 In 1984, it was again renamed as the Count Basie Theatre, in memorial to William “Count” Basie, the great jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, and Red Bank native, who had died that year.The arts council operated the theater until June 30, 1999, when the not-for-profit corporation Count Basie Theatre, Inc. was established to manage, program, and preserve the theater.As part of its $26 million expansion, the theater adopted the name Count Basie Center For The Arts on May 14, 2018, to better reflect the organization's work offstage in schools and the community.