Villagers Theatre
Performing ArtsNew Jersey, United States2-10 Employees
Villagers Theatre is a small performing arts venue in Somerset, New Jersey, that presents a range of stage productions and related community programming. Its offerings encompass plays, musicals, children's theatre, puppet shows, and variety performances, alongside activities in playwriting and art contests. The venue comprises a main theater that seats 222 and a Black Box Theater for 100, with both spaces air-conditioned and accessible. Founded in 1960 as Franklin Villagers Barn Theatre by twenty volunteers, the organization aimed to provide ongoing cultural enrichment for central New Jersey. After using the Van Middlesworth barn, the group built its own purpose-built theater on township land, and opened the new facility in 1980. When fire code and accessibility requirements prompted a closure, township residents helped raise funds to renovate and expand the venue, which reopened in 1988.