Forum Theatre Arts Center
314 Main Street,
Metuchen,
NJ
08840
314 Main Street,
Metuchen,
NJ
08840
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 38 comments found
Thanks for the compliment. If you go to www.forumtheatrearts.org and click on rentals at top of page there are interior shots
FT
Went to see eat pray love last night. forgot my camera – I wanted to take some interior shots. can’t find any online. nice gold fabric walls, good lobby and concession stand. overall a nice place. hope they make it.
Anyone interested in a long term lease or purchase (depending on the offer should contact me at
Photos on the website www.forumtheatrearts.org You can also leave a message at 732.548.5600
2009 photo of the Forum Theatre.
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The Forum has begun to play relatively current movies. If I remember, they played “The Hurt Locker” a few weeks back. Here’s the theater’s Web site: http://www.forumtheatrearts.com/index.html
This is a 2009 photo.
I’m interested to know who is doing your film projection? Not many of us left who know your equipment, if it is the same equipment that was there in 1983.
This theatre may reopen soon:
View link
Here is a 1988 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dg5fxc
An article in todays Star-Ledger talks of the theatres reopening. They are doing a childrens show in June. It also speaks of them wanting to run films again. I wonder who they will get to do the old carbon arcs and change-overs? I’m one of the few, if not the only person left in this area who knows how to do that. And I did work in this venue prior to the current owners.
This theatre did great business with mainstream movies when I was the projectionist between 1980 to 1983, prior to it being sold.
The Forum Theatre in Metuchen NJ is planning to reopen in the fall of 09 as movie house showing independent and award winning foreign and domestic films. We are now in the process of a capital campaign to make this 1928 vaudeville house one of the premiere theatres in the state of New Jersey. We will also be doing concerts and live children’s theatre programming.
Plans are to open a cafe and a balcony seating area with tables and chairs so patrons can relax with a bottle of wine while enjoying a movie.
We are now seeking a theatre architect to help with renovating the theatre as well as donations from individuals and corporations. We need to raise approximately 1 million dollars to complete the renovations.
Please contact me at if you would like to make either a monetary donation or a donation of time and services.
Thanks for your help. www.forumtheatreartscenter.com
Peter Loewy
This January 2009 blog discusses the Forum’s current status:
http://tinyurl.com/cbcusv
Here is a recent photo of the Forum Theater.
The opening segment lists the seating capacity as 682, which it was when I worked there. But the above link posted by Lost Memory shows it as only 450 seats. When they started doing shows back in ‘83, they must have really blew the stage forward toward the audience.
Built in 1928 according to this link.
And I agree, the Union County Arts Center is another beauty. I remember working there in its last days when it was porno. I have seen the before and after.
You know JackS124, I’m hoping someday my efforts will pay off, but I am trying to get the owners of the Ritz in Elizabeth to put on movie series and other stuff. I know they have completely renovated the entire theatre, now its just a matter of geeting shows and people. I hope this happens, because this is a place that has been saved.
We do have fond memories of both theaters movie534! Maybe the County will get involved just as in Union County where the old Rahway Theatre was preserved as the Union County Arts Center. So many of the old local houses have gone, it would be a genuine shame if some effort wasn’t taken to save an old theatre like the Forum.
Yes JackS124, I would like that too, especially since I was the last union projectionist to work there back in 1983. I have many fond memories of the place. We both have fond memories of another theatre you visited, and I worked at, the old Jerry Lewis Twin in Carteret.
I drove past the Forum Theatre this past weekend and the building looks abandoned. The marquee no longer lists any productions and is blank. A “For Lease” sign now is posted on the building.
This is quite a shame because I frequented the Forum during it’s recent use as a community theatre. Some of the productions were quite good. I saw a production of “Dream Girls” the Forum that was excellent. Some of the productions were quite off-beat. I recall going seeing a production years ago called something like “Heart Signs” or “Love Signs” (I can’t recall precisely) that was listed as a romantic comedy. Instead it was a depressing tale of an elderly couple going through Alzheimer’s disease. If there were 30 people in the audience, that was a lot.
I do hope an effort is made to preserve on of the last downtown theaters left in Middlesex County for some use – perhaps as a revival house or something of that sort.
Worked here as a projectionist from 1980 until 1983. Was the last union projectionist along with my father who worked here. Theatre started doing live stage in fall of 1983, at which time our union picketed (unsucessfully) to get work. Was a thriveing movie house right up to the day it was sold in June of 83. The old projection equipment, projectors, peerless carbon lamphouses and sound system all came from the State Theatre in Woodbridge, N.J. in 1971 after it closed.
The theater is now closed, according to the website. It’s available for rent or lease, but no more productions.
This theater will close down this August. A number of small theaters have closed recently in NJ or are in financial distress.
This is a another photo of the Forum Theater.