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Theaters On the Midtown Direct Train Line
Many people love live theater. And here in New Jersey our proximity, plus the accessibility of NJ Transit, make it easy to go to Broadway, or Lincoln Center or any of the myriad off-Broadway theaters in New York. But did you know there are great opportunities for live local and professional theater right here in New Jersey along the Midtown Direct Train Line?
From NJPAC to the Pax Amicus Castle Theater, there are 11 performing arts spaces mostly within walking distance of a train station.
Check out:
Pax Amicus Castle Theatre
Pax Amicus is home to the Castle Shakespeare Repertory, a non-Equity professional acting company specializing in the works of William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe and other European and American playwrights and the Pax Amicus Castle Community Theater, which specializes in contemporary comedies, dramas, and musicals for the public with cast-calls open to all adults over the age of 16. They also have a theater program for young performers ages 13 to 1.
The Pax Amicus Castle Theatre is located at 23 Lake Shore Rd, Budd Lake, NJ 07828. It is 4.2 miles from the Netcong Train Station, Uber or taxi recommended.
Dover Little Theatre
The Dover Little Theatre is a small community theater presenting a mix of cabaret dramas and musicals.
The Dover Little Theatre is 0.6 miles from the Dover Train Station at 69 Elliott St, easily accessible on foot.
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
The Mayo Performing Arts Center brings the world’s greatest entertainers, New Jersey-based artistic organizations, and emerging and dynamic new performers to the region through over 200 events annually. Through arts education and diverse community engagement programs, MPAC is committed to providing cultural enrichment opportunities to experience and participate in the arts. The center includes a 1300+ seat theater, art gallery and conference space
The Mayo Performing Arts Center is 0.4 miles (2 blocks) from the Morristown train station at 100 South St, and easily accessible on foot.
The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ
The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ is one of the leading Shakespeare theaters in the nation, serving approximately 75,000 adults and children annually. It is New Jersey’s largest professional theater company dedicated solely to Shakespeare’s canon and other classic masterworks. The annual Main Stage season, presented in the intimate, state-of-the-art F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre on the campus of Drew University, runs May through December. An Outdoor Stage production is presented each summer at The Greek Theatre, an open-air amphitheater located on the College of Saint Elizabeth campus in nearby Florham Park.
The F.M Kirby Shakespeare Theatre is located 0.8 miles from the Madison Train station on the campus of Drew University, 36 Madison Ave, easily accessible on foot.
The Greek Theatre is located 0.4 miles from the Convent Station Train Station, on the campus of the College of Saint Elizabeth.
The Chatham Community Players
The Chatham Community Players have been producing high quality theater for a diverse audience for over 100 years. They comprise several different areas which focus on different offerings for the community. In addition to their Main Stage productions, the Jersey Voices program highlights original plays by New Jersey playwrights, One Weekend Only produces plays with small casts and simple staging that run for one weekend only. Sundays at 7 is a program where attendees gather for a play reading, with snacks and BYOB beverages. The Chatham Community Players Outreach program provides busing and complimentary admission to our partners in youth and family programs, drug and alcohol dependency programs, physical injury rehabilitation, special education schools, senior citizen homes, and AIDS foundations. This program brings theater to groups who may have never before experienced live theater.
The Chatham Community Playhouse is 3 blocks (0.2 miles) from the Chatham Train Station at 23 N Passaic Ave, easily accessible on foot.
The Summit Playhouse
The Summit Playhouse, a non-profit community theater, was founded in 1918 as a World War I relief organization. The group produces three Main Stage shows a year, with performances in November, February/March, and April/May. Their community service includes a benefit performance of each of our regular plays, theater awards for Dramatic Arts students, and Summit community collaborations.
The Summit Playhouse, at 10 New England Ave, is 0.5 miles from the Summit Train Station, approximate a 10 minute walk.
Paper Mill Playhouse
The Paper Mill Playhouse is an award-winning regional theater, located in Millburn, NJ. Paper Mill was awarded the 2016 Regional Theater Tony Award, recognizing its “rich history … as a foundational pre-Broadway venue for new productions and a welcoming home for world-class theatrical revivals” (Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, president of the American Theatre Wing). The theater itself seats 1200 and hosts an annual program of professional plays and musicals, often featuring actors from Broadway and attracting patrons from New York City as well, which is only 45 minutes away by train.
