Kean
McCarter & English, LLP
PNC Bank, N.A.
RWJF Special Contributions
Fund of the Princeton Area
Community Foundation
SP+
The Smart Family Foundation/
David S. Stone, Esq.,
Stone and Magnanini
TD Bank
Judy+ and Josh Weston
platinum advocates
Anonymous
Lawrence E. Bathgate II
Veronica M. Goldberg
Steven M. Goldman, Esq.
Mazars USA, LLP
Robin Cruz McClearn and
Cameron McClearn
One Theater Square
Donald A. Robinson, Esq
Kate S. Tomlinson
and Roger P. Labrie
gold advocates
Deborah and Joseph Belfatto
Newark Alliance
Mary Kay Strangfeld
Faith and Gary Taylor
silver advocates
Audrey Bartner
Chiesa Shahinian &
Giantomasi, PC
friends
Dini Ajmani
Beverly Baker-Jackson
and Thomas Jackson
Sherri-Ann Butterfield
Barbara Bell Coleman
Catherine Flynn
Lawrence P. Goldman
and Laurie B. Chock
Margarethe and
Mark Laurenzi
Judith M. Lieberman
NJCU
Timothy Roof
Julie Stone
Willis Towers Watson
after-party sponsors
Atlantic Health System
Whole Foods Market
full-page ad sponsors
Audible
Meg and Howard Jacobs
Mazars USA, LLP
Panasonic Corporation
of North America
half-page ad sponsors
Genova Burns
in-kind donations
Country Club Transportation
Newark Working Kitchens
United Airlines
New Jersey Performing Arts Center gives special thanks to the following Members who help meet the Arts Center’s annual
financial needs with gifts of $650 to $4,999. For information on becoming a Member, please call 973.297.5809.
sustainer
$3,000 & above
Wendee Bailey
Patricia L. Capawana
Eleanor Kessler Cohen
and Max Insel Cohen+
Lauren and Steven Friedman
Gregg N. Gerken
Ann & Gordon Getty
Foundation
Louis V. Henston
Mayor Sharpe James
Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Kuchner
Ellen and Donald Legow
Tim Lizura
Dr. Diane M. Ridley
Carlos A. Rodriguez
Dennis Sanders & Family
Robin and Leigh Walters
The Honorable Alvin Weiss
Aleta and Paul Zoidis
patron
$1,250 & above
Anonymous
Brian Archer
Joseph and Jacqueline
Basralian
George and Jane Bean
Barbara and Ed Becker
Eileen M. Becker
Deborah and Joseph Belfatto
Alishia and Henry Brandon
Margaret M. Brubaker
Roneea L. Bundick
Jeri Burt
Mr. and Mrs. Charles
M. Chapin, III
Judith Musicant and
Hugh A. Clark
Nancy Clarke
Vaughn E. Clarke
Carol and John Cornwell
Carmen A. Corrales
Andrea Cummis and
Renard Fiscus
Margaret J. Cunningham
Victor L. Davson and
Cicely Cottingham
Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc. - North Jersey
Alumnae Chapter
The Development Wing, Inc.
D’Maris and Joseph Dempsey
Linda Dunham
Donna and Kenneth Eberle
Alice and Glenn Engel
Herbert and Karin Fastert
Drs. Brenda and
Robert Fischbein
J. Kevin Gao
Rosemarie Gentile
Kenneth and Claudia Gentner
Thomas P. Giblin
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Gilfillan
Carolyn Gould
Perry and Robert Halkitis
Kitty and Dave Hartman
Donald N. Heirman
Joan Hollander
Alan and Carrie Holtz
Jeremy V. Johnson
Adrian and Erica Karp
Carolyn and James Kinder
Eli Kleinman Fund for
Jewish Education
Gail and Max Kleinman
Hans Knapp
Ben Korman
Irvin and Marjorie Kricheff
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey
W. Kronthal
Elaine and Rob+ LeBuhn
Mark and Gayle Lerch
Dr. and Mrs. Donald Louria
Kevin and Trisha Luing
Lum, Drasco & Positan, LLC
Terri Seeney Majette
Michele Mason
njpac.org 89

members
as of June 30, 2020
Lana Masor
Massey Insurance Agency
Edward Moran
Jack and Ellen Moskowitz
Bruce Murphy and
Mary Jane Lauzon
H. Herbert Myers Memorial
Foundation
Nagel Rice, LLP, in memory
of Robin Hodes Jacobs
Jeffrey S. Norman
Dr. Christy Oliver and
Bessie T. Oliver
Wayne Paglieri and
Jessalyn Chang
Mr. Arnold and Dr.
