LETTER FROM
ADAM PHILIPSON President & CEO Count Basie Center for the Arts
Good evening, and welcome to tonight’s show at the Count Basie Center for the Arts!
As you’re reading this, you’re sitting inside a historic landmark theater that has stood the test of time: 100 years, to be precise! Come November 11, 2026, the historic theater here at the Basie Center turns 100 -- but in classic theatrical fashion, we’re making a splash with a 16-month celebration of this moment. You only turn 100 once – and our goal is a series of special events and core memory moments the community won’t soon forget!
In addition to the centennial, we have many other milestones to celebrate. Our student productions, offered through our Turner Academy of the Arts and directed exquisitely by Anthony Greco and Jessica O’Brien, celebrate 10 years of mainstage Basie Center performances. Our Calpulli Mexican dance program, under the coordination of Alma Philipson, also marks a decade of sharing such a vibrant and cultural artform. Plus, the Basie Center Conservatory of Music, led by longtime student Dr. Laura Petillo, celebrates 50 (!) years of excellence in music education, dating back to its origins as the Monmouth Conservatory of Music.
Speaking of milestones, 2024 gave us the opportunity to reintroduce our Academy as the Turner Academy of the Arts, honoring the arts advocacy and generosity of Fran and Paul Turner. We also completed the Grunin Arts and Education Building, now home to some of New Jersey’s most beautiful rehearsal spaces, classrooms, dance studios and soundproof studios thanks to the generosity of the Grunin Family.
All of this – from the seats that currently surround you, to centennial events for the entire community, to Academy classes and literally something for anyone imaginable – is calculated: We know how important it is to experience the arts as a group -- to laugh, to cry, and to feel joy. Your support, generosity, and belief in our mission to create shared educational, artistic, and community experiences means we can meet the needs of all who seek to enrich their lives through the arts.
We hope you’ll take note of our centennial celebrations and spend as much time here at the Basie Center as we celebrate a century of community, creativity and cohesion.
Thank you – and, as always, enjoy the show!
Adam Philipson President / CEO Count Basie Center for the Arts
Adam Philipson, President / CEO
Count Basie Center for the Arts
Count Basie Center for the Arts Mission Statement
The Count Basie Center for the Arts is New Jersey’s premier center for the cultural arts, dedicated to fostering powerful, inclusive artistic experiences and creative exchange of ideas.
The Basie mission is to inspire, educate and entertain through its distinct and engaging cultural and artistic offerings that embrace and amplify the diversity of the region. As a nonprofit organization, the Basie is committed to enriching the community’s quality of life by generating opportunities for participation in the arts, partnering with schools, collaborating with other mission-based organizations and driving regional economic prosperity.
Our Values
A LOVE OF THE ARTS: We affirm the importance and impact of the arts and the courage of artists, through performance, education, outreach, and partnership.
EQUITY: We are committed to advancing inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility for all.
THE VALUE OF ARTS EDUCATION: Arts education is critical to academic success, helps build confidence, empathy, and social connectivity, and should be available to all children and youth regardless of income or background.
COMMUNITY: We place the community we serve at the forefront.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility
ADAPTIVITY: We will be nimble and responsive to new challenges and opportunities.
EXCELLENCE: We strive for exemplary quality in everything we do and endeavor to create a positive, joyful, seamless experience for artists, patrons, and students.
APPRECIATION OF OUR STAFF: We value our employees, strive to promote their professional growth, and cherish the place we all hold within the history of this treasured organization.
PHILANTHROPY: Our love of the Basie Center and everything it represents requires our donors, patrons, and Board members to make increased financial contributions of personal significance now more than ever.
The Count Basie Center’s commitment to being a diverse, equitable and inclusive (DEI) performing arts organization is at the core of our mission to Inspire, Educate and Entertain.
As part of that commitment, the Count Basie Center has established a DEI Task Force comprised of board, staff, and community members. Our purpose is to intentionally embrace and amplify positive change toward diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in every area of our organization, including programming, education, staffing, board recruitment, and community engagement.
The Count Basie Center is determined to provide an inclusive environment in which all who walk through our doors can do so as their most authentic selves. We firmly believe that everyone of all backgrounds and identities deserves access to experience the enrichment that the arts contribute to a full life.
Land Acknowledgement
The Count Basie Center for the Arts recognizes and honors that we stand today on the land once known as “Lenapehoking,” the traditional territory of the Algonquin-speaking Lenni-Lenape Native Americans. Acknowledging this history is part of the Basie Center’s dedication to ensuring that equity, diversity and inclusion are paramount to the organization’s mission and programming.
Our members get advance access to tickets.
Support the Count Basie Center and become a member today!
Thanks for putting art in the heart of the community
Thanks for putting art in the heart of the community
for putting art in the heart of the community
Bank of America recognizes Count Basie Center for the Arts for its success in bringing the arts to performers and audiences throughout the community. We commend you on creating an opportunity for all to enjoy and share a cultural experience.
Bank of America recognizes Count Basie Center for the Arts for its success in bringing the arts to performers and audiences throughout the community. We commend you on creating an opportunity for all to enjoy and share a cultural experience.
Bank of America recognizes Count Basie Center for the Arts for its success in bringing the arts to performers and audiences throughout the community. We commend you on creating an opportunity for all to enjoy and share a cultural experience.
Visit us at bankofamerica.com/newjersey
Visit us at bankofamerica.com/newjersey
Bank of America recognizes Count Basie Center for the Arts for its success in bringing the arts to performers and audiences throughout the community. We commend you on creating an opportunity for all to enjoy and share a cultural experience.
