In just two years, the NJ Stage Awards have developed quite a following throughout the Garden State arts community. Designed to help shine a spotlight on arts organizations throughout the state, the complete list of winners for 2016 were announced in New Jersey Stage magazine. We will be highlighting the winners of one category per day until the end of the year. This article takes a look at the Best Town For An Arts Night Out category.
“Montclair received our gold award as the Best Town For An Arts Night Out,” said Gary Wien, publisher. “Some of the highlights include the Montclair Art Museum, great concerts at the Wellmont Theater, the Montclair Film Festival, and a rich mix of arts programming at Montclair State University by Peak Performances. In addition music fans can experience live music at great venues like Trumpets Jazz Club & Restaurant, Tierney’s Tavern, and the award-winning shows by Outpost In The Burbs (winner of this year's NJ Stage Award for Best Coffehouse or Non-Traditional Venue for Live Music). Montclair has also been home to great community theatre by Studio Players since 1937.”
Jersey City and Princeton received the silver and bronze awards respectively.
Awards were chosen by the public via a month-long online vote to find the best places to experience art in New Jersey. Categories included art, comedy, dance, film, music, theatre, and best town for an arts night out. Over 10,000 votes were cast.
“The public was allowed to vote once a day per IP address,” explained Wien. “This allowed the smallest of arts organizations the same opportunity as the largest. We saw venues push voting on their websites, social media pages, and at the venues themselves.”
The top 3 vote getters for each category were listed in New Jersey Stage magazine and on a permanent page of the NewJerseyStage.com website. In addition, the website features a rotating graphic highlighting one winner at a time and linking back to their website (the graphics will run until the 2017 NJ Stage Award winners are announced). Individual press releases for each genre will also point a spotlight on the top 3 winners in each category.
For the complete list of 2016 NJ Stage Award winners click here.
