COUNT BASIE THEATRE INC
99 MONMOUTH STREET, RED BANK, NJ 07701 thebasie.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE BASIE MISSION IS TO INSPIRE, EDUCATE AND ENTERTAIN THROUGH ITS DISTINCT AND ENGAGING CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC OFFERINGS THAT REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF THE REGION. AS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, THE BASIE IS COMMITTED TO ENRICHING THE COMMUNITY'S QUALITY OF LIFE BY GENERATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS, PARTNERING WITH SCHOOOLS, COLLABORATING WITH OTHER MISSION-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND DRIVING REGIONAL ECONOMIC PROSPERITY.

TO INSPIRE, EDUCATE AND ENTERTAIN THROUGH ITS DISTINCT AND ENGAGING CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC OFFERINGS THAT REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF THE REGION.

In July and August 2019, the Count Basie Center's historic theater was closed for renovations. We completed major construction at the historic theater and prepared to open two new facilities in 2020: . The Grunin Arts and Education Building, which is the new home for the Count Basie Center Academy of the Arts (including the School of Performing Arts and School of Music). . An eagerly anticipated, second performance space: The Vogel, a multi-purpose venue that will showcase new performers, artists and programs, with the intention of drawing 100,000+ patrons through 150+ events. On the Count Basie Center's main stage, from September 1, 2019 to March 11, 2020, the Count Basie Center hosted 137 performances. This included 44 rock/pop performances, 20 feature films, 16 family presentations, 10 comedy acts and 7 Broadway shows. Diverse performances during this period included Wayne Brady, A Bronx Tale, Chris Botti, Celtic Woman, Company of Dance Arts, Buddy Guy, Artie Lange, Live, Darlene Love, Tracy Morgan, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Rent, Brian Setzer, Tedeschi Trucks Band, George Thorogood, ZZ Top and Frankie Valli. Total tickets were 139,476. And then, COVID-19 cases and deaths began to soar in New Jersey. Governor Murphy mandated a stay-at-home order and closed all non-essential businesses, including the Count Basie Center. After a sold-out performance by the legendary Tony Bennett on March 11, 2020, the Count Basie Center was forced to close on March 12, 2020. Our campus was dark for the remainder of FY20 (16 weeks, from March 12 to June 30). COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the Count Basie Center. From March to June 2020, more than 68 shows were canceled or postponed. All part-time staff and 1/3 of administrative staff were fully or partially furloughed. In March 2020, with the closure of our campus and all New Jersey schools, the Count Basie Center shifted gears. During a time of tremendous anxiety, we mobilized our education team and pivoted from in-person arts education to virtual classrooms, ensuring lessons, classes and recitals could continue. In just three weeks, the Academy of the Arts secured 140 new students for virtual learning. By June 30, 2020, the Academy of the Arts had expanded enrollment for virtual classes to 400 performing arts and music students. The Count Basie Center's education team cast a Broadway, Jr. production of Moana, Jr. through video submissions and conducted rehearsals with 45 cast members (elementary to high school students) for three months, via Zoom. We transitioned the Count Basie Center Teen + College Film Fest to an online experience with a record number of submissions (96), 27 screenings and 14 awards and preserved the 15-year tradition of the Basie Awards by presenting them virtually on June 9, 2020. From March to June 2020, more than 19,000 people engaged with the Count Basie Center's "Tips for Parents Who Are Suddenly Teachers" series on Instagram. These videos were available for free via social media. We began preparing a broad array of summer virtual classes in acting, choreography, dance, directing, film, musical theater, piano, screenwriting, violin, visual arts and vocals. Pre-pandemic, the Count Basie Center served about 18,000 students annually through public school outreach (1,000 students), the Academy of the Arts (1,000 students), Curtains Up for Kids school shows (12,135 students) and mindALIGNED creative teaching (17 schools and 350 teachers). In FY20, amid the devastating physical, emotional and financial effects of COVID-19, the Count Basie Center demonstrated the arts can be a lifeline in times of crisis.

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