Nutley Little Theatre soldiers on through the pandemic

Photo Courtesy of Nick Pascarella
Nutley Little Theatre President Nick Pascarella discusses the challenges the theater has faced during the pandemic but projects an optimistic outlook.

NUTLEY, NJ — Nick Pascarella took the helm as president of the Nutley Little Theatre on July 1, 2019 — less than a year before the pandemic made its unexpected entrance.

“I had a few months pre-COVID and (then the theater’s programming) came crashing to an end,” he recently told the Nutley Journal.

Although the house was dark from March 2020 to Oct. 2021 with no productions offered, as theater president, Pascarella was concerned about what producers are always concerned about: money.

“Before COVID, what I looked at was the importance of money,” he said. “We don’t have a large volunteer base.”

Estimating NLT had about 100 volunteers, he said 10 to 15 did all the heavy lifting to keep the theater doors open.

“There’s never a shortage of people in community theater to act,” he said. “The shortage is in having people to build the sets, do the lighting and things like that.”

He understood the theater needed a cash reserve. Adding to the fiscal woe was that the NLT box office, when open, does not take checks or credit cards.

“I saw a lot of things that needed to change,” said Pascarella, who owns an information technology company. “How do we get money reserves, not spend foolishly and generate funds? I have a skill set that lends itself to these problems. I have a business sense. I’ve been involved with IT since 2012. I saw a void here. Community theater is a business, and I have a great team here.”

Being president has also been a learning experience. According to Pascarella, there had been an NLT fundraiser, which raised $11,600, but the theater was still waiting to be paid. Still, Pascarella was determined to reboot. He approached NLT sponsors and asked them to purchase advertisements on the theater webpage. That was not all.

“We’re doing something no other theater does,” he said. “We screen movies. The ticketing company has screening ability. So, for $10, the Little Theater had ticket sales although the (live) theater was dark.”

NLT is also compiling a slate of video-on-demand movies. Started Feb. 16, 2022, the service is called NLTFLIX.

“We’re going to build that library,” Pascarella said. “It’s another source of revenue. Our expenses are about $550 to $600 a month. And that’s when we’re not doing anything; it’s for insurance and utilities and whatnot. We have no paid employees.”

But Pascarella also acknowledged that the small entertainment venue, which originally opened in 1934, is not eligible for arts grants because it is not handicapped accessible.

Another problem confronting the theater is that it really is little, with a seating capacity of just 48. Social distancing requirements add to the woes of ticket sales. Pascarella said that during the pandemic, NLT was averaging 50 percent capacity, but sometimes 10 people were in the audience. When the theater reopened in October, there were two radio plays: “Ghost Train” and “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”

“One night, for ‘Yes, Virginia,’ four tickets were sold, but there was no one in the audience,” Pascarella said. “It was zero. If we net $500, we’re getting through the month. Producing a play averages $2,000. We charge $20 for a ticket.”

But Pascarella does not entertain the thought of failure.

“The chances of the Little Theatre failing?” he opined. “Slim to none with none leading.”

Pascarella’s optimism is based on several things, including NLT’s continued ability to draw talent.

“There are two directors new to the Little Theatre,” Pascarella said. “Mead Winters is directing ‘Gemini’ and Ellyn Essig directed ‘Ghost Train.’”

“Gemini,” by Albert Innaurato, will be staged from June 10 to 25.

Forward-thinking, Pascarella hopes eventually to present shows to attract children.

“When you have youth involved, kids grow up in the theater,” he said. “The theater becomes part of the community. Right now, people live in Nutley and don’t even know we’re here.”

Pascarella said NLT presentations also give voice to minorities and controversy.

“We did ‘Night Shift,’” he said. “It’s about a black family getting through life. It wasn’t a sitcom. It was the real deal. And we do shows other theaters don’t take a shot at. We did ‘Black Bird’ in 2017. It’s a story about pedophilia. We also did David Mamet’s ‘Oleanna’ in 2017. The Little Theatre will do some things that others don’t. I’ve been involved with the Little Theatre since 2012. I devote at least 15 hours a week to it, and I come in from Ho-Ho-Kus. I don’t mind it. I have a sense of pride.”