By Chris Rotolo
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – More than three decades ago on the borough’s main drag, a red awning was raised atop an undersized facility tucked between a dreary residential apartment dwelling and a hardware store that opened in 1925.
Sometimes havens of independent artistry are found in the unlikeliest of places, but that’s precisely how iconic filmmaker and native of nearby Highlands, Kevin Smith, described the First Avenue Playhouse while reminiscing in a phone interview.
“When I fell in love with the idea of making a flick, I figured I needed to hold an audition, and that’s where actors are, so let me hit up the guy who owns the place,” Smith said, recounting the pre-production process leading up to the 1994 release of “Clerks,” the heralded independent film that would launch his career.
Smith reached out to Joe Bagnole, the playhouse’s executive director and box office manager, who opened the theater’s doors to the aspiring writer and director for two nights of casting sessions.
“Joe was incredibly helpful and supportive in the beginning and made me feel like a professional. Because of him we had a place to audition people and set up a video camera and tape the auditions. And we discussed the auditions afterward at the Marina Diner. After those two nights we pretty much had our cast.” Smith said.
Though he posted audition notices at the Inkwell Coffeehouse in West Long Branch and Brookdale Community College, many of the actors who appeared in the film, like Bagnole and his wife Donna Jeanne, were products of the playhouse, including two of the leading performers.
“Bryan O’Halloran (Dante Hicks) and Marilyn Ghigliotti (Veronica Loughran) both came through the First Avenue Playhouse. And in the “Clerks’” 10-year anniversary edition, there’s actually footage from the auditions, so you can see them on the playhouse stage. After the auditions we took all the tapes and went to the Marina Diner discuss everything. One of the great things about making movies is that these memories are preserved,” Smith said.
HARD FINANCIAL TIMES
But now Bagnole said he and his playhouse colleagues are struggling with their own preservation effort.
According to Bagnole, who launched the nonprofit playhouse in November 1988, his vision was to create a home for local stage actors and creatives to hone their craft in a space that would never be in danger of shuttering its doors. However, nearly 32 years into this initiative, the future has become uncertain.
“Things are adding up. We have a mortgage on the building. We desperately need a new roof. We have an air conditioning unit that is not completely paid for. We have chairs and rugs that have been here since Day One. We need about $50,000 to be solvent,” Bagnole said.
INSPIRATION FROM THE ROAD
Bagnole and his wife got their start in the industry by traveling the country in the dinner theater circuit, an endeavor that sometimes proved frustrating.
“Sometimes we’d get booked at a restaurant and after lugging all of our sets and equipment inside, we’d have to carry it right back out because we got bumped by a wedding,” Bagnole said.
The grind of a road warrior lifestyle is what prompted the search for a permanent home. When the 3,822-square-foot facility at 123 First Ave. became available, Bagnole pounced.
He and his wife created a dessert theater-themed venue.
The motif made for mutually beneficial partnerships with local restaurants, which would feed playhouse patrons dinner at their eateries ahead of dessert and a show down the street.
“My dream from the beginning was to get this place in shape and have it in order for actors on the way up, so they’ll always have a home to do theater. I didn’t always have that. We had to move week to week to different places. When we got this building it came out of heaven. No one was ever going to get kicked out of it,” Bagnole said.
MAINTAINING COMMUNITY SUPPORT
But times change. Societal interests change. And forces of nature shift priorities.
Over the last 10 years Bagnole said the playhouse has had to contend with shifts in technology that have captured the minds of the youth and monopolized their time and attention spans.
Super Storm Sandy also caused a drop in attendance, as the local audience was encumbered with property damage and financial hardship.
A 2 percent cap on school taxes has also taken its toll, with public districts tightening their belts and cutting out extracurricular activities that require expensive transportation fees, like trips for K-5 students to the playhouse’s Paper Moon Puppet Theater.
“Audiences have thinned a bit, but our overhead has increased because costs continue to rise,” said Bagnole, who noted that the playhouse has created a GoFundMe drive, which can be accessed at gofundme.com/save-the-first-avenue-playhouse.
In one month the drive has raised $570 toward its goal of $10,000.
“We have a 30-year history in the Monmouth County community and that’s because of the respect we’ve earned from the public. Our audiences come from all over – New York, South Jersey and from neighboring counties. We thank them for their past support and hope they can find in their hearts to continue their support.”
