Category: Venue Profile

The Strand Center Theater: From Vaudeville to Rock and Roll

Located in the center of downtown Plattsburgh, The Strand Theater is a historical landmark that has been the cultural heartbeat in the North Country for almost a century. Opened on December 29, 1924, as a Vaudeville theater featuring stunning architecture and interior design. The Strand Theater provided the community with theatrical and musical productions of all types and was considered the “Pride of Northern New York.”

The Strand went through some changes over the years. In the 70’s the theater was renovated in such a way that it became a two-room movie theater, and eventually a four-room theater. The changes covered the original interior design. The beautiful and ornate features were no longer visible, and the theater took on a different feel. The theater struggled financially and went on to change hands several times until in 2004 when the North Country Cultural Center for the Arts purchased the building. This was the beginning of a ten year, four-million-dollar restoration project.

Years of hard work, public and private grants, donations, and the dedication of the community has paid off. Now known as The Strand Center Theater, the venue is flaunting the ornamental design meant from its inception in 1924. Two highlights from the restoration include the replica of the original chandelier, donated by Swavorski Lighting, and a 1924 Wurlitzer organ. The Wurlitzer was donated by Leonard and Louise Johnson of Hingham, MA, owners of the Colney Theater in Philadelphia. A group of volunteers refurbished the 1924 instrument and it is now fully functional and an astonishing sight.

Not only has the theater completed its restoration and is sporting its fancy facelift, but The Strand Center Theater also has a new Executive Director creating quite a buzz in Plattsburgh. Mr. Bob Garcia relocated from New York City to Plattsburgh and is the first permanent director for The Strand in three years. Mr. Garcia has an impressive background in theater and production. He worked at Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden in finance positions for many years. Mr. Garcia has much enthusiasm about the future of The Strand and has great ideas about ways to make the theater more and more successful with each event.

Recently Mr. Garcia brought Dave Mason, Traffic co-founder, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee to The Strand. Dave Mason is a rock legend, having an artist of this caliber grace the stage in Plattsburgh was a huge honor. Between his unsurpassed guitar playing, storytelling and great sense of humor, Mason gave the audience one of the best shows to date. Receiving several standing ovations throughout the night Dave Mason’s performance brought an undeniable, tangible energy to the theater. The seated crowd ended the evening on their feet and dancing in the aisles.

The following weekend The Strand Center Theater welcomed another world-class musician. Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters brought their classic soulful blues to Plattsburgh, and it was a show the audience won’t forget. Earl is known for his old-school style, mesmerizing fans since he started playing in the 1970’s. B.B. King has stated, “…he is one of the most serious blues guitarists you can find today. He makes me proud!” Another top-notch performance for The Strand, with many more to come.

The Strand Center Theater is excited to announce that The Allman Betts Band set to perform on March 30, 2019 and Lonesome Traveler, a concert version of the acclaimed off-Broadway musical with special guest star and Folk Legend Peter Yarrow, the only living member of Peter, Paul & Mary. The musical tells the story of Americana music over the years. More event listings including comedy shows, ballet, theater, art and orchestra events can be found at the venue’s website.

The future of this historical theater in the North Country is bright. With Mr. Garcia at the helm, continued passion and support of the community, this venue is bringing back the heartbeat in downtown Plattsburgh.

November 30, 2018
A Look into Proctors and its Founder

On Friday, Sept. 7, locals were able to learn more about both the personal and professional life of vaudeville impresario F.F. Proctor — full name is Frederick Freeman Proctor — who is known for developing the original Proctors in Schenectady back in 1912.

The event was titled “Proctor: A Man, His Theater, Our Heritage” and was part of the Coffee and Conversation series at the Bethlehem Public Library, which is co-sponsored by Bethlehem Senior Projects, Inc.

The series takes place every Friday through Nov. 16, starting at 1 p.m. with visiting speakers and musicians talking about their craft, followed by an hour of complimentary coffee and light snacks at 2 p.m.

Marilyn Sassi — a long-time museum curator, and adjunct professor at both Hudson Valley Community College and Schenectady County Community College — did her research before presentation that Friday, hoping to educate the audience about the theater’s origins, since it has been a significant landmark in the Capital District.

While providing a slideshow of vivid historical photographs of Proctor himself who lived from Mar. 7, 1851 to Sept. 4, 1929 as well as the theater’s appearance through the decades, she also spoke about how the man grew from being an acrobatic performer himself to achieving his dream of opening his own theater.

