Our 20^th anniversary season has come to a close. To all of our members, supporters and patrons, thank you for making our 20^th anniversary season a memorable year.  Thanks to you, MPAC continues to be one of the most successful non-profit arts organizations in New Jersey, and we look forward to serving you again over the summer and during our 15-16 season.

Here are some highlights of the past year.

Concerts

• We had over 200 events on our stage, including headliners, emerging artists, school events and more.
• Over 200,000 people were served by MPAC programs, including ticketed events, outreach activities and education programs.
• Opening Night featured a performance by Brian Stokes Mitchell and Kelli O’Hara (who would go on to win a Tony in 2015).
• Over 70 performances sold out.  Memorable performances included Steely Dan, John Fogerty, Alanis Morissette, Dancing with the Stars and Beauty and the Beast.
• The Nutcracker drew over 12,000 people across 14 performances during the holiday season.
• MPAC drew audiences from all 21 NJ counties, as well as New York, Pennsylvania and other surrounding states (even a few from Europe and Australia!).
• Our economic impact on the region was over $15 million.

20^th Anniversary Celebration

• A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 29, 2014 – 20 years to the day the Theatre reopened – celebrated the completion of interior lobby renovations.
• Broadway composer Keith Hermann created an original song about our 20^th anniversary, “It Feels Like Home,” performed by the Performing Arts Company
• Valery Gergiev returned to MPAC for the first time since Sept. 29, 1994 for our 20^th anniversary concert on January 30, 2015. A pre-concert celebration honored our original founders.

Membership and Fundraising

• The 2014 Starlight Ball Gala honored John and Margaret Post and Drinker Biddle and drew over 350 attendees
• Overall membership climbed 20%, and Starlight Society reached a new high in membership
• The Legacy Society, a planned giving program, was introduced
• MPAC was an active participant in Giving Tuesday for the first time.

Education

• The Education’s Spring Musical Les Miserables, with a cast of 65, was performed to over 3,500 people over four performances, and was a rousing critical and popular success.
• Over 660 students participated in PAS programs
• The Performing Arts Company performed at over 30 events.
• Over 90 students were honored as Music Students of the Month
• The “PAS on the Road” Paterson School program expanded to over 40 students in 2015
• MPAC and the Morris School Districted completed a three-year residency program
• Over $7,000 was provided in PAS scholarships
• MPAC served as Region 4 host to the statewide Poetry Out Loud competition

Visual Arts and Outreach

• Over 200 New Jersey-based visual artists had their works displayed in our two galleries
• In partnership with Morris Arts, the free Music Beyond Borders program returned to the Morristown Green with four free performances.
• First ever Community Day event featured live performances on the MPAC plaza and an open house on the day of the Morristown Festival on the Green.
• MPAC continued to offer the Theatre at low cost to non-profit partners such as New Jersey Ballet, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Morristown Festival of Books, First Night Morris County and Morris Education Foundation’s Morristown’s Got Talent.
• Retained title of Major Presenting Organization by New Jersey State Council on the Arts

We hope that 2015-2016 will bring just as many incredible experiences to our patrons.