Theater lovers take a tour of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Thomas H. Kean Theatre Factory in Florham Park.
While sitting in the audience of a theater production, you may have wished you could take a look behind the curtain, peek into the orchestra pit or be a fly on the wall in the dressing room. That is the kind of backstage access you experience during a tour of what The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey calls its Theatre Factory.
“I think a lot of people aren’t aware of all that goes into — and all the people involved in — creating those productions onstage,” says artistic director Brian B. Crowe.
In this 50,000-square-foot building, visitors “get a glimpse into how we make the magic happen,” he says.
The Florham Park-based facility, officially named the Thomas H. Kean Theatre Factory, is where all the company’s behind-the-scenes operations take place. Set design, costume design and rehearsal all happen under one roof. Plus, props from past productions are displayed in an imaginative manner.
BRIAN B. CROWE
“One of the things that’s unique about this facility,” says Crowe, “is that it’s designed as an interactive museum that is also a work of art in which we get to create the art.”
Theater lovers craving an insider’s look can join the upcoming public tour of the facility on May 3 at 11 a.m. A member of the Shakespeare Theatre staff will lead guests on an approximately two-hour walking experience through the building. For tickets, which are $12-$20, visit shakespearenj.org.
Since space is limited, Crowe notes that anyone can contact the box office to arrange a small group tour. (The company’s upcoming gala on April 26 is another chance to experience the Theatre Factory, although the price tag is higher with tickets starting at $300.)
During a tour, visitors will experience spaces like the prop warren, a room filled with chairs, couches and chandeliers as well as more obscure things like antique cash registers and row boats.
Romeo’s Apothecary is an area that showcases small props like bottles, vials and glass pieces.
What makes these storage areas unique is that the props are on display for guests to admire while also being easily accessible for staff members. “Rather than being all bundled up in a box somewhere, wrapped in tissue paper and never to be seen again,” says Crowe, “the director or designer can come down and take a look at the options and select what they want, use it in rehearsal and it goes back to the shop afterwards.”
He adds, “But it also becomes a beautiful (way) for us to display our wares.”
Also amazing are the two costume stock rooms where clothes are delightfully organized. Across the hall in the costume shop, outfits are in various stages of the design process.
In the scene shop, patrons learn about how this vast space is a busy construction site where wood and steel are used to design the sets.
The Boulevard of Dreams at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Theatre Factory.
The Boulevard of Dreams is a mural hallway featuring facades of fictitious theater-based shops.
“My favorite part is watching people’s faces when they walk into these unexpected rooms,” says Crowe.
The building continues to transform as items from productions are added. “At a lot of other theaters, a beautiful set piece may go into the dumpster because there is no place to store it,” says Crowe. “If it’s something that showcases the work that we’ve been doing, that we feel very proud of, we’ll find a place to showcase it in the building.”
The unique facility was the brainchild of the longtime head of the Shakespeare Theatre, Bonnie J. Monte, who, since retiring in 2023, has been its artistic director emerita. But Crowe, formerly the company’s director of education, has also been with the Shakespeare Theatre for decades (this is his 30th season).
“I was here as Bonnie envisioned what this beautiful space would be and the intentionality of making it a space that is lovely and bright and designed for collaboration for all the members of the staff,” he says. And, he points out, that is “not usually the case for a lot of arts centers or theater companies where you’re working in the dingy basements because the spaces for the public, for the performances, are where you’re investing.”
Monte’s vision was to design a “working museum where we’re actually creating the art, but (also) where people can come in and see how things are created so you get a glimpse behind the scenes,” he says.
When I interviewed Monte in 2018, she compared the Theatre Factory to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Crowe agrees with the comparison. “Absolutely,” he says. “But you don’t need the golden ticket. In the same way that Wonka was famous in the books for the wonder and magic that is surrounding you at all turns, we have our own version of that.”
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