
Our Story
Jersey Central Theatre Company was formed in 2001 by Founding Artistic Director, Ken Schwarz, to engage and entertain its surrounding communities with quality presentations.
Originally housed on the stage of a historic neighborhood cinema, which opened in 1922 showing silent movies and vaudeville performances, JCTC's inaugural season had the misfortune of premiering only a couple of weeks after September 11, 2001 and the horrific attacks on our nation. It's always difficult for any arts organization to attract an audience, but it was especially challenging during that dark period in our history.
But JCTC persevered. We ended up producing eight mainstage professional theatrical productions, benefit performances, readings, and a children's theatre program, until we lost our performance space.
In recent years, JCTC has transitioned to developing new works for the stage and screen along with fiscal sponsorship. The Jersey Central Lines Railroad, which ran through many of the communities we served, inspired the name of our non-profit organization. With your generous tax-deductible support, we will make every effort to become a worthy addition to New Jersey's cultural arts landscape, and hopefully inspire you.
We would love to welcome you aboard!