A New Home (TBA) to Set the Stage for Popular Arts Center
By Sally Deering
Stepping inside Art House Productions’ performance space behind One PATH Plaza in Jersey City, Meredith Burns tiptoes through rows of stage lights, piles of discarded scenery and the ghosts of plays, musicals, art exhibits and dress-up fundraisers that took place within its walls all these years. But the past is the past and Art House Productions is about to take up residence in a new space with Burns as its new executive director. There’s still lots to be done and some big shoes to fill.
Those shoes belong to Christine Goodman, who served as Executive Director of Art House since the non-profit first opened its doors 15 years ago on McWilliams place near Hamilton Park, then moved to bigger digs on Magnolia Street near Journal Square. As Art House’s executive director, Goodman – who is leaving to spend more time with family – directed most of Art House’s plays, oversaw the INKubator writers’ workshop and STAGES! program for kids ‘bitten by the acting bug.’
Changing of the guard:
Christine Goodman, Meredith Burns,
and a young fan.
“Meredith is exactly the kind of visionary we need to bring us into this next phase of growth,†Goodman says. “Our Board of Trustees did a thoughtful, in-depth search to find the best fit for our organization, and I believe they found the right person. I have always believed in succession planning as a hallmark of an organization’s long-term success. It is truly an exciting new day at Art House.â€
In 1967, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown opened Off Broadway at Theater 80 in the East Village, and 50 years later it still charms and delights audiences of all ages. Songs like “Suppertime†and “Happiness†are classics of musical theater and cartoonist Charles M. Schultz’s characters Snoopy, Lucy and Charlie Brown are as iconic – and adorable – today as they were back then.