Mainstage Productions
The hallmark of our organization is our Main Stage season, five productions that are carefully chosen on the basis of audience appeal and educational value. Two of the shows presented thus far in our 2006/07 season have artistically “raised the bar” at The Growing Stage, earning excellent reviews from critics, families and educators. The Broadway musical, A Year with Frog and Toad, opened our season and was deemed by The Star Ledger’s Peter Filichia as a musical not only for children of all ages, but one for “adults of all ages, too.” He commended the performance of each cast member, especially praising one actress for “giving the type of hard-working performance offered by the best casts on the Great White Way.” More recently, The Growing Stage presented the New Jersey premiere of James DeVita’s A Midnight Cry, a moving historical drama based on the true story of a slave’s journey through the Underground Railroad. This piece was a bit of a risk for us, as its target audience was 4th-12th grade and its appeal was not guaranteed in our ethnically non-diverse area. However, the production was a resounding success. It garnered strong reviews in three northern New Jersey newspapers, attracted groups from Newark, Irvington and East Stroudsburg, PA to weekend performances and played to seven sold-out Main Stage Matinee audiences. After three seasons of attempting to produce A Midnight Cry we secured the necessary funding through a grant by Bank of America and established a collaborative partnership with John Pietrowski and the Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey. Peter Filichia wrote “A Midnight Cry” proves the Growing Stage is certainly growing. The Netcong company has for 25 years offered mostly fairy tales and beloved children’s stories to the 5 to 9 crowd. Now, though, the state’s premier children’s theater is tackling a more serious issue – slavery – in a play aimed at teenagers and adults.” William Westhoven in his review that ran in both the Daily Record and the Courier News wrote, “Less than half the seats were occupied for the first show of 2007 at the Growing Stage where a full house is common on opening night. One can only hope that “A Midnight Cry” finds a larger audience, because this stirring, fact based drama is crying to be seen.” Our audiences from this production reached throughout northern and central New Jersey with churches, community groups and schools attending from Newark, Irvington, Patterson, as well as throughout Morris, Sussex and Warren counties. Our Main Stage Matinee audience reached over 1,000 students through the seven additional performances we were able to produce through our Main Stage Matinee program. Our production of Seussical which opened March 2nd was extended an additional weekend due to its popularity. Peter Filichia of the Star Ledger wrote, “If this production of Seussical had opened on Broadway it would have been a smash.” Our final Main Stage production of the season Aladdin  was adapted by one of our resident artists, Perry Arthur Kroeger and opened April 27th. The production out-sold our last three previous shows that had performed in that time slot in previous years.

Main Stage productions are cast with either all Actor’s Equity Association (AEA) professionals or a mix of professional and community actors ranging in age from elementary school to adult. At The Growing Stage, we hold the mentoring of young people as a fundamental responsibility, and the professionals we cast are an excellent resource and example for our aspiring young cast members. One young actor remarked that The Growing Stage "…gave me a place to learn and hone my skills, and I felt like part of a special family. It was great to take part in shows there, because everyone treated me not as a 'child actor' but as an actor. It was a great experience." In addition, the professional directors and stage managers involved in our productions inspire and educate the teenage technical crew that works backstage.

Our productions provide quality family entertainment, and at the same time they educate, enlighten, pose questions and spark imaginations. When families leave our theatre--after meeting cast members in the lobby, of course--they are talking: talking about the show they just saw, the actors they enjoyed and the moments that sparkle in their minds. The magic of theatre is present in their lives and they look forward to returning to The Growing Stage for another show. Our very reasonable ticket prices ensure that a show at The Growing Stage is certainly a viable entertainment option for our patrons.

Education Programs:
For 25 years, The Growing Stage has offered classes and workshops that provide young people from pre-school to high school the opportunity to experience and actively participate in the arts. We offer 12-week Fall and Spring Creative Arts class sessions each year, as well as six one-week sessions of Summer Arts Day Camp and a three week acting intensive workshop for high school students. After-school programs are being developed for high school students in musical theatre, composition, physical training for the stage through yoga, playwriting and improvisation. Classes and camp are open to students with prior experience in the theatre arts as well as those who would like to try something new. Our educational outreach efforts include several successful in-school residency programs. The Growing Stage is currently engaged in residencies at the El Primer Paso School, a Hispanic/Latino preschool in Dover, at the Mount Olive Middle School and at the Stafford Intermediate School in Stafford Township. We have also created a workshop program focused on musical theatre and dance for the Morris Area Girl Scout Council and have been selected as a theatre mentor for the Boy Scouts of America. To date, each of our three Girl Scout workshops have attracted over 50 scouts and leaders.
The Growing Stage is dedicated to the ideal that the arts should be inclusive rather than exclusive, and to that end we actively pursue funding for our programs so that our costs are less than similar offerings. Our classes are taught by professionals chosen specifically for their ability to mentor and inspire young people. The arts invite young people to create, explore and share with others their natural gifts of imagination and expression. The Growing Stage is committed to that ideal.

Arts & Education Programs:
Recognizing the paramount importance of the arts in the education of our children, The Growing Stage offers school day productions both in our theatre and in schools. Our “Main Stage Matinees,” presented at the Palace Theatre, are shows with a full AEA professional cast, and they are offered to groups at a most affordable per-seat cost. We encourage schools to experience live theatre in our theatre, as this engages children more fully in the performance environment and excites them about returning to live-performance venues. For schools that are unable to travel to our theatre, we offer Tales from the Garden and Fairie Tales, Fables, Poetry and Fun, two original, professionally cast productions that are performed at their own facility. Our production of A Midnight Cry has secured the funding to tour throughout New Jersey in 2008 during February/Black History Month.