Papermill in Trouble - Updates

From Rob's Broadway Pulse....

Paper Mill in Danger

The New Jersey Star Ledger reports that "it could be curtains for season at Paper Mill" with news that if the Playhouse doesn't raise $1.5 million by Friday, it will be forced to close its doors. How'd the theatre get in trouble?

"The Millburn theater's financial crisis stems from a slumping box office, exacerbated by a recent change in artistic direction that didn't fare well with the public, and anemic fundraising. The combination has prevented the 69-year-old theater from keeping up with the costs of producing a six-show season."

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1175576413253290.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

I didn't know which board to post on, but oh well. This is sad and I hope they can get what they need. I saw my very first play there, and my grandparents and aunts/uncles always had season tickets. It's so sad to think of it possibly closing.

---

Updated On: 4/8/07 at 09:55 AM

That sucks.

Has business really declined that much in the past several years?

---

Why haven't they mobilized the many people who have come in and out of there over the years and put on a kickass benefit by now?

---

It's a big theater, and 'little' shows just aren't going to fill enough seats, especially at their prices. It would be a shame if they had to close, because their past shows have been every bit as good as Broadway, both in production value and performance. They've probably also been hurt by NJPAC, which has had touring companies doing shows like Millie, Chicago, Hairspray, etc.

---

This makes me so sad. In the course of Paper Mill's history I have conducted 25 productions beginning with the opening of the new theatre after the fire. That first show was ROBERT AND ELIZABETH, starring Leigh Beery and Mark Jacoby. What an exciting night! Paper Mill has been around, I think, since 1938, and what a treasure it is. Other shows that I did there were SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, with Helen Gallagher, Judy Kaye, Larry Kert, and George Rose, CAROUSEL, NINE, CANDIDE, THE MERRY WIDOW, (Judy Kaye and Richard White), BARNUM, OLIVER, ( the wonderful Judy McLane), BRIGADOON, 1940'S RADIO HOUR, WINDY CITY, NO NO NANETTE (Helen Gallagher, Eddie Bracken, Lee Roy Reams, Kaye Ballard), DAMN YANKEES (directed by George Abbott), NAUGHTY MARIETTA, SHOW BOAT, GUYS AND DOLLS, CAMELOT, MAN OF LA MANCHA, CALL ME MADAM (Leslie Uggams), ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (Judy Kaye), FOLLIES (Donna McKechnie, Laurence Guittard, Dee Hoty, Donald Saddler, Kaye Ballard, Ann Miller, Phyllis Newman, Tony Roberts, Liliane Montevecchi, Eddie Bracken), among others, and my last show there was MAME with the unbelievable Christine Ebersole and Kelly Bishop. I think the main problem came with the dismissal of Robert Johanson. I know there lots of opinions about Robert out there, but the one thing about him that cannot be denied was his passion and love for the Paper Mill. Robert and I have collaborated many times, not only at the Paper Mill, and I always really respected and loved him. We didn't always agree, but I never questioned his passion and love for the theatre and Paper Mill, particularly. He had extravagant tastes, which were problems sometimes with budgets, etc., but he knew what that audience wanted to see and gave it to them. The patrons and subscribers loved him and knew that if his name was on it, they were going to have a good time at the theatre. Robert was all those things, and more. To see the Paper Mill come to this is very sad. I only hope that the citizens and banks and the state government will wake up and come to their aid, because if the Paper Mill closes, New Jersey and the New York area will have lost a great entertainment outlet, the New York acting community will have lost a wonderful place in which to work on a Broadway scale, and most of all, those subscribers who have hung in there all these years will lose their theatrical home, so to speak. I had some great times at the Paper Mill which I will cherish for the rest of my life. I live in California, and am Artistic Director of a theatre, and I understand these problems that they are going through. This business that we are all in is a precarious one, and one that needs nourishing and support from all sectors. To lose the State Theatre of New Jersey, would be a crime. Maybe they should look at bringing Robert back. I don't know what the answer is, but I hope they find a way to keep going. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would put the money into the Paper Mill Playhouse, a real treasure. I don't mean for this to sound like Robert Johanson is the only answer. We all know the stories and I lived through some of them, but his taste and drive and ultimate love of the theatre always came through, and whatever your opinion of him, he was a great part of making that theatre a success. He loved talent, and he loved Paper Mill, as do I. Sorry for rambling...I am just heartsick to hear of this problem..

Jim Coleman
theatreguy07@sbcglobal.net

Thanks for sharing that, Jim.

Sounds like your old "home" you grew up in is in threat of being torn down. What a terrible feeling. It's bad enough for the patrons.

I like Rath's idea of a "kickass benefit." Have they done anything like that before? Can they do it?

Forgive me for sounding ignorant, but is Papermill a non-profit theatre? (If not, that would be why they haven't done it, I'm guessing.)

---

What a shame! When I lived in NYC I went there every season.

---

"...is Papermill a non-profit theatre?"

Yes.

Papermill is non-profit. They are the State Theatre of New Jersey, and receive a sizable annual grant from the state. They also get corporate and foundation funding, as well as individual contributions - which of course are tax-deductible. Like most non-profit theatres, these contributions probably cover around 60% of their budget. But the sad truth is, they ultimately have to sell enough tickets to cover the remainder of their weekly operating expenses.

That is very sad...but they have been using a lot of older shows which do not really help the general public. I think they need to mix. Bucks County Playhouse just announced their season and it is really good. It will be very sad though. Having had a show from my school get nominations for their "Rising Star Awards" it will be sad that the program gets canceled.

---

From the article:
"A starry rally/benefit to save Paper Mill is in the works."

I look foward to purchasing a ticket to support the Papermill!

---

^ It's a small area. To get to the "ironbound" district, you have to drive through some dangerous sections. They're not that far away.

Anyway, I feel like I'm in some mystical garden when I'm in Millburn. I much prefer that feeling.

It's funny to me that people compare NJPAC to Papermill. Papermill (with some exceptions)produces its own product. NJPAC hosts tours and other forms of entertainment. I guess the average ticket buyer doesn't make that distinction.
Anyway it is quite sad. With other theatres like Two River and Red Bank and Surflight in Beach Haven growing by leaps and bounds over the last Decade, it is shocking to see Papermill, arguably the elite theatre of NJ, going into financial crisis.
That being said, it seems to me that 1.5 million is not too high a number to be able to raise in the next few days. New Jersey (particularly the area where Papermill is located) is a relatively affluent area.

---