Visit us at bankofamerica.com/newjersey
Visit us at bankofamerica.com/newjersey
Serving Our Clients for Nearly100 Years
Ansell.Law is a collaborative full-service law firm with a deep history, great talent, and a culture of client service and professionalism based on explicit shared values.
The night of your lives.
The courtship. The proposal. The celebration of it all.
At the newly expanded Count Basie Center for the Arts, your wedding night or special occasion is more than a moment – it’s a cinematic spectacle, draped in the tradition of the Basie Center’s restored historic theater to the glamour of the building’s newest spaces – from its stunning, spacious lobby and adjoining outdoor plaza, to our new, state-ofthe-art club venue and modern ballroom.
WHALE WATCHING CRUISES
See humpback whales and bottlenose dolphins in their natural habitat surrounding Sandy Hook!
SUNSET COCKTAIL CRUISES IN NEW YORK HARBOR
Visit the bar and head to the top deck for up close views of the Statue of Liberty!
CRUISES TO CITI FIELD
See the NY Mets on their home field and skip the traffic getting there!
Your favorite Jersey Shore beach bar with food trucks, signature cocktails, and live music all summer long!
PROUD SUPPORTERS OF COUNT BASIE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Janelle McDermoth in Hair. Stephanie Berry and James A. Williams in August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean. Maggie Bofill, Addie Morales and Heather Velazquez in American Mariachi. Photos by T. Charles Erickson. TRT Exterior photo by Brad Resnick and Henry McGill.
•
•
•
•
We
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE
GIRL
Corporate Partnership Opportunities
The Count Basie Center offers a wide variety of Corporate Partnership Opportunities and can create a sponsorship program tailored to your company’s marketing, entertaining and/or advertising needs.
Corporate Sponsorship Availability:
• Naming Opportunities
• Performance and event series sponsorships
• Corporate Marketing Sponsorships
• Special Event Sponsorships
Corporate Experience Sponsorship:
• A Concierge Ticket Service with Ticket Bank
• VIP Access to the Diamond Lounge
• Entertainment Opportunities
• Show Sponsorship
• Complimentary parking when available
Marketing Opportunities:
• E-mail Blasts
• Interactive Logo on the Count Basie Center Website
• Logo on the In-Theatre Multimedia Display
• Your Corporate Name on the Marquee
• Showtime Advertising
Be Part of the Basie
Of all the forms of media, partnership sponsorships are the only marketing platform that provides companies the opportunity to create an emotional connection with their customers, gaining share of heart as well as share of mind. The Count Basie Center offers the best entertaining experience for you, your employees and guests. It is coupled with an enormous opportunity to get your brand name in the homes, hearts and minds of tens of thousands of Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex County residents.
General Information
FIRE NOTICE: The exit indicated by a red light and sign nearest to the seat you occupy is the shortest route to the street. In the event of fire or another emergency please do not run, WALK TO THAT EXIT. Please follow the directions of the House Staff. If you become aware of a medical or other emergency, please inform the House Staff immediately.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE: Food and beverages are permitted inside Basie Center venues. Please help maintain the facility as an asset for this community by disposing of your own trash in the lobby receptacles. Please use the blue recycling receptacles for plastic bottles and cups.
PHOTOGRAPHY AND RECORDING: Possession and/ or use of devices for photographic, audio, video or electronic recording, reproduction or transmission of performances is prohibited. Such equipment may be confiscated. Violators may be ejected and/or held liable for monetary damages.
CELL PHONES: Please turn off smart watches, cell phones and other audible devices during performances.
RESTROOMS: Restrooms are located throughout the facility. Accessible restrooms are located on both levels of the new Grand Lobby and The Vogel.
ACCESSIBILITY: Please inform the box office of any special arrangements you require when purchasing tickets. An assistive listening system for the hearing impaired is available from the house Manager. Large print programs are available on request. Accessible restrooms are located on both levels of the new Grand Lobby on the historic theater side, and on both levels at The Vogel. The Basie Center does not have its own parking lot. A permit-only accessible parking space is available directly in front of the Basie Center, and across the street in the municipal parking lot of Borough Hall.
BOX OFFICE: The box office is located to the right of the lobby doors as you face the building. Box office hours vary by day and are posted at theBASIE.org. Names, addresses and phone numbers are required of all ticket buyers to verify payment and to contact you in the event of a cancellation. Cash, check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. Additional service charges apply. Purchase tickets by phone at 732.842.9000 or online at www.thebasie.org.
PARKING: Please observe all parking regulations and signage, and avoid parking in private lots or blocking our neighbors’ driveways. Optimal public parking is at the Red Bank Train Station, located two blocks west on Monmouth Street, and in the large municipal lot located one block east between Monmouth and White Streets.
LOST AND FOUND: Ask for the house manager during a performance, or call the administrative office the next business day at 732.224.8778 x105.
FACILITY RENTAL: The Count Basie Center is available to rent for special occasions, performances, fundraisers, corporate functions and other events. A wide variety of support services are available including artist bookings and event planning. For more information, visit www. thebasie.org/rent, or call 732.224.8778.
WEBSITE: www.TheBASIE.org features online ticket sales, complete event listings for Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre and The Vogel, Basie Center membership registration, information on sponsorships and advertising, links to Basie Center social media pages and more.
MAILING LIST: Add your name to the Basie Center mailing list www.TheBASIE.org
NOW , when you buy Basie Center tickets online, you can get a great deal on some of RED BANK’S BEST RESTAURANTS
GREAT FOOD BEFORE A GREAT SHOW.
Subscribe today to keep up on New Jersey’s arts and entertainment scene through weekly feature stories, videos, and podcasts along with the latest on upcoming shows.
