Dante Hall Theater, Atlantic City, NJ

“Located in the heart of the historic ‘Ducktown’ neighborhood of Atlantic City, Dante Hall was originally built in 1926 by St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Dante Hall served the predominantly Italian-American community of the neighborhood as a church hall, school gymnasium, and community theater where both school plays and the St. Michael’s Opera Company staged performances. When St. Michael’s closed its parish school in the late 1980s, Dante Hall remained dormant until an eighteen-month, $3.5 million renovation, funded solely by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, was completed in October of 2003. Renamed ‘Dante Hall Theater of the Arts,’ this beautifully restored and intimate performance space reopened with the promise of renewing the tradition of serving the Atlantic City and surrounding communities as a home for the performing arts. In 2011, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey took control of the theater. By providing quality programming and performances to local communities, Stockton College and Dante Hall Theater aim to strengthen New Jersey’s efforts of restoring Atlantic City to a cultural and family destination.”    —Dante Hall Theater