THE STRAND is a Jersey Shore entertainment venue that offers a wide variety of live entertainment in New Jersey. Based in Lakewood, the venue features activities for senior citizens, theater camps for children and teens, and is well-known for its intimate BACKSTAGE PASS series which offers a unique, personal entertainment experience.
THE STRAND has brought cultural arts to the Jersey Shore since its inception in 1922, and our theater has remained a staple for Jersey Shore entertainment. Nationally renowned acts including Milton Berle, Loudon Wainwright, George Burns, Don McLean, Louie CK, Taylor Swift, Charlie Daniels, George Carlin and many more have all taken the stage here. Learn more about THE STRAND and all that it has to offer.
The famous theater architect, Thomas Lamb, was commissioned in the early 1900s by the Ferber Amusement Company to design a theater in Lakewood, New Jersey. The vision for the theater was not only to provide an aesthetically appealing venue, but also one that would encourage Broadway producers to utilize it as a tryout theater before moving their shows to Broadway.
In 1922, THE STRAND opened in a time when Lakewood was a popular playground for the rich and famous, including big names such as President Grover Cleveland and John D. Rockefeller. Architecturally, THE STRAND has exemplary sight lines, with no obstructing pillars or uprights. The acoustics are notably effective since it was built at a time when performers relied mainly on their own voices. Today, THE STRAND is known as one of the best acoustical theaters in the nation and is a top live entertainment venue.
The first event at THE STRAND was a film that featured Mae Murray, then a sensuous siren of the silent screen, in the epic film, Peacock Alley. This picture was followed by five acts of vaudeville. Within a week of its opening, the venue fulfilled its original intended purpose when it presented a pre-Broadway run of The Devine Crook, starring Florence Reed. Reed, a leading star of the times, was then held in the same esteem as her more famous contemporary, Ethel Barrymore.
Made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Purchase tickets for any of the upcoming shows at our New Jersey theater online or at our Box Office, which is open on: Fridays between 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM, Saturdays between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, and 2 hours before every show.
