Grover Cleveland, who was born in New Jersey, was elected president. Oscar Hammerstein opened the Olympia Theatre, which Wikipedia says was the first theatre built in the Times Square area of New York City.
The Edison Valley Playhouse was also started. All of this did happen in 1895, which is almost 130 years ago. In this article, we’ll talk about the oldest theatres in New Jersey. From what I’ve learned, the Edison Valley Playhouse in Edison is the oldest, as it opened in 1895.
The Best Things NJ says “The Edison Valley Playhouse, which opened in 1895, is a beautiful red building with striking historic architecture. It has been used for both live entertainment and education in the performing arts. It keeps putting on shows, like the popular Coffee House Comedy variety shows.”
The Most Important The article “The 10 Best Historic Theaters in New Jersey” talks about the Edison Valley Playhouse as well as nine other historic theatres in New Jersey.
The article also talks about two well-known theatres in the area. Monmouth County is home to the historic Strand Theatre in Lakewood (1922) and the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank (1926).
The Civil War Drill Hall Theater was another interesting thing I found. “The Players Guild of Leonia has been around since 1919. It is a resident acting group at the Civil War Drill Hall Theater that doesn’t make money (built-in 1859).
We’ve been around since 1919 and are New Jersey’s longest-running community theatre group. We’re just five minutes from the George Washington Bridge and a short bus ride from Manhattan.”
The building looks like it was built in 1859, but a theatre group didn’t move in until 1919, so it fits somewhere on this timeline of history.
Because of this, there is a look at old theatres. I’ve been to the Strand and the Basie, but not the Edison Valley Playhouse. If you’ve been to the Edison Valley Playhouse, please leave a comment with your thoughts.
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