Woodbridge's Avenel Performing Arts Center Opens To Fanfare

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — After several years in the works, the Avenel Performing Arts Center has finally opened its doors, opening to the public for the first time this week, on Wednesday night, April 10.

The Avenel Performing Arts Center is located at 150 Avenel Street, at the site of what used to be the former General Dynamics plant. General Dynamics abandoned the plant in the 1960s and the massive factory laid dormant until the early 2000s, when Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac designated the 27-acre lot as a redevelopment zone. The arts center is part of a plan to revitalize downtown Woodbridge and Avenel as a hub for the arts.

Woodbridge Township hopes the arts center will become a cultural destination for all of New Jersey, and a hub for professional theater, music, comedy and dance. The 13,500-square-foot building can seat up to 225 patrons and has multiple performance areas. The Main Performance Hall will feature retractable seating, a sound/lighting booth and moveable modular stages. There is also a separate performance room and a pre-function/lobby area that can open to the exterior space for larger gatherings and events.

The design of the Avenel Arts Center includes a combination of brick veneer, metal cladding, wood and glass and it was intentionally meant to embrace Avenel’s industrial past, said a Woodbridge Township spokesman.

There will also be a full-service bar/restaurant on site, Curtains, but that has not opened yet. Curtains will include have a 1,200-square-foot restaurant area and a separate cocktail lounge; outdoor dining will be offered by the restaurant in an adjacent patio area. Curtains is scheduled for a summer 2019 opening.

The performing arts center is one part of a much larger $50-million transit-oriented development project at the site, according to an article about the site on MyCentralJersey. Also located there is the Station Village at Avenel, a luxury apartment and townhouse community. There will also be retail shops opening, and all of it is in easy walking distance to the Avenel NJ Transit train station. Here are upcoming shows at the Avenel Performing Arts Center: https://avenelarts.com/