COVID Shut This Montclair Theater Down. Now It’s Back – Big Time

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The best art is made in welcoming environments, where people from all backgrounds can come together, share their stories and create. And that’s just what the Vanguard Theater has in store at its new space in Montclair.

On Friday, the nonprofit kicked off a grand opening weekend at 180 Bloomfield Avenue, capping off a long journey through the coronavirus pandemic.

“As you may know, we signed a lease for a theater of our own on March 1, 2020,” the nonprofit explained in a recent email to its patrons. “Two weeks later, COVID shut everything down. However, with the grace of several generous grants, SBA loans, and some wonderful donors, Vanguard was able to use the past 14 months to renovate the space, complete with a brand-new HVAC air exchange and purifying system, touchless fixtures, hand sanitizer stations, complimentary masks and other amenities for health and safety.”

• See related article: Montclair Theater Nonprofit Reinvents Itself Amid Coronavirus
• See related article: Broadway Actors Try To Help Montclair Nonprofit Survive COVID-19

“We are so thrilled to open our theater space on June 4 in the heart of Montclair's Fourth Ward,” the Vanguard Theater wrote on social media. “As the most diverse neighborhood in Montclair, we felt it was the perfect spot to continue our mission of inclusivity.”

The grand opening weekend at the theater company’s new space will include a “purple carpet” event, and a premiere screening of “Songs for a New World,” an art film that Vanguard filmed on location in New Jersey this past year, which will be shown on its 21-foot movie screen.

Future plans include performances for the public and classes, camps and programs for emerging artists. Events include:

• On Sunday, June 6, at 2 p.m., Vanguard will host a live screening of "Songs for a New World" at $21 a person. Tickets are available here. "Songs for a New World" will then stream On Demand as part of the New Jersey Stages Festival.

• June 12 and 13 will feature a “live” screening of “Shrek Jr,” the beloved musical about self acceptance and love, and not making assumptions about people based on preconceived notions. Tickets and more information are available at bit.ly/shrekVTC

• On weekend three, June 18 and 19, Vanguard is partnering with the Montclair Neighborhood Development Corporation, Montclair African American Heritage Foundation, and the Montclair NAACP on a Juneteenth presentation and celebration to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.

• The last weekend of June will see the world premiere of “Walk In My Gravity,” a song cycle conceived, written and performed by members of VTC Next, a program designed to train the next generation of “behind-the-scenes” theater professionals.

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