SCHENECTADY Proctors books Historic Theatres confab Big cities usual host to League sessions BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
Proctors has booked the premiere historic theater preservation organization in the country for a conference in 2011. The downtown Schenectady landmark will host to the League of Historic American Theatres, whose annual conferences attract participants from across the United State and Canada. Proctors CEO Philip Morris said the conference will attract between 450 and 500 professionals and community leaders interested in preserving historic theaters. “It is an important national player. For us to get it is amazing. We are the smallest community to host this,” he said. Proctors will work with the Stanley Theatre in Utica and Troy Music Hall for the conference. The league announced its conference venues earlier this week. It will hold next year’s conference in Cleveland and has held them in Boston, Los Angeles, and Kansas City, Mo. Founded in 1976, the league promotes the rescue, rehabilitation and sustainable operation of historic theaters throughout North America. In a news release, League Executive Director Fran Holden said organization members are “eager to learn first-hand about Proctors’ $30 million expansion, an investment that served as catalyst for redevelopment and creation of a lively arts district in downtown Schenectady.” Proctors completed the fiveyear expansion and rehabilitation last year, expanding the theater’s stage, renovating and expanding the adjacent Carl Co. building for conference rooms and offices, constructing a 450-seat theater to show Iwerks films, opening up space in the adjacent 440 State St. building for smaller theater productions, and building an energy plant. As part of this effort, Proctors is seeking to position itself as a site for small- and mid-size conferences. It has hosted several already.
STARS WITH LOCAL TIES TO BE HONORED AT PROCTORS Posted on: 08/29/08 Ashley Lucas, Clifton Park-Burnt Hills reporter email: lucasa@spotlightnews.com
Proctors Theatre will celebrate the grand opening of the Capital Region Hall of Fame, Saturday, Sept. 20, during the theatre’s annual season opening gala. (Ashley Lucas/Spotlight) A star-studded event is planned for September in Schenectady as Proctors Theatre plans to open the Capital Region Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame, which will feature a biography and photo of the inductee, will be located in an area known as ‘Robb Alley’ in Proctors’ newly expanded facility.
A grand opening celebration will be held Saturday, Sept. 20, in conjunction with the 2008-09 season opening of Proctors.
Judy Decker, special events manager for Proctors, said the opening of the Hall of Fame will be gradual, but eventually Proctors would like to add interactive features to the inductees’ displays, as the technology becomes available.
The Hall of Fame will honor seven individuals and corporations for their lasting impact on the entertainment industry and their contributions to the Capital District during a black tie gala featuring cocktails, dinner, dessert and dancing in the newly expanded theatre at 432 State St., Schenectady.
John Sayles, an award-winning independent filmmaker, was the first inductee to the Hall of Fame in 2006. He will be formally honored at the gala for his achievements. Sayles, who lived in Schenectady and graduated from Schenectady High School, premiered his most recent movie, “Silver City,” at Proctors in September 2004.
This year, the Hall of Fame with induct five individuals and two corporations. Of this year’s five individuals, three are recognized for their achievements as actors and two are known for their contributions to Capital District residents. Actors Kirk Douglas, originally from Amsterdam; Monty Woolley, of Saratoga Springs; and Maureen Stapleton, from Troy, will all be honored during the event.
Stapleton and Douglas’ families still live in the area and plan to attend the event, according to Decker.
Marilyn Gordon, Douglas’ niece said, “It’s such a great tribute that his hometown region would like to honor him and his lifetime achievements in this way.”
Decker said everyone recognizes Woolley’s face, but not necessarily his name. Woolley had an extensive film career that spanned nearly two decades, from 1936 to 1955.
Francis Frederick Proctor, owner and builder of Proctor’s Theatre and Ernst F.W. Alexanderson, a General Electric Co. engineer, who transmitted the first public demonstration of television in January 1928 on the stage at Proctors, will also be celebrated at the event.
“We wouldn’t have this wonderful facility without his vision,” Decker said of Proctor.
The Hall of Fame will also induct the television station WRGB, and the radio station WGY for being the oldest continuously running stations in the United States. Both stations were owned and operated by General Electric.
The Hall of Fame committee, which selects inductees, consists of Paul Harding, of Martin, Harding and Mazzotti; Walter Supley, of Creative Advantage; Dan DiNicola, of WRGB; Jack Sheehan, of The Costumer; John Scherer, from the New York State Museum and chairman of the Historical Committee at Proctors; and Philip Morris, Proctor’s Theatre CEO.
