The Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) will be closed for maintenance and repairs until September.

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In a message sent on Wednesday via social media and email, UCPAC announced it would close, effectively immediately, “so that the historic Mainstage can undergo necessary renovations and maintenance.”

Effective immediately, the Union County Performing Arts Center will be closed so that the historic Mainstage can undergo necessary renovations and maintenance.

Please visit our website for a more complete statement and information: https://t.co/Do0MQTUs2Z

— #UCPAC (@UnionCountyPAC) March 31, 2021

The 1,334-seat arts center opened in 1928 acquired by Union County in 2006 for $1.3 million, leasing it back to the nonprofit. The county poured about $6 million into renovations and expansion in 2008.

CFO Len Vanderwende referred questions about the closure and repairs to Union County.

The project likely will be bid out by the end of this month or in May and will involve fixing the ceiling, repainting and partial reconstruction or fixing things like columns and other items throughout the facility, Union County Communications Director Sebastian D’Elia said, adding that scaffolding will have to go up as well. It’s not a minor project and likely will cost  several hundred thousand dollars, he said during a brief telephone interview on Monday.

The closure also impacts Hamilton Stage, a 199-seat black box theater built in 2012 for almost $6 million, because there will be no staff to run the facility. UCPAC staff will be furloughed or laid off, D’Elia said.

In recent years, theater rental has become a primary source of revenue for UCPAC, eclipsing 50% of revenues, up from less than 30% as recently as 2015.

Brian Remo recently left as UCPAC’s executive director to become managing director at This is It! Stageworks, a Jersey City-based stage lighting equipment supplier. He served as executive director for about five years, including as interim following the departure of Lawrence McCullough. Al Faella, who retired as Union County manager three years ago, is currently listed as interim executive director. This is It! has a longtime relationship with the county in events management and in February was awarded two contracts totaling $431,650 for planning, production and management related to the 2021 Drive In Concert Series.

UCPAC’s announcement in its entirety:

“Effective immediately, the Union County Performing Arts Center will be closed so that the historic Mainstage can undergo necessary renovations and maintenance. This closure impacts all spaces, including the Hamilton Stage.

“While there is never a good time to have our stages silent, the slowdown caused by the pandemic unfortunately does provide this window. We regret any inconvenience this may cause, and stand proud of the programming we have been able to provide this past year, even during the most challenging of times. It is the intention of the UCPAC to reopen on September 1, 2021.

Those with tickets to affected events will be contacted, and receive reimbursement.

We look forward to the day when we can open our doors to the public with a refreshed interior. Please keep in touch! We will announce our plans as we move forward.”

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