The Paper Mill Playhouse, at 22 Brookside Dr, is 0.3 miles from the Millburn Train Station, an approximately 7 minute walk.
The Burgdorff Cultural Center
The Burgdorff Cultural Center in Maplewood village provides a 100 seat theater space for a variety of theater and arts groups coordinated by the Arts and Culture Division of the Township of Maplewood. Programs include youth theater and community theater offerings.
The Burgdorff Cultural Center is located next to the Coldwell Banker Maplewood Office at 10 Durand Rd, approximately 100 yards from the Maplewood Train Station.
The South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC)
The South Orange Performing Arts Center offers audiences exhilarating and diverse arts entertainment in its intimate venue, serving as the cultural heartbeat of the greater South Orange/Maplewood region and contributing to the economic and social vibrancy of its highly diverse community. The facility features a 439 seat main hall, a loft space which can host performances and special events, and an art gallery in its atrium. In addition to a program of popular music, jazz, comedy and other acts, the Center collaborates with local organizations, youth programs and Seton Hall University to feature local talent as well.
SOPAC is located adjacent to the South Orange Train Station.
South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC)
Luna Stage
Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences. Firmly rooted in New Jersey’s Valley Arts District – a crossroads of cultures – the theater celebrates the diverse voices surrounding them. As producer, innovator, and educator, they are dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation, and nurturing the next generation of audiences and artists. Luna Stage has contributed to the development of over 100 new works for the stage. World Premieres have had ongoing life on regional, New York, and international stages. Luna Stage’s West Orange facility includes a 99 seat black box theater and a 40 seat studio theater.
Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Rd, West Orange, which is 5 blocks (0,4 miles) from the Highland Ave Station in Orange, approximately an 8 minute walk.
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)
NJPAC is the anchor cultural institution for the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey. They delight audiences with world-class performances, nurture students through comprehensive arts education programs, and engage the community with free cultural events across Newark. Programs include symphonies, operas, musicals, popular music, jazz, dance, comedy and lectures, The center contains the 2800 seat Prudential Hall, 514 seat Victoria Theater, The Chase Room, a 350 seat cabaret space, and the Horizon Theater, an 88 seat black box theater. NJPAC is host to the New Jersey Symphony and the James Moody Jazz Festival, and has also hosted events such as the Geraldine R Dodge Poetry Festival and even a season of the TV show America’s Got Talent.
NJPAC is located at 1 Center St, Newark. It is located 0.6 miles from the Broad St Station in Newark (about 15 minutes walk), but may be easier to reach by taking the Newark Light Rail from the Broad St Station to the NJPAC/Center St station, adjacent to the center. If driving, there is parking in the garage under Military Park, across the street from NJPAC.
The Market Has Crashed (Just not the way you want it to)
Buyers! You’ve been asking me for several years now: “when will the market crash?” Well, I have a new answer for you: “It has already!” Yes, prices are still high. Yes, there are still bidding wars on well-priced homes. The crash isn’t in prices, it’s in inventory. Watch this 3 minute video to see what’s going on, and what steps you need to take to find a home in this market.
*Numbers based on Garden State MLS, month by month Active Listings and Median List Price for Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange, Millburn, Summit, Chatham Boro, Madison, Morris Township and Morristown.
When is the real estate market going to be normal again?
People often ask me: When is the market ever going to be “normal” again? In this episode of HOUSE TALK I explain why I think we are not going to see the old normal, and why this new normal is likely to last for quite a long time, maybe even a decade or more. I discuss the current housing shortage, and why builders aren’t addressing it now. I compare the current housing crisis to the housing crisis that lasted from 1915 to 1947. I’ll also discuss how bargaining power, which shifted from sellers to buyers during the early years of the Internet, is now shifting back toward sellers, maybe permanently.
Sources:
- https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/u-s-has-a-shortfall-of-6-5-million-single-family-homes-due-to-a-decade-of-under-building-report-says/
- https://www.nar.realtor/magazine/real-estate-news/new-home-costs-rising-at-unparalleled-rate
- https://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/publications/economic-letter/2022/september/remote-work-and-housing-demand/
- https://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/publications/docs/Institutional_Homeownership_Report_FINAL.pdf
HOUSE TALK: Defining Buyers and Sellers Markets
Are we still in a seller’s market?
