Count Basie Center for the Arts

The Count Basie Center for the Arts, originally opened in 1926 as Reade's Carlton Theater, is a renowned performing arts center located in Red Bank, New Jersey. It is recognized as one of the nation's top live event venues by Pollstar magazine and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in America. The historic theater, which seats 1,568, has hosted a wide array of performers including Tony Bennett, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, and William J. "Count" Basie himself. The theater's history is marked by its transformation from a venue for vaudeville, films, and local theater to a center for the arts. In the mid-1960s, the Carlton Theater, like many architectural treasures of its time, fell into disrepair. However, in 1971, the Junior League of Monmouth County and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts established the Monmouth County Arts Council (MCAC) with the aim of preserving the historic site. In 1973, thanks to an anonymous donation, the MCAC acquired the Carlton Theater and renamed it the Monmouth Arts Center. The Monmouth Arts Center quickly became a hub for the growing local music scene. In 1974, Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band performed at the venue, which was followed by other notable performances. Jazz legend William J. "Count" Basie, who had a strong connection to the area, performed at the Carlton in 1961 and made several return appearances. Following Basie's death in 1984, the theater was renamed in his honor as the Count Basie Theatre. As a nonprofit organization, the Basie Center has a mission to provide a broad spectrum of entertainment and education programs that reflect and celebrate the diversity of the region. The Basie Center's Academy of the Arts has produced stars in music and Broadway, and its educational initiatives have been recognized throughout New Jersey. A significant interior restoration completed in 2008 returned the theater to its original Spanish-influenced grandeur, a project partially funded by a performance by Springsteen and the E-Street Band. The building's façade was restored in 2010. Today, the Count Basie Theatre has evolved into the Count Basie Center for the Arts, reflecting its expansion into a regional center for the performing arts. The expansion includes the Jay And Linda Grunin Arts and Education Building, rehearsal spaces, classrooms, a second performance space, and the Stillwell-Larkin Pavilion, which leads to a new outdoor public arts plaza. At over 90 years old, the Count Basie Center for the Arts continues to be a premier venue for the performing and visual arts. It is dedicated to inspiring, educating, and entertaining through its diverse offerings and to enriching the region's quality of life through the arts. The Center is committed to fostering participation in the arts, collaborating with artists, organizations, and schools, and harnessing the economic vitality of the arts.