Arts & Culture in Camden

“This ‘PC’ world has never been more ready for Sarcasm,” exclaims Sarcasm Comedy Club founder Steve Trevelise. The WIP radio personality and veteran comedian, who honed his emceeing and managerial chops at the esteemed Catch a Rising Star, believes that “the comedy stage is the last place for freedom of speech.” Although some shows are rated PG and some are hard R’s, Sarcasm Comedy Club refuses to sanitize its performers for sensitive ears. For those who can take a joke, the uncensored humor hub’s calendar offers two Saturday-night shows per week that spotlight local cutups and national headliners. Those who dream of becoming comedians themselves can enlist in the Sarcasm Comedy School, in which they’ll learn the craft of standup, including joke writing, audience mining, and how to make your own heckler spray.

Awarded Best Movie Night by Philadelphia magazine in 2011, Cinema 16:9 projects theatrical run movies along with independent, foreign, and classic films in surround sound and full HD projection. Comprising two screens and 100 comfortable stadium-style seats, the theater also welcomes visitors to BYOB while catching a flick.

With a passion for historic movie theaters—and a simultaneous disappointment with the unoriginality of major multiplexes—founder David Titus has created a modern moviegoing experience that maintains the uniqueness and charm of Golden Age movie theaters. Along with an eclectic list of screenings, the theater features creative programming such as Terrible Tuesday, during which audiences mock terrible films; 8-Bit Warrior Wednesday, at which attendees play classic NES and SuperNES games on the big screen; and Dinner and a Movie, which includes discounted movie tickets and discounted meals at great local restaurants.

For those who like to watch movies at home, the theater’s movie-rental program features more than 3,000 titles on DVD and Blu-ray. All-out cinephiles can benefit from the theater’s membership program, which offers plans with unlimited movie tickets and rentals. The theater also hosts private movie screenings for birthday parties and challenging knitting parties and boasts a full concession stand that doles out organic and local foodstuffs in eco-friendly containers.

Murder Mystery Inc. indulges wannabe gumshoes with interactive cases laced with sidesplitting humor. Its popular Murdered by the Mob dinner show has diners interrogating organized crime toughs after a murder at the don’s party. As Crime Goes By mystery weekends, held at hotels both in state and out of state, stretch a tangled web of bribery, infidelity, and murder over three days, fully immersing guests in the case’s shadowy twists and turns and terrifying vacationers who accidentally booked a room the same weekend. Seasoned improvisers fill out the company’s roster of actors, delivering lively and humorous dialogue that draws in audiences and draws delighted giggles out of even the surliest of sleuths.

At Let's Dance Ballroom, guests don't need a predetermined partner to learn ballroom and Latin steps. Award-winning instructors—including globally ranked dancer Cole Mills and World Pro/Am swing champion Brian Stark—gladly steer beginner and advanced students alike through several styles. For personal guidance, they help plan wedding dances and salsa twirls during private lessons. They also lead group ballroom classes and host Friday-night dance socials, where students can move or rap the Gettysburg Address to the beat.

Hawthorne Theater was established in 1927, making it one of the first movie houses established in the area. And though at almost 90 years of age the space is older than most buildings in North America, it's recently undergone major renovations to keep up with modern technology. According to an interview with owner Jack Sayegh at NorthJersey.com, the fully digital five-screen cinema was outfitted with new carpeting and chairs, Real D and 3-D movie equipment, Dolby Surround Sound in all theaters, and human ticket-takers to replace the outdated robot ones. The article also cites that the theater––which has been independently owned since 1980––is maintained by Jack's father, uncle, and cousin, reinforcing its family-friendly nature.

At Emoria Studios, the staff believes that laying a foundation of dance skills early can boost a child’s self-esteem for years to come. They also teach dance as an outlet for kids to express themselves through their movements. Babies get their first tastes of dance and social interaction in Mommy and Me classes that lead into to predance combo classes, where instructors teach preschoolers, elementary schoolers, or preteens the foundations of tap, ballet, jazz, and tumbling. These sessions then funnel into focused classes in jazz, tap, modern, ballet, or cheer meant to teach fundamentals as simply as possible.