Sandra Peinado
Dr. Kalmon D. Post and
Linda Farber-Post
Caroline and Harry Pozycki
Cecile Prince
Jonathan and
Bethany Rabinowitz
Lawrence A. Raia
Susan and Evan Ratner
Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf
Tamara Harris-Robinson
Brent N. Rudnick
Barbara Sager
Donald Schier
Mr. and Mrs. Newton B. Schott
Rita and Leonard Selesner
Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Shapiro
Divesh Srivastava
Elaine J. Staley
Joan Standish
Rosemary and Robert
Steinbaum
Kate S. Tomlinson and
Roger Labrie
Mr. and Mrs. R. Charles
Tschampion
Bruce Tucker
Jon Ulanet
Mr. and Mrs. David S. Untracht
Kathyrn Vermilye
Richard and Arlene Vezza
Drs. Radha and
Rao V. Vinnakota
Lisa Webber
Dr. Joy Weinstein and
Dr. Bruce Forman
Lloyd Williams
Mr. and Mrs. Pat Wood
Gary and Wendy Young
Richard Zaborowski
supporter
$650 & above
Cheryl Adams
Sarrina Banks
Dr. and Mrs. Robert J. Braun
James and Sharon Briggs
Eloyd O. Britt
Dr. Kimberly Brown and
Parkway Eye Care Center
Janice Buffalow and
David R. Chapman
Calvin Carver
Fred Cordero and
Jessica Sporn
Martha Cybyk
Elizabeth R. Del Tufo
Suzanne Deluca-Warner
Walter Douglas
Josephine Edwards
and Stanley Yelen
Richard R. Eger and
Anne Aronvitch
Linda Caldwell Epps
Sanford and Zella Felzenberg
Dr. Ronald Gandelman and
Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell
Barbara and Marc Gellman
Lucia DiNapoli Gibbons
Clifford and Karen Goldman
Mr. and Mrs. Charles
C. Goodfellow
Claire and Milton Gottlieb
Thomas L. Green
Stephen M. Greenberg
and Barbara Infeld
Wayne and Catherine
Greenfeder
Mark Halliday
Hammond Contracting Co., Inc.
Lonnie and Bette Hanauer
Suri Harris and Alfred Schreiber
Ryan P. Haygood, Esq.
Lorraine and Bob Henry
Samantha B. Hickman
Mary Louise Johnston
Richard and Cindy Johnson
Barbara A. Karpinska
Frances and Robert Kaufmann
Courtney Koch
Joan M. Kram
Michael S. Kurtz
Mark and Sheryl Larner
Deborah Lashley and
Harrison Snell
Dorothy Litwin-Brief
Susan Lippa
Marco Lopez
Santa and Michael R. Mallon
Bernice E. Mayes
Helen and Thanassis
Mazarakis
Laura and Bobby McGuinness
Ray Merchant
Hector Mislavsky
and Judy Martinez
Drs. Douglas and
Susan Morrison
Joseph and Sheila Nadler
William and Patricia O’Connor
Lisa and Gerald Osofsk
Michael Ostroff and
Esther Rosenberg
Charles M. Piscitelli
Jay R. Post, Jr. CFP
Gusta A. Pritchett
Oliver B. Quinn
Frank Rand
Brian James Remite
Nogah Revesz
William A. Robinson
Idida Rodriguez
Ina and Mark Roffman
Joel Rosen
Arnold Saltzman and
Robin Rolfe
Steven T. Rome
Richard W. Roper
Suzanne and Richard Scheller
Donald Schier
The Schiffenhaus Foundation
Sharon and James Schwarz
Drs. Rosanne S. Scriffignano
and Anthony Scriffignano
Carissa Shafto
Edie Simonelli
Susan N. Sobbott
Marilyn and Leon Sokol
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Spalteholz
Beverly and Ed Stern
Stanley and Sharon Streicher
Jill Tarnow
Marva Tidwell
Louise and David J. Travis
Paul and Sharlene Vichness
Dr. Deborah and Peter Vietze
Douglas Walter
Susan D. Wasserman
Stephen Weinstein
Jacqueline Williams
Cheryl Y. Wilson
Dr. A. Zachary Yamba
Diane C. Young, M.D., P.A.
