Photos/Video: Jay Leno Celebrates Reopening of Bergen PAC with Historic Drive and Ribbon Cutting

Jay Leno celebrated Bergen Performing Arts Center's (bergenPAC's) reopening of the theater in Englewood, N.J., with a historic drive through town and ribbon cutting. Jay Leno attended the private reception at Benzel-Busch Mercedes-Benz Automotive Dealership in Englewood, N.J. for a private reception taking photos with the Mercedes-Benz 1955 Gulfwing and the all-new AMG EQS Sedan from Benzel-Busch to bergenpac to cut the ribbon before his performance to a sold-out audience of over 1300 people.

Check out photos and video from event and restoration below!

The restoration of the theater blends the 1926 iconic main hall with the front of the house for a new modern décor. Renovations include technology upgrades in sound, audio, and lighting throughout the house are state of the art, with one of the largest moving light systems in the region; restoration of the Main Hall to its 1926 brilliance and significant upgrades; new comfortable seating and new carpeting; new lobby and concession stand; restored hand-painted gold décor around the proscenium and the arches; and new state-of-the-art sound and lighting system.

With $10 million of Capital Funding raised there is $5 million more to complete the façade with a new digital marquis for the front of the theater bringing world-class entertainment close to home with an outstanding arts and education school where no child is turned away for the inability to pay.

About Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)

Founded in 2003, the 1,367-seat Bergen Performing Arts Center, or bergenPAC, is the area's cultural mecca. The theater's legacy started in 1926 when it opened as the Englewood Plaza movie theater. United Artists purchased the building in 1967 and kept the doors open until 1973. Through the efforts of a group of local citizens under the leadership of John Harms, the John Harms Center came to life in 1976. In 2003, a small group of dedicated individuals led by Frank Huttle III helped preserve this special theater and rechristened it the Bergen Performing Arts Center. The historic Art Deco-style theater boasts one of the finest acoustic halls in the United States, attracting a stellar roster of world-class entertainment. The jewel in our crown is The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC - the innovative, educational performing arts initiative that, through programs, classes, outreach, school shows, and main theater presented shows, reaches more than 30,000 students and community youth annually. The Performing Arts School provides community youth, age 2 months to 21 years, with unique, "hands-on" training in music, dance, and theater by industry professionals. Through the ongoing generosity of sponsors, donors, members, and patrons, the not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation bergenPAC and The Performing Arts School can thrive and enrich our community. Follow bergenPAC on Facebook (facebook.com/#!/bergenpacfan) and @bergenPAC on Instagram and Twitter.

About bergenPAC's Capital Campaign, Invest In The Arts:

Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) is a theater of and for the community it serves throughout northern New Jersey by leading the way with a creative focus, educational resource, and engine of economic vitality. A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization, bergenPAC's mission is to make live performing arts and arts education accessible to its diverse community by building an innovative home for artists and teachers of excellence and relevance who entertain, enlighten, inspire, and inform their audiences and students. bergenPAC's Performing Arts School is the areas' leading cultural and arts educational institution in Northern New Jersey, which shall guide and liberate the imagination of our youth and expand the lives of our adults. Invest in the Arts by Taking a Leading Role Supporting

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