A self-professed theater lover, Sassi personally volunteers at Proctors where she has served as a tour guide for 13 years now. She recounted how she first watched movies at the theater with her grandfather when she was around five years old. Eventually, she became fascinated with Proctor’s life as well as how throughout the 20th century, his theater was developed, maintained, almost demolished and renovated for the modern times.

To gather her research, Sassi worked with historians at the Schenectady County Historical Society, a historian near Central Valley as well as Proctor’s closest living relative, his great-grandnephew, who supplied exclusive information and photographs.

She discussed how Proctor himself was a professional acrobat and performed in vaudeville houses in the late 19th century, calling himself “F.F. Levantine.” Gaining a desire at age 29 to buy and manage a theater though, “the only thing he can afford was a rundown, really shabby theater down on Green Street in Albany called the Gaiety at the time,” she said.

Eventually, he oversaw the openings of more theaters nationwide and in 1925, the aforementioned Albany theater was moved to its present location in Schenectady. Sassi noted that the introduction of television, shopping malls and World War II factored into the theater’s downfall eventually, as well as Proctor’s own death in 1929.

Falling into particular disrepair by the 1960s and 1970s, the theater was almost demolished but was saved when the Schenectady Council of the Arts intervened and money was raised via grants to begin renovations. It officially reopened on Jan. 3, 1979. Since then, the theater has undergone further renovations and maintenance in an effort to return it to its former aesthetic glory from the early 20th century.

“Now, when you go into the theater, you are walking into what people would have seen when the theater first opened,” Sassi concluded her presentation, resulting in sheer applause from the mostly-packed audience.

The next Coffee and Conversation event is this Friday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m.

This article was originally published by The Spot 518.

September 14, 2018
The Arc, Set to Open in Kaufman Arts District, Names Former Webster Hall VP as COO

The Arc, a new 20,000 square foot concert hall and recording studio in the Kaufman Arts District in Long Island City, will open in early 2019 with former Webster Hall Executive Vice President Rich Pawelczyk named COO. The management team plans to bring strategic brand partnering and the world’s top talent and emerging artists to The Arc.

A 1931 vintage building, The Arc has a unique arched, wooden cathedral-like ceiling with Douglas Fir bowstring trusses that imbue the space with spectacular acoustics. Featuring both large and small performance spaces, along with a full 21st century recording studio and a total capacity of 2,000, The Arc will have a sound stage, full sound and video recording capabilities, and state-of-the-art acoustics that will rank among the finest in the world.

“I’m thrilled to join the team as the The Arc is taking shape as a world-class concert venue that can accommodate not just live performances with unsurpassed acoustics, but also with state-of-the-art digital recording and streaming technology that will enable us to create unique experiences for fans–and the brands that want to reach them—in New York City around the world,” said Rich Pawelczyk. “We’re already seeing a flood of initial interest among artists and sponsors because, with incredible design, location, and technology, The Arc is poised to fill a void in both the New York music scene and in the industry as a whole.”

The Arc will fill a void in the NYC music scene, featuring an arched antique wood wooden ceiling for unparalleled acoustics (see release below), two performance spaces, recording studio/sound stage, and 24 hr cafe. Grammy award-winning sound engineer Adam Abeshouse has joined the team and The Arc is expected to have some of the best acoustics anywhere in the world. Take a 360′ tour of The Arc

The venue is part of John Belitsky’s DMNDR network, a global community of artists, musicians and fans that user DMNDR to share their work. The venue will serve as DMNDR’s physical concert and recording venue.

The Arc is named for its mission to showcase musical talent at every stage in the arc of an artist’s career—from emerging talent to well-established artists. The Arc is a full city block-through of event space in Long Island City—New York’s fastest growing neighborhood only minutes from Midtown Manhattan—that will feature a state-of-the-art recording studio, media center for streaming live videos, a 24/hour café featuring cuisine of 600+ local food vendors, and spaces for local talent and community collaborations. Corporate branding partnerships are in development.

To date The Arc has held small, well-received performances and sessions including LoveHoney, Madison McFerrin, Jackie Venson, Jon Fratelli (of the Fratellis), Oxymorrons, Mosie, and many more. Current performances are by invitation only and occur weekly.

The Arc’s exceptional, world-class acoustics will establish the live performance hall as a destination for rehearsals, recordings and performances of a diverse range of musical talent. DMNDR will also seek designation for The Arc as an accredited sound stage for film and television production to further complement the thriving creative industries within the Kaufman Arts District.

July 10, 2018