Kasser Gala Marks 10-Year Anniversary

The Alexander Kasser Theater marked a decade of groundbreaking performances in November with a gala celebration and fundraiser. Since opening in 2004, the Kasser Theater has garnered regional, national and international recognition as a home for world-renowned talents and an incubator for innovative performing artists. The sold-out event raised more than $300,000 to ensure the Kasser Theater's future excellence and continued relevance.

"We celebrate not only the 10th anniversary of the Alexander Kasser Theater, which has provided a beautiful home for dazzling performances by our students, by professional artists and, often, by a wonderful combination of the two, but we also honor the Kasser family, whose vision and generosity have made both this evening and this theater possible," President Susan A. Cole told the capacity audience.

Since the theater's inaugural evening on October 7, 2004, when dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov became the first artist to step onto its stage, the Kasser Theater has hosted 170 critically acclaimed productions. These include 26 specially commissioned works as well as 34 world premieres and 35 American premieres. Kasser audiences have also enjoyed more than 350 performances by students from Montclair State's music, dance and theatre programs.