Count Basie Theatre

The theatre was rechristened the Count Basie Theatre in 1984, in honor of jazz pianist, composer and band leader William "Count" Basie (1904-1984). Even though jazz historians most commonly associate Count Basie with Kansas City, where he formed his first band, Basie was in fact a Red Bank native, born in his parent's house on Mechanic Street on August 21, 1904. The arts council would operate the theatre for the next twenty-six years, until a long-running internal debate about the council's mission (to serve the county's cultural community vs. managing the theatre) resulted in the divestiture of the council and the theatre, and on June 30, 1999 the Count Basie Theatre, Inc. was established as an independent nonprofit corporation to maintain ownership of and to manage, program and preserve the theatre.

Today, much remains the same about the building. Despite the Red Bank Register's 1926 report that the theatre's original name would be effaced from the façade, the word "State" and the initials "ST" for "State Theatre" are still visible on the peak of the building's façade. The old storefronts still flank the lobby entrance, and the magnificent dome still dominates the theatre's expansive ceiling. The original Act Curtain is still in use. Stage scenery is still loaded in via a ten foot wide strip of land off of Pearl Street, a tribute to the ingenuity and perseverance of the theatre's current stage crew when one considers that vaudeville performances generally relied upon backdrops, and modern scenery, staging and sound gear are now delivered in a tractor trailer or two.

Yet much is different. No longer a commercial concern for the benefit of a private partnership, the Count Basie Theatre is now owned and operated by the Count Basie Theatre, Inc., a nonprofit corporation formed solely to operate the theatre for the benefit of the community. The Theatre presents "live" music, dance, theatrical performances, and with the restoration of our projections equipment, films are once again being shown. 

In an age of faceless wireless communication, when you can watch two hundred channels of television at home, or a movie on your laptop computer, people still want and need to get out of the house, go downtown, and be entertained by live performers in the company of other people. Through war and peace, economic upturns and downturns, the Count Basie Theatre has continued to thrive. In 2004, the Basie completed Phase 1 of a multi-phase project to restore the entire theater to its original splendor, replacing all of its seating with brand new, historically accurate seats. Alabaster lighting fixtures have been added to the auditorium and a side-panel of theatre's plasterwork has been restored and painted in the theatre's original color-scheme, giving audiences a glimpse at what the theatre will look like when fully restored.

To view the Count Basie Events Calendar Click here.