As we celebrated a remarkable milestone, 30 years since the purchase of the iconic Palace Theatre, we continue to stand resolute in our mission at The Growing Stage. The 2024-2025 season found us energized by the same unwavering commitment that has guided us through the theatre's restoration.
Our journey is one of continuous evolution, adapting to new challenges while ensuring our mission remains vibrant and sustainable.
With a focus on fostering an inclusive, welcoming environment, we embrace the diverse voices of children, artists, parents, and educators in our programming. Inspired by the very advice we share with our young patrons - to learn and grow - we strive to cultivate creativity and collaboration within our community.,
At The Growing Stage, we believe that every engaged patron and funding partner deserves transparency about their investment. This Annual Report aims to illuminate the significant impact of your support, showcasing the value it brings to our mission. Every accomplishment we make whether on the stage, in the classroom or impacting our community is made together. Your generosity has allowed our mission to continue – to nurture the development of the performing arts through education and to create, produce, and create, produce, and perform works that engage the entire family. Together, let us continue to nurture creativity, inspire connections, and celebrate the joy of the performing arts for generations to come.
Programming
The 2024-2025 Main Stage season, themed “Pure Imagination,” kicked off in October with CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, followed by the holiday classic RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, which featured large casts in weekend performances. Both productions, known for their strong brand recognition, were met with great success. These performances provide us a balanced program while allowing us to introduce new and thought-provoking works to our young audiences.
Our first production in 2025, CATCHING THE MOON: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream, shared the inspiring story of the girl who grew up to become “Toni Stone,” the first woman to play for an all-male Negro Professional Baseball League. In spring, we presented HER BEAUTIFUL SOUND, the 2024 Laurie Award recipient from our New Play-Reading Festival, written by Cris Eli Blak. This world premiere piece featured the artistry of spoken word, offering a poignant narrative about a family grappling with loss and the healing power of creativity. We concluded our season with KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY MUSICAL, based on the beloved story by Mo Willems. The story: Girl loves stuffed animal. Girl loses beloved animal. Girl fights to get animal back.
Our audience numbers reflect significant growth. In the 2023-2024 season, our production of ELEPHANT & PIGGIE attracted a total audience of 3,637, culminating in 7,424 for the entire season. In contrast, the 2024-2025 performance season saw our total audience soar to 9,015, featuring three productions offering weekday school performances, known as Main Stage Matinees: CATCHING THE MOON, HER BEAUTIFUL SOUND, and KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY MUSICAL. Each production was designed with specific age groups in mind, ensuring accessibility to diverse student populations from February through May.
Our Main Stage Matinee audience increased from 3,185 students in 2023-2024 to 4,106 in 2024-2025, drawing attendees from Jersey City to Sussex. In fact, this past season we had the privilege to perform before schools from nine counties throughout northern New Jersey – Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren.
The Creative Arts Academy consistently outperforms budget expectations, incorporating various initiatives, such as the New Play-Reading Festival, special programming events, and three semesters of arts education ranging from preschool through high school, alongside a five-week Summer Arts Day Camp. Leaning on a philosophy of process-oriented learning rather than performance-based outcomes, we have received positive feedback from parents who value our emphasis on confidence-building skills, including public speaking, teamwork, and creative expression.
We have earned a reputation for delivering high-quality instruction that aligns with the core values in our programming:
- Recognizing that young people possess complex realities, imaginations, and possibilities, we ensure their concerns are at the heart of our programming choices.
- Mentoring young people is a fundamental responsibility at TGS.
Our Mission
The mission of The Growing Stage is to nurture the development of the performing arts through education, and to create, produce, and perform works that engage the entire family.
Community Engagement
The Growing Stage attracts patrons from across northern New Jersey. Our growing contact list exceeds 10,000 families, comprising a diverse community from our immediate regions of Morris, Sussex and Warren counties that extends to Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Passaic, Somerset and Union counties as well. This growth has been significantly bolstered by our ongoing collaboration with 55 libraries across six counties. In this effort, we contribute and promote literacy by offering complimentary tickets linked to our productions by either theme or adaptations of published works.
Our commitment to nurturing young talent is evident through our intern program with the Morris and Sussex County Schools of Technology. This program offers students the unique opportunity to work alongside our administrative and creative staff, gaining invaluable experience while providing us with fresh perspectives and insights into the issues and interests that directly impact their lives. Additionally, we have established relationships with the Celebrate the Children School in Denville, which supports students with autism and other challenges, and with the Lenape Valley High School Department of Social Services. These collaborations promote inclusivity and outreach to diverse learners, ensuring that our theatre remains a place where everyone can thrive.
Board and staff members actively engage with local, state, and national organizations, including the Netcong Community Task Force, the Netcong Community Partnership, Skylands Rotary Club, the Morris and Sussex County Chambers of Commerce, the Morris County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, ArtPrideNJ, and TYA/USA, the national advocacy group for professional theatres. This participation underscores our commitment to community engagement and professional development.
