Since opening in 1963, Middlesex County's Plays-in-the-Park has been providing top-notch, affordable theatrical productions at the Stephen J. Capestro Theatre in beautiful Roosevelt Park in Edison. Due to the support from the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners and their love of the arts, it is more economical to enjoy an evening out in the park watching a show than at a local Cineplex.

Each summer, the outdoor amphitheater presents three full-scale, Broadway-style musicals complete with lavish costumes, a live orchestra, and state-of-the-art lighting, special effects, and sound equipment. The rolling hill on which theatergoers can unfold their lawn chairs provides the audience with perfect evening views of a spectacular show - both on stage and the glorious starry sky above.

The fun doesn't end when the autumn leaves appear, it just moves inside. Each October, the backstage area is transformed into an intimate, 150 seat performance space where a Children's Musical is performed on weekends.

December brings the traditional Winter Show at the State Theatre in New Brunswick. These productions give the staff and designers an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with union crews at a professional venue. The County's holiday tradition is the annual winter production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Each year the production is just a bit different, a bit better, and overwhelmingly successful.

Middlesex County's Plays-in-the-Park is a unique partnership that represents more than 55 years of unparalleled government initiative, artistic excellence, and community spirit. Fifty-nine years ago, a small group of devoted community theater volunteers enthusiastically sought a place to produce plays during the summer months. They contacted the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners in the hopes of finding financial support for their endeavors.

Although funds did not exist for the construction of a new theater building, there was money budgeted for a storage shed. A creative compromise was reached, allowing the shed to be used as a theater in the summer and for storage in the winter. A tree-lined grove in Roosevelt Park was chosen as the site and Plays-in-the-Park officially opened in 1963. Popularity grew, and eventually, the shed became a permanent home with the addition of a scenic shop and dressing rooms. Attendance soared and by the mid-1970s more than 150,000 people came to the free theater each year, making Plays-in-the-Park an important part of summer in Middlesex County.

All seemed lost, however, when on July 24, 1975, a fire in adjacent garbage can destroyed the wooden building, burning it to its concrete foundation. But theatrical tradition demands that the show must go on (in this case "Man of La Mancha") and so work began the very next day. Mobile trailers were brought in to finish the 1975 season. Eventually, County funds were met by dollars from the Green Acres Commission and the new Roosevelt Park Amphitheater opened in 1978.

Since then it is estimated that more than 1 million people have attended performances of Plays-in-the-Park. Our amphitheater features the latest lighting and sound equipment, and our shows are staffed by working professionals in the theater. Currently, we produce three full-scale Broadway-style musicals each summer (complete with a live Union orchestra), an indoor Children's Musical in the fall, and our continuing production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" each winter at the State Theatre in New Brunswick. In 2020, Plays-in-the-Park added a slate of virtual programming to stream to our audiences who were stuck at home during the pandemic. Thousands of patrons enjoyed our Dance-in-the-Park Master Class Series, our Sunday-in-the-Park Play Reading Series honoring NJ Playwrights, and a Broadway Musical Revue Concert.

Plays-in-the-Park has been cited for the excellence of its theatrical productions, making it the pre-eminent Community Theater in Middlesex County. The lighting, scenic, and costume designs of each show are generally based on the Broadway originals or National Touring Companies, adapted and recreated by working professionals.
During the fall the backstage area is transformed into an intimate 150 seat "black box" performance space where a Children's Musical has been presented for what will be our 30th season.

December brings the traditional Winter Show at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, now in its 26th season. These productions give the Plays-in-the-Park staff and designers an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with Union crews in a professional venue, utilizing state-of-the-art equipment. We are proud to present our annual production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” during the holiday season!

Plays-in-the-Park is also well respected for its outstanding service to the Community. Each summer for over 20 years the theater runs Kids-in-the-Park, a creative drama workshop opened to children ages 8 to 12 and Teens-in-the-Park for young adults ages 13-15. It is housed in the mini-amphitheater in Warren Park, Woodbridge. More than 200 kids enjoy these workshops each season. At the end of each session, a performance is given to an audience of parents and friends.

Senior Citizens and Veterans' Homes have also been regular patrons, bringing the joys of live theater to members of the Middlesex County population that are often unable to attend other cultural events. In fact, Plays-in-the-Park has been the introduction to theater for countless families; children grow up inspired by the productions and with an appreciation for the Arts. Some eventually wind up on the stage; others take their families and children. The minimal admission charge instituted several years ago to offset costs makes theater-going a very affordable event, less than the cost of a movie ticket. Kids are always admitted free, and there are discounts for seniors.

For these efforts, the theater received the Class One Award for 1991 of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council Dorothy Mullen Award and was the recipient of the National Association of Counties 1991 Achievement Award. We continue to grow and experiment with new formats, constantly trying to improve the product and the experience itself. Recent seasons have brought major changes and improvements to our sound system, lighting equipment, and seating policies.

It also bears mentioning that many of the performers who got their start at PLAYS-IN-THE-PARK have gone on to successful professional careers. The complete list is too numerous, and our apologizes to anyone not mentioned, but among are alumnus in the professional world we list Michael Schweikardt (Set Design: James Taylor tour), Timothy Gleason (Phantom B’way), Amy Toporek (Hairspray tour), Lorinda Haver (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes B’way), Daisy Hobbs (Aladdin B'way), Andrew Hodge (Cats tour), Russell Fischer (Jersey Boys B’way), Billy Piscopo (Jesus Christ, Superstar tour), Veronica Kuehn (Mamma Mia B’way, Xanadu B’way, Avenue Q), Susan Santoro (Cats B’way, A Chorus Line B’way), Coleen Sexton (Jekyll & Hyde video), Casey Muha (Chicago tour, On The Town Paper Mill), Jenny Hill (Seussical B’way, Spamalot B’way), Art and Jackie Neill (Pirates tour), Mallory Davis (42nd Street tour), Gary Schwartz (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Megan Bussiere (Roar of the Greasepaint) Andrew Varella (Les Miz) Thom Warren (Lion King) and Jonathan Schwartz (The Fantasticks - Off B'way, B'way - Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, and Aladdin B'way) as well as David Copperfield, Robert Hegyes and Brittany Murphy.

If the crowds on summer nights are any judge, then Plays-in-the-Park is quite successful indeed.