Merissa Buczny, Executive Director, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center
In an interview with Invest: Merissa Buczny, executive director of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, discussed the organization’s contribution to the growth of downtown, promoting community programs, and important partnerships. “NBPAC is always seeking new ways to attract new audiences through our vibrant and diverse programming,” she noted.
What changes over the past year have most impacted the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, and in what ways?
New Brunswick is a constantly evolving city, with developments in higher education, commercial office, healthcare, and residential realms being undertaken every year. As a result, the influx of new residents and corporate tenants that accompany it is having a positive impact on the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center’s bottom line. As NBPAC and its resident companies continue to navigate a post-COVID landscape marked by audience declines, these new developments are providing valuable opportunities to diversify programming and attract new patrons.
Notably, the ongoing development of the HELIX NJ has already resulted in two Innovation Summits being held at NBPAC, introducing a fresh audience segment to our venue.
Additionally, we’ve hosted other events and receptions for groups that previously were not within our typical outreach scope. These events not only contribute financially but also broaden our community reach, laying the groundwork for sustained audience growth and new partnerships.
What has been the NBPAC’s contribution to the vibrancy and growth of the downtown cultural scene and the economic vitality of New Brunswick?
NBPAC’s backbone is its diverse array of programming. Hosting over 250 performances a year, we have become a key member of the regional arts ecosystem. As the home to four renowned Member Companies (American Repertory Ballet, Crossroads Theatre Company, George Street Playhouse, and Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts), we have a strong patron base that activates the city on a nightly basis. It is tremendously exciting to be located next door to the State Theater and across the street from the Heldrich Hotel in the vibrant Cultural Center of New Brunswick. In addition to providing two state-of-the-art theater facilities for these four resident companies, the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) has also become a vital hub for other local theater organizations, hosting their annual festivals and offering a professional platform to previously underrepresented communities in the city’s cultural landscape. NBPAC is proud to work with Middlesex County’s Art Institute to sponsor or co-sponsor a wide range of community events, including the New Brunswick Heart Festival, the annual Kwanzaa Celebration, the Memorial Day Recognition Service, the annual Juneteenth Celebration, and Middlesex County’s FolkLIVE series—further demonstrating our commitment to diverse and inclusive programming.
What recent trends in the performing arts industry have influenced programming decisions at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center?
NBPAC is always seeking new ways to attract new audiences through our vibrant and diverse programming. NBPAC co-hosts several programs with local businesses, including our latest initiative, “Culinary Conversations,” featuring interviews with nationally and internationally acclaimed chefs. Our goal is to continually flip the playbook and provide offerings that will appeal to current patrons as well as those who have never experienced our theaters before. NBPAC is also known as one of the most dynamic venues with the flexibility to host events from plays, dance performances, film screenings, corporate meetings, baby showers, weddings, and other social events. Name it and envision it, and NBPAC can host it.
What efforts is the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center undertaking to promote community programs to make performing arts accessible and engaging?
NBPAC provides access to the arts with the help of the New Brunswick Cultural Center, through a program called stART. This initiative is in partnership with coLAB Arts, American Repertory Ballet, Crossroads Theatre Company, George Street Playhouse, Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts, State Theatre New Jersey, Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers Gardens, and Luna Stage. We welcome high school and now middle school students to a catered lunch or at a restaurant and an invitation to different performances at NBPAC, complemented by a pre- and post-discussion with an actor, director, or arts administrator connected with the performance or artistic experience. This experience has the strategic intention to expose arts-interested students to different artistic and cultural offerings, as well as introduce the students to different opportunities within the arts industry, on and off the stage, and behind the scenes. While this initiative historically was a $5.00 cost for the student, since COVID, the fee has been waived and will continue to be waived, further eliminating any potential barriers and augmenting NBPAC and NBCC’s important mission to bring awareness and, most importantly, access to the arts. NBPAC has also partnered with the Hub City Jazz Project to provide space for the New Brunswick High School Jazz Band to have private sessions with world-class jazz artists.
What key partnerships has NBPAC formed with government, educational institutions, or private entities to bolster programming?
One innovative lens NBPAC often utilizes to provide a visual representation outside of the theater walls is through its strong partnership with the New Brunswick Cultural Center (NBCC).
Each of our member companies plays a role in this partnership, which thrives through extensive community engagement initiatives to welcome guests back to our theaters. NBPAC is co-hosting with NBCC to partner with the New Brunswick Area Branch’s annual Juneteenth and Kwanzaa celebrations. Both are free admission, well-received, and highly attended events welcome guests, businesses, and restaurants from the local communities.
NBPAC and NBCC often work together along with several community, cultural, artistic, and even government entities, representing the inclusive nature that the city of New Brunswick and Middlesex County strategically demonstrate. These programs include large events such as Rutgers Day, which attracts thousands of guests, to smaller events presented at elementary, middle, and high schools throughout New Brunswick Public Schools and the Greater Brunswick Charter School that attract families from New Brunswick and the surrounding areas.
NBPAC and NBCC also lean on their nontraditional relationships with the New Brunswick Police Department and Fire Department to co-host local community-based programs such as “Rock the Block,” an annual back to school initiative at Roosevelt Elementary that welcomes over 3,000 people to free backpacks, haircuts, face painting caricatures, DIY crafts, books, school supplies, human services resources (food equity and medical supplies, and testing) and delicious and nutritious food courtesy of local food vendors, restaurants and food resources (Elijah’s Promise). NBPAC and NBCC also participate in New Brunswick Public Schools’ Read Across America and Health and Community Fairs.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for growth in the entertainment sector, and what are the NBPAC’s top priorities for the next two to three years?
I know everyone is done with talking about the pandemic, but as a facility that premiered its first show just six months before the world shut down, we have worked hard to regain the tenuous footing we had upon opening. Our renowned member companies have done the same, understanding that flexibility and variety of programming are key to success in this post-COVID era. As a venue, we also strive to supplement the work of our member companies by presenting performances that attract new and varied patrons, from comedians to speaker series to jazz performances to cover bands.
We recognize the potential impact of federal arts funding reductions as a significant challenge—one that threatens the stability of arts organizations across the country, including our own. In response, NBPAC is actively exploring new funding opportunities and partnerships. These critical resources will directly benefit all our resident companies by ensuring the continued quality, accessibility, and impact of our shared performance spaces.
We are particularly encouraged by the continued growth and development in downtown New Brunswick. The arrival of new companies and businesses presents an exciting opportunity to cultivate meaningful sponsorships and funding collaborations to support both existing programs and innovative new initiatives.
