A Rochester theater is among several venues around the state trying to bring attention to the need for financial help if they are to reopen in the not-too-distant future.
The 10 upstate performing arts centers are using the Twitter handle, #lightsUPstateNY, and they want to get the point across to Governor Andrew Cuomo and other state political leaders that the theaters will need help to restart their operations when they can safely do that.
The theaters include the Auditorium Theatre, which is run by the Rochester Broadway Theatre League and Smith Center for the Arts in Geneva. The theater group said that even if they could reopen in January 2021, the estimated cost to restart these venues will be $15 million.
The coalition of venues notes that they have had to cancel or postpone hundreds of events due to the pandemic. John Parkhurst, who is chief operating officer for RBTL, notes that the theaters are big economic drivers in their communities.
“We create a lot of jobs, we’re the historical venues in our cities, and we’re unique operations and we’re key to our downtowns, so without those jobs, it’s a big blow to the industries in our communities,” Parkhurst said. The coalition of theaters said that together, they have about a $250 million dollar impact each year in upstate New York.
The group of ten theaters is asking state officials to help design a plan to keep these venues in operation. Parkhurst says there is hope that if a new federal stimulus bill is approved, it will include money set aside with the Save our Stages Act, legislation that was proposed last summer.
