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Our History
12 Miles West Theatre Company
was born in the summer of 1992 when a group of local
theater artists gathered informally to share ideas
and collaborate on projects. We presented our first
performance in a rented church space under the name
"Montclair Theatre Project". By the end of our first
season, we had established ourselves as the only
resident theatre company in the state. We soon went
on to receive six awards in the Star-Ledger's
Theatre Critics' list of the season's theatrical
bests where we were cited as "...one of the most
promising theatre troupes in the state." In the fall
of 2004, we lost our lease to our long-time home in
Montclair, and we moved to the Historic Center
Theatre in the heart of downtown Bloomfield. After a
long negotiation process with our landlord, we were
unable to agree on purchase terms and left this
facility in September of 2007. We are currently
searching for a permanent home! In the meantime, we
continue to produce and are grateful to Playwrights
Theatre in Madison for providing a space for our
current season.
Over the past seasons, we have
garnered several Critic's awards and nominations
from The Star-Ledger and have received
consistently excellent reviews from both the press
and our audiences. The Star-Ledger called our
1999/2000 production of The Glass Menagerie
the best of the 5 productions of the play seen in
New Jersey in the past 4 years. Our first musical
Inside Out was named on of the ten best
productions in the state in 2000. Bob Rendell of
Talkin' Broadway says of our 2003-04 production
of Nicky Silver's Fit to Be Tied "12 Miles
West proves again to be a valuable resource to
Jersey theatre goers." Our world premiere musical
One Way Ticket to Hell broke all box office
records and was part of our New Jersey Playwrights
Festival of New Plays, which received a Citation of
Excellence by the New Jersey State Council on the
Arts. Our 2006-07 season productions of Fat Pig
by Neil LaBute, Island by Peter Link, Larry
Rosler and Joe Bravaco, The Price by Arthur
Miller won additional nominations from The
Star-Ledger for our actors.
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Board & Staff
Board of
Directors
Paul Mantell, President
Adriana O'Toole, Vice President
Gloria Falzer, Treasurer
James Curran, Acting Secretary
Angela Cali
Donato DiGeronimo
Staff Members
Lenny Bart, Artistic Director
Tricia Bart, Managing Director
Gloria Falzer, Development Director
Dawn D'Arrigo, Company Manager, PSM
James Sullivan, Technical Director
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Our Sponsors
Programming at 12 Miles West is made possible in
part by funds from the
New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Dept. of
State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment
for the Arts, and a generous grant from
The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and through
the support of the
New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
Programming at 12 Miles West would not be
possible without the support of individual donors
such as you. To lend your support and help us keep
the lights on,
click here to donate to 12 Miles West.
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Our Affiliates
12 Miles West is proud of our
affiliations with the following organizations:
Madison Arts & Culture Alliance
Morris County Chamber of Commerce
New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts
New Jersey Theatre Alliance
Playwrights Theater
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Help us fill in the blank.
The question isn’t which play.
We have a brilliant new comedy to bring you from the
playwright of our smash hit My Italy Story.
The question is, how to pay the
bills?
Funding cuts have made our prospects bleak. Without
your support, we will cease to exist. Really. Donate
now to help save 12 Miles West.
Click here.
What happened?
In the current economic
upheaval, we sincerely hope you and your loved ones
remain unaffected. As for 12 Miles West, like most
arts organizations, we have experienced deep funding
cuts from the state and foundations. These donors
still believe in us, so they continue to fund us at
a lower level, in hopes that we will be able to fill
the gap and stay alive. Unfortunately, these cuts
come on top of our difficult search for a permanent
home, one that would allow us to generate additional
income through education and other offerings.
Why help 12 Miles West?
12 Miles West may be the most
fiscally prudent organization you’ve come across.
Our belts are tight! With an annual budget under
$100,000 last year, we brought you our holiday radio
play Merry Christmas, George Bailey!; a world
premiere musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz;
our critically-acclaimed production of Sam Shepard’s
True West; the quirky comedy More Fun Than
Bowling; plus our award-winning New Jersey
Playwrights Festival of New Plays – and we still
paid all of our bills! Because we have no fat in our
budget, the state and foundation cuts of nearly 50%
have put our future in serious doubt. That’s why we
need your help.
How can I help?
On the bright side, we don’t
need millions, or even hundreds of thousands of
dollars. Your donation of $5,000, $1,000, $100, or
even $50 will actually have an impact.
For 17 years, we have brought
you critically- and audience-acclaimed world
premieres, stunning performances of lesser-known
works and unforgettable productions of classics. You
have helped us do that in so many ways— seeing our
shows, spreading the word about what we do, laughing
and crying with us, and lending us your financial
support. We know we’ve made a difference in your
life. Your donation now will make a difference in
ours and help us keep the stagelights on at 12 Miles
West.
Click above to donate and please
ask your friends to do the same. Thank you.
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