Or are we now in a buyer’s market?
How can I tell?
In this episode of HOUSE TALK I define buyer’s and seller’s markets, and what each party can expect in terms of negotiating power in each market. Learn how Days on Market is the metric we use to determine whether we are in a Buyer’s Market, a Seller’s Market, or Balanced Market.
HOUSE TALK – Why agents are not allowed answer some buyers’ questions
Is this a diverse community?
Is this area safe?
Are the schools good?
These are some typical questions a buyer may ask a REALTOR® regarding a community. Unfortunately, federal and state fair housing laws make it risky, or even illegal, for us to answer them. Why? The Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination both make Steering an illegal practice. What is Steering? It is the act of not showing buyers homes in certain communities that the agent thinks are inappropriate for the buyer due to the buyers’ race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or certain other factors.
In this video I provide several public sources of information for buyers to do their own research to determine if a community will be the right fit for them. https://www.census.gov/data.html – The US Census
http://www.njsp.org/ucr/crime-reports.shtml – NJ State Police Crime Statistics
https://www.nj.gov/education/schoolperformance/ – NJ DOE School Performance Report
Watch this 4 minute video to learn how to use these resources to find answers to your burning questions about communities you are considering to look for a home in.
HOUSE TALK – Choosing Home Insurance
When you are buying a home, obtaining a home insurance policy is typically one of the last things buyers will do before closing. In this episode of HOUSE TALK, I speak with Insurance Broker Jaina Lally of Goosehead Insurance about why you should start the process of selecting insurance much earlier.
Watch this 6 minute video to learn the how insurance premiums are determined, and what you can do to help keep your premium down.
HOUSE TALK – Staying out of trouble with New Jersey’s Fair Housing Laws
In New Jersey, home sellers must abide by the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. This means that you must give all potential buyers equal consideration regardless of whether they fall into one of New Jersey’s 14 protected classes.
Does this mean you have to sell your home to someone who can’t pay for it? Of course not! You can always consider financial qualification, but you can’t consider any of New Jersey’s protected classes, as I explain in this 4 minute video.
Selling your home in Morris, Essex or Union County, NJ? Give me a call, or text me at 973-462-4079. I’m happy to help!
HOUSE TALK – Tax implications of selling or buying a home
Are you buying or selling a home? Concerned about what that will do to your taxes? In this episode of HOUSE TALK I discuss the tax implications of a sale for both sellers and buyers. I brought in my own tax accountant, Alison Cogan, CPA from MRA Advisory Group for this discussion.
HOUSE TALK – What’s the Difference between a Broker and a REALTOR®?
Some real estate agents call themselves brokers, others use the title salesperson, or REALTOR®. What’s the difference? Aren’t they all the same anyway?
Actually, there are differences. A broker has a legally different set of responsibilities from a salesperson. And a REALTOR® has taken the extra step of joining the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribing to the association’s code of ethics, which goes above and beyond what is typically required by law.
Watch this 4 minute video to learn the differences, and how they might affect who you choose to work with to buy or sell your home.
Introducing Bungalow Homes
Bungalow style homes were part of the Arts and Crafts movement of the 1900s and 1910s. While they’re sometimes called Craftsman Homes or Craftsman Cottages some Craftsman Homes could be significantly larger. Bungalows were one story, or one and a half story homes where the second story has sloped walls beneath the Roof. Dormers are often used to provide additional space in the second floor. Another common feature of Bungalows are deep front porches with thick round columns for support.
During the Arts and Crafts period you could order a house from a catalog from Sears or a number of other companies like Aladdin or Montgomery Ward. The pre-cut lumber for the house would be delivered by train and you put it all together on site. Bungalows were a popular style sold by these companies. The typical floor plan was for the front door to open directly from the porch into the living room, beyond which was a dining room and an open kitchen beyond that in a style similar to today’s popular open floor plans. To one side would be an archway to a short hall with two or three bedrooms and a bath right across from the first three rooms.
Bungalows often featured other arts and craft features like exposed beams and built-in cabinets, shelves or benches. Bungalow style homes were popular in the West, especially California, and in the Upper Midwest. In New Jersey they could often be found in resort areas as summer homes which would become weatherized over time to become year-round homes. They do also show up in older trained suburbs here and there.
