The Greenwich Village of the Garden State: New Jersey's Red Bank offers robust, growing arts scene
RED BANK, N.J. -- The river town of Red Bank in Monmouth County, New Jersey, is hip and happening thanks to its robust, growing arts scene.
As CBS2's Dave Carlin reports, there are so many cultural offerings, it's been dubbed "The Greenwich Village of the Garden State."
Red Bank is a walkable city, and at almost every turn, you see arts and entertainment.
Panoramic views of Red Bank can be seen from atop its biggest cultural attraction -- the Count Basie Center for the Arts, named for the late big band leader, a hometown hero.
"This is 1,568 seats, but not a bad seat in the house," said Adam Philipson, the Basie Center's CEO and president.
He says the building opened in 1926, offering movies and vaudeville performances.
Other performance spaces have been added to the center, but the main theater hosts concerts by the greats, big-name comedy shows and Broadway touring productions.
Philipson says 250,000 people attend events there every year.
Special programs include regular mariachi performances, and for Black History Month, there are several programs, including performances of "Once on This Island" this weekend.
The center also offers outreach and education.
"We do a lot of junior productions," Philipson said. "We're talking about sometimes 40 to 50 to 60 kids that come in. They're on a major process. I mean, they're working for three months on the show, and then a lot of times, they're on the main stage."
Broadway actor Crystal Dickinson often appears on stage at another of Red Bank's prestigious theaters -- Two River Theater, a professional not-for-profit arts center.
Dickinson and others call Two River the heart of New Jersey's theater scene
"I'm a Jersey Girl, so I was born and raised in New Jersey," she said. "Two River Theater was created for the people of New Jersey ... It's to service the people who are right here in our state."
With its world class art galleries, performance spaces and eateries, it's easy to see why some people who visit Red Bank make a decision to move there.
"Visit an incredible town," Philipson said. "One step even more than that is this is why you would move here. I can't tell you how many people that have seen our programming and said, the one thing I was nervous about while leaving New York or leaving a major metropolis was that I wouldn't be engaged culturally, and when I look at your programming, I realize that I'm going to have everything I need for myself and my family."
On a good traffic day, you can get to Red Bank from New York City by car or by train in just under an hour and a half.