In order to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, an individual or corporation must have “significantly affected the arts, the culture and the entertainment industry; and were either born in the area or, at one time, resided in New York’s Capital Region.”
The Capital Region includes the counties of Albany, Schenectady, Rensselear, Saratoga, Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie, Warren and Washington.
“It’s really a fun night,” Decker said. “You get to really explore Proctors and our new Hall of Fame.”
Last year, for the first time, the gala was held at Proctors to show off the new expansion. The gala’s dinner was previously held at other locations before guests were invited to Proctors for a Broadway show to celebrate the opening of the season, however, this year guests will enjoy a tour of the facility including the GE Theatre, where a catered dinner by Glen Sanders Mansion will be served.
For information about the gala or to purchase tickets, contact Judy Decker at 382-3884, ext. 134.
SCHENECTADY Big-screen celebs honored at Proctors Kirk Douglas, Maureen Stapleton named to Entertainment Hall of Fame BY JESSICA HARDING Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Jessica Harding at 843-2830 or jharding@dailygazette.net.
Pioneers of radio and television along with small town celebrities who have made it to the big screen were honored Saturday during the grand opening of the Capital Region Entertainment Hall of Fame. Dressed in tuxedos and formal dresses, wine glasses in hand, more than 200 people gathered at Proctors Saturday evening for the black-tie gala, which also served as the opening to Proctors’ 2008-09 season. “This is just wonderful,” Marilyn Gordon said. “We’re having a great time.” Gordon, who is the niece of hall of fame inductee Kirk Douglas, said her uncle was honored to be recognized. “He grew up in Amsterdam to a poor family and really made something of himself, but he never forgot his roots,” Gordon said. Although Douglas couldn’t make it to the ceremony because of health challenges he still faces from a stroke, he sent a video, which was projected onto the large iWERKS movie screen in the GE Theater. “When I was a boy, I always wanted to go to the big city of Schenectady,” Douglas said in accepting the award. “Now I’ve been to many of the big cities throughout the world, but I would still go back to that fi rst big city I ever visited.” A few of Douglas’ family members live in the Capital Region, including two remaining sisters. Ida Sahr, who lives in Schenectady and Fritzi Becker, of Albany, twins, who will celebrate their 90th birthdays in February. Both women attended the event. The idea for a Capital Region Entertainment Hall of Fame began several years ago and was completed before the $30 million expansion of Proctors was finished. Proctors CEO Phillip Morris said he wanted to create an Entertainment Hall of Fame to recognize the various celebrities and pioneers of the entertainment industry who came from the Capital Region. “It also solidifies Proctors as a regional outlet and I think that’s important,” he said. Saturday, luminaries from Troy and Saratoga Springs were inducted into the Entertainment Hall of Fame. Maureen Stapleton, of Troy, a Tony Award winning actress who has received several Oscar nominations, was inducted along with Monty Woolley of Saratoga Springs, who was made famous for his role in the Broadway production of “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” Former WRGB news anchor Jack Aernecke and WGY radio personality Don Weeks hosted the induction ceremony, which was fitting because both organizations were inducted into the Entertainment Hall of Fame, WRGB for being the oldest continually operated television station in the world and WGY for being the state’s first and one of the nation’s oldest radio stations. Inductees also included awardwinning independent filmmaker and Schenectady native John Sayles, the builder of Proctor’s Theater, Frederick Freeman Proctor and General Electric engineer Ernest F.W. Alexanderson, who transmitted the fi rst public demonstration of television on the Proctors stage in 1930. After the induction ceremony, Jim and Nancy Bedard of Schenectady, said hearing from Douglas was a nice touch. “This has been a lovely night and it was wonderful to see him,” Nancy Bedard said. Marge Maas, co-chair of the event’s organizing committee, agreed that the evening was special. “It has exceeded my expectations,” she said. “Everything was done top notch.”
