Morristown To Host Free Winter Arts Event With Ice Sculptures and Live Performances

Mayo Performing Arts Center will present Theatre of Light: Celestial Winter on Nov. 23, at the Vail Mansion Plaza in Morristown from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This marks the sixth year. The event costs nothing to attend and belongs to the venue's Arts in the Community program.

Ice sculptures by Okamoto Studios will fill the space. Dancers wearing LED wings will move through the crowd. Life-size puppets will appear alongside shows from the venue's Performing Arts Company. Guests can make crowns at a special station, adding white lights to their creations. A Fire & Ice Throne awaits for photos.

DJ Lingo spins music all evening. Fire dancer Kate Falduto takes the stage. The Unity Steppers from the Morristown Neighborhood House join in.

"Theatre of Light brings our community together to inspire, engage and connect people from all backgrounds through the joy of the arts," said Allison Larena, President & CEO of the organization, according to New Jersey Stage.

A Wish Upon a Star Tree stands ready for attendees. Ellie the Elephant appears transformed into a Winter Ice Queen. She serves as the main attraction. Fluxion Entertainment brings LED-winged dancers and an LED juggler to the mix.

Okamoto Studio will carve ice throughout the night. If weather turns bad, St. Peter's Church and Parish Hall becomes the new spot.

"Theatre of Light is truly a celebration of community," said Kadie Dempsey, Community Engagement Director and Principle at Core Creative Placemaking, to New Jersey Stage. "We believe that by engaging community in the process, the event takes on a deeper and more meaningful experience."

ADP sponsors the Arts in the Community program. CORE Creative Placemaking coordinates everything. Principles Kadie Dempsey and Dan Fenelon live in Morristown and lead CORE.

The nonprofit group presents programs serving the region. In 2016, the League of Historic American Theatres named it Outstanding Historic Theatre. Pollstar Magazine puts it in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers.

Free crown and wand making workshops happen before the main event. The Morris Museum at 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown hosts a workshop on Nov. 9 at 1:00 p.m. The Morristown Library across from the center holds another workshop on Nov. 14 at 3:30 p.m. Parking costs nothing at the museum.

The 2025-2026 season gets support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. The F.M. Kirby Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, and other corporations, foundations, and individuals chip in too.

The plaza sits next to the main building. Everything runs for two hours.