Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) presents the second annual “Voices International Theatre Festival” from Friday October 16 to Sunday October 25. This year’s Festival is a unique hybrid of virtual and live events featuring the work of twenty-one groundbreaking theatre companies from Europe, Eastern Europe, South Asia, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the United […]
ArtPride NJ and the NJ State Council on the Arts have teamed up in a campaign to convince state lawmakers to keep the arts alive in New Jersey.
With cautious baby steps, the few outdoor comedy shows that began in July, along with secret comedy open mics, are bringing hope and inspiration.
Heather Warfel Sandler, chair of the Jersey City Arts Council, added, “The JCAC fully intends to see this Arts Trust effort through.” That said, she did note, “We have one chance to ask the voters, so carefully weighing the best time to generate support for this is crucial.”
Today, those rooms are silent. The global health crisis has emptied out the galleries and closed the doors of our creative spaces. Most of the arts institutions in Jersey City work on thin margins. Even in good times, it’s difficult to keep galleries solvent. Frozen in place and with few ways to act, local curators face an unprecedented challenge.
The show opened with the funeral, as the comedian mused on the irony of grieving while organizing the event, which is essentially a party for other people. Later, Steffé invoked his late father who delivered the moral of the story in a bit about a trip to a strip club that involved blood. Be nicer to women, his dad urged.
Since the last time we rounded up performance spaces, the town has lost a cornerstone: FM, the comfortable, decent-sounding downtown venue that was, for more than a year, the most reliable local spot to catch an independent act. FM had a real stage and lights and a dedicated PA system run by soundmen who took pride in their skills. It was a true rock club in the time-tested style, booked by people with roots deep in the community and a clear vision of the kind of venue they’d like to run and scene they want to cultivate.
Downtown, where it seemed there was a dearth of music venues, FM filled an unmet need, with its unique mix of punk, rock and roll, funk and singer-songwriters. Certainly, the club had its ups and downs. Some nights it was so packed it was almost a fire hazard, other nights were so empty that shows got cancelled and the entire place closed early.
Longtime residents will recognize that argument. It’s the same one that was used by arts advocates during the debate over the institution of the Powerhouse Arts District. The PAD was meant to anchor arts activity in the Warehouse District, and create a Downtown haven for creative people and a magnet for visitors. The ordinance passed, and the PAD was instituted, but the neighborhood never developed in the manner in which its advocates hoped it would.
“The heartbeat there is similar to what you might find in the Village in New York. There’s a young, vibrant feeling there. The city’s image has turned around quite a bit, artists are finding homes, theater organizations are cropping up and doing unique work that fits into that vibe. I do hear a lot of people talking about the arts in Jersey City. Art is making that city tick. A lot of businesses are moving in, there’s a sense of pride in the residents, and that will only grow in time.”
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