An artist’s rendering of what the Paper Mill Playhouse will look like after its renovation and expansion.
The Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, which was founded in 1938, will undergo an extensive series of expansions and renovations, with costs estimated at approximately $44 million. About $30 million of that has been raised already, the theater announced in a Oct. 21 kickoff event for its Next Act Campaign that featured speeches, a film, and inspirational performances by actors Ashley Blanchet (“I Can See It,” from “The Fantasticks”) and Liam Pearce (“Something’s Coming,” from “West Side Story”), as well as some 60 students from the Paper Mill’s conservatory program (“You Can’t Stop the Beat,” from “Hairspray”).
Completion is anticipated by the beginning of the theater’s 2027-28 season, with no interruption to the programming between now and then. (Construction will take place during the summer and in breaks between the theater’s productions.) In a joint statement, Paper Mill’s producing artistic director Mark S. Hoebee and executive director Mike Stotts called the campaign “an investment in our shared future, and we are grateful to everyone who supports this transformative vision and the exciting future ahead.”
An artist’s rendering of the planned Paper Mill Playhouse lobby.
The theater will emerge from this with a totally new look, with the front wall (where people enter) rebuilt in glass, and a more spacious, double-storied lobby.
Other improvements will include increased restroom facilities; additional concession and merchandising areas; an enlarged donor lounge; accessibility improvements; a new HVAC system; upgraded electrical and lighting systems; roof repair and upgrades; and more.
The F.M. Kirby Carriage House restaurant will be expanded to twice its current size, and a new meeting and performance space will be added on its second floor. New gardens and green spaces will be built, the river retaining wall will be updated, and new exterior lighting and signage will be installed. And a downtown Education Center will include six dance studios, four private coaching studios, a black box theater and a multipurpose conference room.
A statement on the theater’s website explains the need for all these improvements this way: “Maintaining an 86-year-old theater comes with many challenges. The needs of our performers, students, as well as our patrons and staff, have outgrown our facility in its current state. When you look behind the doors, you will now see years of wear and tear. Our audiences, artists, staff, and students are yearning for enhanced, reimagined facilities that complement the world-class productions they see on our stage.”
For more details on the Next Act Campaign, including more artist’s renderings, and information on naming opportunities, visit papermill.org/thenextact.
Click HERE for a review of Paper Mill Playhouse’s current production, “Jersey Boys.”
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