Greet the New Year:
May It Be Musical, Funny, Artistic, Theatrical, Lyrical, Nostalgic, Sparkly
…and yes, Happy!
By Peggy Carroll
Craig Schlosser remembers the first time he spent New Year’s Eve at First Night Morris.
He came with his parents and an aunt, he recalls. It was snowy and cold and it was hard to find a parking space. They finally found one near the Presbyterian Church and went to attend a concert of classical music.
“I was 10 years old,” he says. “And I sat there enthralled.”
Today, he brings his own son, Colin, who is 10 years old. And he works hard to make sure that First Night Morris is an enchanting experience for not only him but for everyone, from the very young to their grandparents.
Schlosser is the First Night Morris director, responsible for putting together the mammoth alcohol-free family-friendly celebration, a festival of arts that fills Morristown for the seven final hours of the old year.
His goal: To make each First Night better than the last.
And this year, he promises, will be just that — a party that bills itself as the “biggest and brightest” in New Jersey.
Imagine this: Nearly 200 artists who will give more than 80 performances in a multitude of artistic genres – dance, theater, music, world culture, visual arts, and special fun festival for children. All in 24 venues in the heart of town.
Add to that some history lessons (Abraham Lincoln will be there) and nostalgia (so will Frank Sinatra), throw in a dash of magic and a bit of comedy — and two sets of fireworks.
There’s even something new for the people who are cemented to their cell phones. For the first time, First Night Morris has a mobile app, compatible with iPhones and Androids. It’s free on the First Night Morris website.
Weather permitting, some 5,000 people will come – holding a ticket that costs less than a good bottle of champagne – to connect in a way that has nothing to do with computers or technology.
First Night, Schlosser said, is a work of many: Morris Arts, which partners with First Night to program performances; the 15 board members who add their voices, their talents and their contacts; volunteers who take tickets and help at venues; the Mayo Performing Arts Center, which handles most of the ticket sales; the police department and the Morristown Parking Authority, and all the agencies that help to smooth the path.
It is work that takes many, many hours.
While the countdown to the New Year takes minutes, the countdown to First Night takes months.
ONE FOR THE MONEY
First Night Morris is paying its bills.
But the way is not always smooth. And many First Nights in other towns and cities have bitten the dust.
Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, director of arts participation and communication for Morris Arts, has some theories as to why. Some towns have brought in another tier in the program agenda: A kind of “star” act with a different cost.
First Night Morris, she said, has stayed true to the original model: One ticket price – $25 (that gives access to all performances and the shuttle bus) — and one standard: Top performers who have appeared in top venues for their genre.
For the last five years, Schlosser and First Night chairman Michael Schmidt have worked to keep First Night viable.
Schlosser, whose day job is vice president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, brings skills he has learned in managing events. He was asked to join First Morris after he ran a successful job fair.
Schmidt brings knowledge of finance – his job at Quest Diagnostics – and music. He actually played in a band that appeared at First Night.
Both are young, grew up in Morristown and graduated from Morristown High School. They became joint godfathers of renewal, bringing in new people, building the organization and adding pizzazz to the marketing. They sharpened the website, revved up its use of social media, and brought it into the 21st century.
Their goal, Schmidt said, was to give the event fresh perspective and a stronger financial position.
First Morris works on a budget of about $150,000, Schmidt said. Much of that comes from ticket sales. Another chunk is raised by First Chance, a 50-50 raffle. Tickets sell for $20, with the drawing two days later – Jan. 1, 2016, at the Hyatt, at 3 pm.
Grants from more than 20 sponsors, including a local foundation and corporations, help fill the gap.
TWO FOR THE SHOW
Once she has a budget, Siebert begins work. It is a months-long project. She brings with her an impressive background: Accomplished violinist, college music teacher for 30 years, and familiarity with arts from classical music to visual arts. She has worked for First Night for nine years.
It is her job to find the acts and book them. Every year, 40- to 50 per cent of the talent is new.
That means, she said, that there is always something people haven’t seen before. But she has. Every artist she chooses is one she knows.
“These are world-class acts, “ she said. “They have performed at the top venues, from the White House to the Stone Pony, for their genre.”
She carefully matches the artists with the venue, visiting each to make sure it is appropriate for the program. The locations are in places like church chanceries, not traditional performance spaces. Stone floors, she noted, are not for dancers.
And she makes sure that the audience will be comfortable too.
She also has to estimate, based on her experience and a bit of ESP, how many people will turn up. And she checks on acoustics so each performance can be heard, and heard as intended.
When she has completed all that, she writes the program and the press releases.
“Many people only discover the high quality of the artists performed at First Night Morris once they have attended,” she said.
She wants them to know what awaits them. Like a children’s Chinese band, with Chinese instruments, or a tribute to the Beatles and the British invasion.
THREE TO GET READY
During the last weeks of the year, Schlosser takes some days off from his job and with a trusted team of 10 puts in hours sorting out the nitty-gritty arrangements that must be made and checking and rechecking the myriad details.
They have built a network that can deal with nearly any problem that may crop up. But there are things they can’t control – like the weather.
“The event goes on rain or shine,“ Schlosser said. “But there’s no doubt good weather is very much of a plus factor.”
Many people wait until the week, or even the day of the event, to buy tickets. And attendance goes down when temperatures drop or the rain or snow begin.
So First Night offers an incentive: Buy early and get a discount.
FOUR TO GO
Five o’clock New Year’s Eve and it’s show time.
One of the innovations in recent years has been the introduction of special programs for the youngest members of the family – and at an early start time to fit their schedules.
“Parents can bring their children to the children’s fun festival at the high-school, take them to the early set of fireworks at 9:15, and have a few hours to themselves after the kids go to bed,” Schlosser said.
The First Night Morris team checks out the performance sites and is on hand to resolve any problems — like finding room for an unexpectedly overflow audience at a popular show.
Everybody turns up on the Green for the final ticks of 2015 clock.
As chairman, Schmidt makes a speech and takes part in the countdown. It will be the last time. Under the by-laws, he is limited to two consecutive three-year terms. He is now in his sixth year and leaves office in March.
Not that he will be without something to do.
In the next few months, he will be fulfilling a promise he made last year. Right before the midnight fireworks, he proposed to his girlfriend, Kacie Welsh.
She said yes. They will marry on April 23, 2016, at the Madison Hotel.
Video: Popping the question at First Night Morris:
They are doing the planning themselves. After First Night, a wedding should be easy.
So First Night has an active search on for a new chair and for volunteers who want to serve on the board. Next year will be special.
It will be year 25. And First Night Morris will turn silver.
Morristown, Dec. 31, 2015, from 4:45 pm to midnight
More than 200 artists, 80-plus performances, 24 venues
Admission Badges: $25. Discounts for four or more. Under age 4, free.
Badges online, at the event, and at the Mayo Center Box Office, (973) 539-8008
Free shuttle bus. Fireworks at 9:15 pm and midnight.
MORE ABOUT FIRST NIGHT MORRIS 2016
HIGHLIGHTS FROM FIRST NIGHT MORRIS 2015
HIGHLIGHTS FROM FIRST NIGHT MORRIS 2014
HIGHLIGHTS FROM FIRST NIGHT MORRIS 2013