Claire and Gil Zweig
+deceased
The heart of
the Arts Center
Community
Engagement team -
left to right: Eyesha
Marable, Donna
Walker-Kuhne and
Najiyyah Bailey.
90
njpac.org

njpac staff and administration as of March 19, 2021
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
John Schreiber*
President & CEO
Chelsea Keys
Special Projects and
New Ideas Lead
David Rodriguez*
Executive Vice President &
Executive Producer
Kira M. Ruth***
Administrative Assistant &
Office Manager
Warren Tranquada**
Executive Vice President & COO
Valerie Fullilove
Senior Administrative Assistant
Timothy Lizura
Senior Vice President,
Real Estate & Capital Projects
ARTS EDUCATION
Jennifer Tsukayama*
Vice President, Arts Education
Mark Gross
Director, Jazz Instruction
Rosa Hyde*
Director, Performances & Special
Events Operations
Ashley Hughes
Project Director, City Verses
Victoria Revesz
Director, Program Operations
Sheikia “Purple Haze” Norris
Director, Hip Hop Arts & Culture
Roe Bell
Senior Manager, School and
Community Programs
Ashley Mandaglio
Senior Manager, Professional
Development & Training
Danielle Vauters
Senior Manager, Programming
and Performances
Becca Grek
Manager, CRM & Business
Operation
Kristine Mathieson
Manager, In-School Programs
Daniel Silverstein
Manager, Onsite Programs
Joe Swift
Project Coordinator, City Verses
Natalie Dreyer
Arts Integration Faculty Lead
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
MANAGEMENT
Hassab Gebremedhin
Senior Director, CRM
Rolston Cyril Watts
Senior Manager,
Development Operations
Ameris Poquette
Business Systems Analyst
Thomas Mellott
Gift Processing &
Database Associate
DEVELOPMENT
Amy Fitzpatrick
Vice President, Development
Imani Frederickson
Senior Administrative Assistant
Jenifer Braun
Director, Editorial Content
Deborah Purdon
Director, Research &
Prospect Management
Doris Thomas
Director, Corporate Relations
& Sponsorship
Valerie Blau
Corporate Giving Manager
Harris Cabrera
Manager, Foundation Relations
FINANCE
Lennon Register
Vice President & CFO
Yolanda Doganay
Assistant Vice President &
Controller
Mary Jaffa***
Assistant Vice President, Finance
Manuela Silva****
Senior Accountant, Payroll
Monique Cook*
Senior Financial Analyst
Geraldine Richardson***
Staff Accountant,
Accounts Payable
HUMAN RESOURCES
Beth Silver
Vice President, Human Resources
Ginny Bowers Coleman
Director, Volunteer Services
Taheerah Smiley
Human Resources Generalist
Ashanti Hargrove
Receptionist & Purchasing
Administrator
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
Ernie DiRocco**
Chief Information Officer
Carl Sims****
Director, Network Infrastructure
Rodney Johnson***
Network & Help Desk
Support Analyst
MARKETING &
COMMUNICATIONS
Katie Sword*
Vice President, Marketing &
Communications
Fallon Currie (Parrish)*
Administrative Assistant
Yesenia Jimenez****
Director, Loyalty Services
Charlene A. Roberts*
Director, Performance Marketing
Patricia Ryan
Art Director
Tina Boyer*
Director, Creative Services
Yasmeen Fahmy
Associate Director,
Digital Marketing
Latoya Dawson*
Manager, Marketing
Katie Stein
Digital Community Manager
Doris Ann Pezzolla****
Senior Graphic Designer
Allison Terkowitz
Lead Graphic Designer
Matthew Cherry
Digital Marketing Coordinator
Ashlee Nolan
Coordinator, Creative Services
April Jeffries
Coordinator, Group Sales
Daryle Charles
Priority Customer Representative
Jerome H. Ennis
Consultant, Herbert George
Associates
Angela Thomas
Consultant, Performance
Public Relations
OPERATIONS
Chad Spies***
Vice President, Operations
& Real Estate
Anthony Rosta
Facility Manager &
ADA Coordinator
Meredith Hull
Administrative Assistant
Todd Tantillo****
Chief Engineer
J. Dante Esposito****
Assistant Chief Engineer
Brian Cady
Maintenance Engineer
Sherman Gamble
Maintenance Engineer
Mariusz Koniuszewski
Maintenance Engineer
James McMorrow
Director, Security, Parking
& Traffic Operations
Thomas Dixon****
Safety & Security Manager
Robin Jones**
