Parsippany Arts Center revived after three years in the dark due to COVID

Live performances at the Parsippany Senior Center's 99-seat theater were one of the first things lost to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic that began almost three years ago.

The lockdown precipitated the eventual retirement of Parsippany resident Barbara Krajkowski and her Women's Theater Company, which had been in residence at the center in Lake Hiawatha for more than a decade. Prior to Krajkowski's professional company, Allegro Productions staged community-theater productions at the site, then-named Parsippany Playhouse, for many years.

But last week, one of Krajkowski's most experienced Women's Theater associates brought the Parsippany Arts Center back to life with a staged reading and plans for more live events there in the near future.

"I envision it a kind of artist's playground for a variety of programming, from theater performances to concerts, cabarets and more," actress-director-choreographer Lauren Moran of Boonton said after the Feb. 5 performance. "We're also looking at programming for seniors and fundraisers."

The Sept. 11-themed play, "The Guys," evoked dramatic emotions from the audience as Australian actor Adam T. Perkins played a fire captain looking for help to write eight eulogies for firemen he lost in the World Trade Center attack. Moran plays a journalist who tries to help him put difficult words together on a short deadline.

Proceeds from the performance were donated to the Boonton Fire Department at the suggestion of Perkins, who volunteered for Ground Zero search and rescue operations after the attack along with Brooklyn Ladder Company No. 132.

Some audience members said revisiting the 9/11 tragedy also stirred memories of loved ones they lost more recently during COVID. Boonton Mayor Richard Corcoran said it left him "misty-eyed."

"It was a transformative experience for everyone, which is what the arts are all about," added Boonton Councilman Ben Weisman. He served as host of the event, which drew about 75 patrons.

Weisman said the Parsippany initiative is great for the growing artistic community in neighboring Boonton as well as for performing arts fans around the region.

"You don't have to live in Parsippany to come here," he said. "It's a big thing for the whole area. I think what Lauren is trying to do is breathe new life into the space and really make it a community-arts gathering place, where artists can have their art come to life."

Handshake agreement

Moran's partnership with Parsippany is essentially a handshake agreement, similar to the one with Krajkowski, who focused on full productions written by women or featuring strong female roles.

"They just wanted to get some programming back in there," Moran said. "They talked to Barbara. She called me and said 'I told them you would do the theater.' "

"We knew Lauren had worked with Barbara for many years," said Parsippany Health and Human Services Director Michele Picone, whose office is based at the two-story Senior Center next to the Knoll Golf Club complex. "We were fine with it. The mayor was fine with it."

Moran said when she first entered the space late last year, the set for the final Women's Theater play, "The Disenchanted," was still on the stage. "It was untouched."

"We came in one day and literally threw everything in the garbage," she said.

Perkins' limited availability in the U.S. in February sped up Moran's plans to dust off the theater and get its lights, sound and other technical aspects back in working order. The actors rehearsed on Zoom while Perkins was in Australia, with nearly 10,000 miles between them and a 16-hour time difference.

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They met in person for the first time just a few hours before this month's performance, just in time for one in-person run-through.

Lighting up the theater − and digging into a performance − "was actually very surreal for me," Moran said during a post-performance talkback with the audience. "I've been doing theater here with Barbara for a very long time. She's my greatest mentor, and one of my dearest friends. This is great."

Raising funds for the "amazing" Boonton Fire Department made the evening that much more special. More fundraising opportunities will be explored, Moran said.

A "Casual Cabaret and Sing-Along" is planned as the next event on March 25.

"We're just happy someone is willing to support the arts in our little theater here," Picone said. "Lauren is the perfect person for this. I think we'll see a variety of programming that I think will suit our audience."

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

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This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Parsippany Arts Center NJ theater revived after COVID