TWO RIVER THEATER SELECTED AS RECIPIENT OF THE 2021 LITERARY LANDMARK AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE ARTS BY THE NEW JERSEY CENTER FOR THE BOOK, A STATE AFFILIATE WITHIN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Two River Theater is pleased to announce that they have been selected as a recipient of the coveted 2021 Literacy Landmark Award. The award is being bestowed on the theater for its outstanding contributions to the New Jersey arts community; bringing world-class theater, community events and providing arts education to over 55,000 annually. The designation is being awarded by the New Jersey Center for the Book, a state affiliate within the Library of Congress.
“Two River Theater is honored to be selected by the New Jersey Center for the Book for this prestigious honor. When the theater was founded by Joan and Robert Rechnitz in 1994 one of the guiding principles was a desire to bring world-class dramatic literature to the stage here in Monmouth County. Celebrated productions of American and world classics, new plays and musicals have enriched and enlightened audiences at Two River and extol the literary talents of these playwrights. The Literary Landmark Award recognizes and honors Bob and Joan’s visionary impact on the cultural landscape of New Jersey and beyond”, says John Dias, Artistic Director of Two River Theater.
Over the last 20 years, the New Jersey Center for the Book has celebrated the diverse cultural contributions made by seven distinguished organizations and institutions throughout the state. The Center is pleased to award the designation of its eighth Literary Landmark to the Two River Theater.
“The Library of Congress / New Jersey Center of the Book is proud to designate the Two River Theater as a literary landmark in the state of NJ. Nominated as one of the 10 best regional theaters in the United States, it brings culture and a unique theater experience to citizens of the great state of NJ. Other literary landmarks include the Walt Whitman House in Camden, the Flyaway Bird Migratory Pine Barron and the Newark Public Library. The NJ Center of the Book prides itself as being a foremost advocate for the art of the written word”, Renee Swartz, Chair, New Jersey Center of the Book
There will be a presentation of this award on stage before Two River’s performance of August Wilson’s Radio Golf at the 3 PM matinee on Sunday, November 14. A post-show reception in the lobby will follow the performance for all in attendance. Tickets to the show and presentation start at $25 and are available at tworivertheater.org, 732.345.1400 or 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank.
SPONSORSHIP
Two River Theater’s 2021/22 Season Sponsor is Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center.
Two River Theater is supported in part by public support through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Private support includes Bank of America, Mary Owen Borden Foundation, Denholtz Properties, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Helen Clay Frick Foundation, The Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation, Horizon Foundation of New Jersey, Investors Foundation, Jewish Communal Fund, Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Manasquan Bank Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The William T. Morris Foundation, OceanFirst Foundation, PNC Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, The Stone Foundation of New Jersey, Visiting Nurse Association Health Group, Zager Fuchs, PC, and many other generous foundations, corporations and individuals.
Two River Theater
Produces a theatrical season that includes American and world classics, new plays and musicals, programs for young people, and festivals of new work. Each year, we also offer 40+ events that reflect our diverse community of Red Bank, New Jersey. Two River produces work on two stages—the 350-seat Rechnitz Theater, and the flexible 110-seat Marion Huber Theater. The theater’s recently opened Center for New Work, Education and Design is a three-story facility that includes two rehearsal studios, artist labs, classrooms, expanded shops and centrally located offices. Two River Theater has commissioned and premiered original projects including Be More Chill by Tony Award nominee Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz (the theater’s first Broadway production) and Hurricane Diane by Playwright-in-Residence Madeleine George (which won an Obie Award for its Off-Broadway run). In June 2019, Two River was nationally recognized by USA TODAY as one of “10 great places to see a play” across the U.S. Two River serves thousands of students and community members through arts and humanities programs at the theater, in schools and throughout its region. Two River Theater is led by Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst.
New Jersey Center for the Book
New Jersey Center for the Book is affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress which was established in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries. The School of Communication and Information at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, NJ, hosts the NJ Center’s operations since its beginning in 2002. It is the 44th of the 52 state affiliates in a network that also includes the District of Columbia.
Renee B. Swartz, a New Jersey library advocate and trustee who has wide experience throughout the state, became the coordinator and Chair of the Board of Directors. “Our home at Rutgers will help us take advantage of that institution’s wonderful resources in New Brunswick and across the state. We look forward to becoming part of this important national endeavor.”
The advisory board for the New Jersey Center for the Book includes representatives from a broad range of institutions, including Rutgers University, the New Jersey State Library, the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame, the New Jersey Historical Association, and several other organizations and individual libraries.
The New Jersey Center for the Book’s mission is “to celebrate books, reading, libraries, and the diverse literary heritage of New Jersey.”
For information about the Library of Congress Center for the Book’s programs, publications, and the activities of its affiliated centers for the book visit its Web site at www.loc.gov/cfbook