Senior Director,
House Management
Gabrielle DeGaetano
House Management
Kathleen Dickson
Senior Head Usher
Lamont Akins****
Jerry Battle**
Edward Fleming****
Cynthia Hamlett-Robinson***
Tracey Robinson
Head Ushers
George Gardner Jr.****
House Painter
PRODUCTION
Chris Moses**
Senior Director, Production
Christopher Staton*
Senior Production Manager
E. Kevin Jones
Production Manager
Crystal Cowling
Associate Production Manager
Rachel Macleod
Production Coordinator
William Worman****
Head Carpenter
Mario Corrales****
Bryan Danieli***
Assistant Head Carpenters
Jacob Allen***
Head Electrician
John Enea*
Gumersindo Fajardo****
Assistant Head Electricians
Paul Allshouse**
Head Audio
John DiCapua
John Finney**
Assistant Heads Audio
Richard Edwards****
George Honczarenko*
Specialist Carpenters
Amere Jenkins*
Dan Pagan
Specialists Audio
Allison Wyss****
Senior Artist Assistants
Melvin Anderson**
Lowell Craig***
Rachel Dresner
Loni Fiscus
Daniel Ovalle*
Sindy Sanchez Virto
MJ Santry
Suzanne Santry
Artist Assistants
PROGRAMMING
Evan White***
Assistant Vice President,
Programming
Simma Levine
Producer, Special Projects
Craig Pearce*
Producer, Festivals & Performances
Kitab Rollins**
Director Performance &
Broadcast Rentals
Eyesha Marable*
Director, Community Engagement
Najiyyah Bailey
Associate Producer, Community
Engagement
William W. Lockwood, Jr.****
Programming Consultant
Donna Walker-Kuhne*
Senior Advisor, Community
Engagement
SPECIAL EVENTS
Austin Cleary***
Assistant Vice President
Sales & Planning, NJPAC Events
Lauren Vivenzio*****
Senior Director, Internal &
External Events
Hernan Soto****
Senior Supervisor, Operations
Support Staff
Francisco Soto*
Supervisor, Operations Support
& Services
Kemar Brown
Assistant Supervisor, Operations
Support & Services
Tyrone Boyd
Delbert Green
David Martina
Operations Support Staff
TICKET SERVICES
Erik Wiehardt***
Director, Ticket Services
Stephanie Walker****
Associate Director,
Ticketing System
Nicole Craig***
Associate Director, Box Office
Robin Polakoff*
Ticketing System Specialist
Veronica Dunn-Sloan**
Box Office Managers
Edward Bogus
Box Office Manager
Jana Thompson*
Box Office Representative
Belva Moody
Box Office Representative
WOMEN@NJPAC
Sarah Rosen
Managing Director
Amy Mormak*
Associate Director, Events
Service Recognition
(as of 3/6/20 )
* * * * 20+ years
* * * 15+ years
* * 10+ years
* 5+ years
njpac.org 91

season funders as of March 30, 2021
NJPAC is grateful to the following partners for their commitment and investment in our mission.
women@
official sponsors:
Official Airline of NJPAC Official Imaging Supplier of NJPAC Official Soft Drink of NJPAC Media Sponsor
major support also provided by:
The Chambers Family and The MCJ Amelior Foundation
Stewart and Judy Colton
Toby & Leon Cooperman
Betty Wold Johnson+
Panasonic Foundation
John Strangfeld and Mary Kay Strangfeld Foundation
Victoria Foundation
Judy+ & Josh Weston
additional support provided by:
Audible, Inc.
Joan and Allen Bildner Family Fund
Edison Properties Newark Foundation
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
The Griffinger Family
JPMorgan Chase
The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation
William J. & Paula Marino
McCrane Foundation, Inc., care of Margrit McCrane
PNC Bank, N.A.
The Ryan Family
The Smart Family Foundation/
David S. Stone, Esq., Stone and Magnanini
Steinway & Sons
Michael & Jill Tanenbaum
Turrell Fund
John & Suzanne Willian/Goldman Sachs Gives
New Jersey Cultural Trust
+deceased
2020
people’s choice award winner
NJPAC was named
New Jersey’s
“Favorite Large
Performing Arts
Center” for the
12th consecutive
year, and was also
named “Favorite
Performing Arts
Camp.”
92
njpac.org

In the midst of an unprecedented
global pandemic, the Arts Center
grew into an institution even
stronger, more diverse and
more thoughtful than it had
been – and an organization with a
wider reach than ever before.

new jersey performing arts center