At The Growing Stage, we are dedicated to the transformative power of the arts and our role as catalysts for change. Our Sharing the Spotlight program is a testament to this commitment. Through this initiative, we feature a different not-for-profit organization during each of our Main Stage productions. Recently, we have partnered with Family Promise of Morris County, Deirdre’s House, and SMILE of Hopatcong. These collaborations are designed to be mutually beneficial, raising awareness and support for both our organization and our partners. Each featured organization is provided with a display table to showcase their work, in exchange for supplying two to three volunteers to assist our house staff at each performance. Additionally, we donate $1 from every ticket sold to support their ongoing causes.
In 2021, we established the Stone Meadow Fund, which provides complimentary tickets and scholarships for classes and summer camp to young people and families in need. This past season we gave 23 scholarships and provided 7 families with complimentary tickets. In addition, we used the Stone Meadow Fund to partially pay for 70 students from a school with a limited budget to attend a Main Stage Matinee performance. We have also recently established connections with area senior citizen organizations, offering them complimentary tickets to our productions and opportunities to volunteer and actively engage with our mission.
Through a grant provided by the New Jersey Theatre Alliance we have had the opportunity to work with outpatient teens and long-term senior patients at New Bridges Medical Center in Paramus. Our teaching artists, led by Lori B. Lawrence, Director of Educational Programming, developed sessions that were very interactive and adaptable for both age groups. Through structured theatre games and improvisation exercises the workshops focused on a wide array of “life” skills helping to develop strong communication, decision making, and creative thinking skills. For the senior patients, our sessions also helped with mental acuity and large motor skills. In addition to being fun, and a creative method for stress-relief, interpersonal skills such as cooperation, conflict resolution, diplomacy and listening were also strengthened within the process.
Moving Forward
Despite the recent termination of a $10,000 grant from the NEA, the NJ Highlands Coalition and The Growing Stage continue to collaborate on an innovative project to create a professionally curated puppet play highlighting the unique creatures of New Jersey’s Great Swamp. Our production draws inspiration from Lenni Lenapé folklore and integrates important environmental themes with engaging storytelling. This partnership combines our expertise in arts education and theatrical storytelling with the NJ Highlands Coalition’s dedication to science and climate awareness, developing a lesson plan for schools that seamlessly integrates environmental education with the arts. The piece will debut at The Growing Stage this year on Saturday, November 8.
As we look ahead to our upcoming 44th season, our Main Stage lineup includes DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, CINDERELLA: A SALSA FAIRY TALE, MESMERIZED: A BEN FRANKLIN SCIENCE & HISTORY MYSTERY, and NATE THE GREAT MUSICAL. The latter three productions will also include school-day Main Stage Matinee performances alongside weekend family shows.
We have finalized our inaugural collaboration with Janet Stafford and Debra Wicks La Puma on a musical adaptation of TIGGER, set to debut in our 2026-2027 Main Stage season. Both have established remarkable national reputations in the realm of theatre. Janet recently concluded her tenure as the Artistic Director of Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Maryland, while Deborah holds the distinction of being the most produced musical composer for Theatre for Young Audiences in the country. Her recent collaborations with celebrated children’s book author and illustrator Mo Willems have resulted in memorable works that resonate with young audiences. Their interest in partnering with The Growing Stage on our new project—the musical adaptation of A.A. Milne’s “Tigger”—is a testament to the recognition and validation of our ongoing efforts in the development of new works through our bi-annual New Play-Reading Festival.
Through grants from both the New Jersey Historic Trust Fund and the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund we will be installing a new furnace and reconfiguring our HVAC system to make a single integrated system to ensure efficiency and effectiveness for our 12,000 sq. ft. facility. This is a major step towards ensuring the sustainability of our facility that we have been pursuing through our ongoing capital improvement effort.
We need to raise approximately $25,000 to complete our $95,000 campaign for the replacement of our chairs. An active campaign that we are hopeful everyone can get their behinds behind, it will not only significantly improve the experience for our patrons, but will help in the marketability of the Palace as a rental venue.
While our performance and educational programming continue to rise in attendance, so too do our costs, due to inflation and personnel cost. It is crucial that we secure funding to bridge the gap and maintain our commitment to economic accessibility. Replenishing and expanding our contributed income stream is a reflection of our dedication to serving and nurturing the next generation of arts patrons.
If The Growing Stage was to cover our expenses purely on earned revenue our individual tickets prices for all ages would need to increase to $50.00 each and class registrations rise to $629.00 per session.
The Growing Stage is dedicated to creating extraordinary theatrical experiences for children and families. We eagerly anticipate the growth and evolution that lies ahead as we navigate the challenges and work towards ensuring a thriving future for the arts in New Jersey. As we rebuild and revitalize our programming in the wake of the pandemic-induced interruption, we are not only focused on growth but also on sustainability. Your support allowed us to continuously evolve and adapt to ensure that we effectively delivered our mission and continue to create a welcoming environment for all who enter our theatre. Thank you.
Respectfully,
Stephen L. Fredericks, Executive Director
