The Blairstown Theater Festival operated from December 2006 through November 2007 at historic Roy's Hall[1] (also known as Roy's Theatre), a former silent movie theater built in 1913 at 30 Main Street in Blairstown, New Jersey.
Crowds awaiting a screening of Friday the 13th on July 13, 2007.
On July 13, 2007, the company attracted considerable media attention when they presented three screenings of the classic horror film, Friday the 13th, which was shot in and around Blairstown in the fall of 1979. Roy's Hall appears in the film shortly after the opening credits.[2]
The company's January 2007 production of Letters from the Inside was selected by The Star-Ledger as one of the top five new plays of the 2006–2007 New Jersey theater season and actress Kelli Ambrose, who played Mandy in Letters from the Inside, was selected as one of the top five Best Leading Actresses in a Play.[3]
Among the other concerts and productions presented by the Blairstown Theater Festival were Nancy Anderson singing early Broadway songs backed by the Baroque Orchestra of North Jersey (Baroque to Broadway), the Still River Band in Concert, Malachy McCourt and Jarlath Conroy in A Couple of Blaguards, Betsy Palmer and Will HutchinsinA.R. Gurney's Love Letters, the New Jersey premiere of I Am Anne Frank, and concerts by cabaret performers KT Sullivan (Vienna to Weimar), John O'Neil ('So Kaye), the Western Wind Vocal Ensemble (Holiday Light), Cris Groenendaal (Music of the Night), Jana Robbins (One Hell of a Ride! The Songs of Cy Coleman) and jazz pianist Bill Mays and his Inventions Trio.[4]
The Blairstown Theater Festival was not able to continue past its first season for several reasons. Most significantly, Blairstown Township suddenly increased the real estate taxes on the building by more than 680% (from $1,031.55 to $7,032.30)[5] and the landlord decided to sell the theatre.[6]
A CD featuring highlights from the Blairstown Theater Festival's season was released in February 2008.[7]
