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BURLINGTON, N.J. – June 15, 2021 – New Jersey patrons eager for live entertainment can find a range of options via Discover Jersey Arts’ online Summer Stages guide. The curated collection, offering socially distanced opportunities from New Jersey-based cultural organizations, features dozens of concerts, drive-in movies, Shakespeare in the park, classes and more experiences across the state’s vibrant arts scene. The launch comes as in-person events continue to grow significantly with COVID-19 restrictions easing.

“New Jersey summers always promise the perfect mix of outdoor festivals, performances and arts events, and we need those opportunities to gather now more than ever," said Allison Tratner, executive director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, which partners with ArtPride New Jersey to present the Discover Jersey Arts program. “Artists and arts organizations statewide are ready to safely bring people together for unique experiences – indoors and out – that entertain, inspire and connect us.”

The Summer Stages guide offers an assortment of art options, no matter the regional destination. Visitors will find opportunities to witness beaches buzzing with dance, city streets bursting with visual art, farmland doubling as concert venues, and vibrant theatre taking place at breathtaking vineyards.

Select New Jersey events include:

• “Brookside Cabaret” at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J., June 9 – Sept. 25
• “Vaudeville Variety” at the East Lynne Theater Company in Cape May, N.J., June 12 – Aug. 28
• Judy Collins at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, N.J., June 16
• 12^th annual “Movie Night Under the Stars” (“To Wong Foo”), Montclair, N.J., June 26

“People are looking forward to traveling safely this summer and they are excited for live entertainment,” said Adam Perle, president and CEO of ArtPride New Jersey. “The Summer Stages campaign highlights incredible opportunities for visitors and residents to explore the arts throughout our state, which is also home to unique destinations, world-class dining, home-grown retailers and wide-open spaces full of natural beauty.”

The arts serve as a sizable economic driver for New Jersey and will play a particularly crucial role in the state’s recovery from COVID-19. In fact, in 2019, New Jersey’s nonprofit arts sector generated more than $662 million to the state’s economy, employed nearly 22,000 workers, educated 1.1 million students, and brought 8.3 million people to local communities.

Activities and programs listed on the Jersey Arts Summer Stages page are updated regularly with a wide variety of artistic options from regions throughout the state. Events are submitted for consideration by the Jersey Arts Marketers network – a group of arts professionals from New Jersey organizations working to increase participation in the arts.

Summer Stages is supported in part by grants from New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism.