South Orange Performing Arts Center

South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit performing arts venue in South Orange, New Jersey, that opened in 2006 after nearly a decade of planning. The center emerged from a redevelopment initiative led by South Orange Village Trustees in partnership with Seton Hall University, with a mission to serve as the cultural heartbeat of the greater South Orange/Maplewood region. The Jennifer & Tony Leitner Performance Hall anchors the building: a 439-seat proscenium theatre built with superior acoustics and sightlines, hosting music, comedy, theater, and spoken-word performances. The intimate scale fosters close artist-audience connection in a way that larger venues rarely achieve. The building's 3-story glass-enclosed atrium and the Herb + Milly Iris Gallery add to its distinctive architectural character. For private events, The Loft at SOPAC offers 2,185 square feet of flexible space accommodating up to 225 guests for receptions or 100 seated. Two walls of windows overlook South Mountain Reservation, and the room is equipped with a sprung hardwood dance floor, ceiling-mounted projector and screen, and a full adjacent kitchen available to licensed caterers.