Founded in 2007, the Media & Performance Collective is dedicated to inspiring creativity, learning, and growth through the performing arts. Our mission is to create and present collaborative multimedia works with educational relevance centered on historic and contemporary social issues. Artists in the collective are drawn from film, dance, poetry, fine arts, music, and theater disciplines. These performances are either pre-recorded or live events which focus on educating and entertaining audiences by examining ideas through the arts.
The Media and Performance Collective’s founding members, Susan Pellegrini, Susannah Newman, and Barbara Guhde established the operations and mission of our non-profit that we continue to follow to this day. During the first 9 years of the MAPC’s existence, our focus was on smaller events with historical content. We were heavily involved with the documentary project for the Stephen Crane House in Asbury Park, NJ where we created and hosted The Red Gala and The Violet Glow art exhibits to raise money and awareness of this historic location linked to Stephen Crane. Additionally, we created short video projects focusing certain historical events such as the Morro Castle fire, the history of music in Asbury Park, and participated in the Tri-City Arts Program for film.
In 2016, the Media and Performance Collective saw the departure of Susannah and Barbara, leaving Susan to form a new board that is close to what it is today. The same year, the MAPC was awarded a contract with the Borough of South Amboy, New Jersey, to create and manage their newly designated arts district. As part of this contract, from 2016 through 2018, the MAPC founded and operated the Broadway Gallery art space, which exhibits a variety of art installations created by local New Jersey artists. The gallery featured a live event stage which was used for live performances including the MAPC’s own “Expresso Café” where artists could “express” themselves. Moreover, the building was home to a video production studio and post-production facility overseen by the MAPC to create content for online exposure and awareness.
After our contract with South Amboy expired in 2018, the Media and Performance Collective decided to switch venues and became affiliated with the Brook Arts Center in Bound Brook, New Jersey. The MAPC finally had a space for large performance projects and it has become the Brook Arts Center’s resident theatrical producer, bringing live theater back to this historic 1920’s vaudeville theater for the first time in many years. Since 2018, the MAPC, (DBA Brook Arts Center Community Players), has produced 11 theatrical productions, earned over 30 award nominations for our efforts, and have been awarded 4 NJACT Community Theater Perry Awards along with 4 awards from Broadway World New Jersey.
Now nearing 20 years of operations, the Media and Performance collective looks to expand again and create additional educational programs we can offer including a film academy and youth theater group. We look to build on our own history and create an environment to nurture the future through the performing arts.