CAPITAL REGION Future of arts funding unclear In tough times, venues may hurt BY SARA FOSS Gazette Reporter
As the Saratoga County Arts Council gears up for its fall fundraising season, executive director Joel Reed doesn’t know what to expect. He’s not alone. With the economy in free fall, area arts organizations are preparing for uncertainty. They anticipate that their grant funding will decline, donations will fall off and ticket sales and attendance will dip. But they’re also guardedly optimistic about their ability to weather the storm. “We’re financially strong and our programs are strong,” Reed said. “We’re good for now. The fallout will likely be in the next fiscal year.” The one area where the Saratoga County Arts Council has taken a hit is its endowment, which had dropped 10 percent in value by the end of the September. And because the market has continued to plummet, “it’s going to be double or triple that,” Reed said. During tough times, arts organizations tend to be among the hardest hit, said Kristen Frederick, president of the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region. “Arts organizations are the fi rst in line to see cutbacks,” she said “Health and human services are so crucial to life that if the government has to make a hard choice about where to put its dollars, the arts are going to get cut.” That’s true for gifts from private foundations as well, she said. A MATTER OF PRIORITIES Leslie Cheu, executive director of the Troy Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, said the staggering economy has forced her foundation to make some tough choices. The group will maintain its funding to the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall but has reduced gifts to arts organizations by about 50 percent she said. The group’s portfolio has suffered, which means there is less money to give away, but priorities have also shifted. “We’re conflicted as a foundation,” Cheu said. “We see great value in the arts, and we want them to be successful. We believe that in order for a community to thrive, it needs good, solid arts organizations. But in this time of need, it’s difficult to direct funding to arts organizations when human services agencies are facing such demand.” She noted that soup kitchens food pantries and homeless shelters are all overflowing with people. “When you hear all that, it’s hard to talk about sponsoring an art gallery,” she said. At Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, feedback from donors has been positive, said Brittany Lesavoy, director of public relations. Two patrons have called and made unsolicited gifts because they felt there was a need, while a hedge fund manager recently requested information about sponsorship “Several other patrons have called and said ‘you can count on us,’ ” she said. Still, it’s difficult to gauge what the Glimmerglass Opera’s end-ofyear fundraising push will yield Lesavoy said. “We’re pretty watchful right now,” she said. “It’s too early to draw conclusions.” FALLING FIGURES Arts organizations are also reporting flat or declining attendance. At The Arts Center of the Capital Region, based in Troy, enrollment in arts courses is flat, according to Amy Williams, president of the arts center. She said the organization’s foundation support has r e m a i n e d s t e a d y , but she e x - c t o pects next year to be tough. “Things are going to get worse before they get better,” she said. “Corporate money is going to be very hard to get. That money isn’t driven by the stock market, like a foundation, but there will be effects.” Philip Morris, CEO at Proctors, said ticket sales took a dip last year when gas prices and other expenses jumped, but donor support remained strong. He added that it was a little too early to tell exactly how the problems on Wall Street would impact Proctors and the arts in general. “It’s more about watching what happens in the next six to 12 months,” he said. “At some point, this will impact all of us.” The Saratoga Performing Arts Center will be mailing out membership brochures in the next few weeks, according to Marcia White, SPAC president. Despite slow ticket sales — overall attendance at SPAC’s classical shows dropped 9 percent this year — SPAC managed to increase fundraising and cut costs, and the organization ended the year in the black for the fourth year in a row. Even so, “we are moving forward in a very conservative way,” White said. “This crisis is going to affect everyone and everything.” But she said she’s optimistic that people will recognize SPAC’s value as an economic engine, and continue to support the organization. Corporate sponsorship, she said, is still strong. GOVERNMENT CUTS Arts organizations expect the funding they receive from the New York State Council on the Arts to decline. The state legislature recently approved Gov. David Paterson’s request for a 6 percent cut in the agency’s $48 million in grants for 2008-09. “We’ll see a cut,” Reed said. “But it’s hard to say what the cut will be at this point.” White said that SPAC’s grant from the Council on the Arts will decline between 10 and 15 percent, which means “we’re going to depend more on contributions.” Right now, about 45 percent of SPAC’s costs are covered b y e a s t C ticket sales. Heather Hitchens, executive director of the Council on the Arts, said that at the state level, funding for the arts has been declining for years. In the mid-1990s, the group had $54 million available for grants; when the most recent cuts are implemented, it will be down to $46 million. “This economic crisis is a bad, bad crisis, but I don’t think we were thriving as an arts organization before this,” she said. COMMUNITY EFFORTS Earlier this year, the Council on the Arts launched a series of forums, called Cultural Blueprints, to initiate conversations about how the arts can stimulate cultural, economic and community development. The goal is to work with different agencies and organizations, figure out how to leverage assets and come up with a plan for growth and increased participation. In a time of economic uncertainty, this process is more important than ever, Hitchens said. “Business as usual is not going to work anymore,” she said. “We need alternative income streams.” Last week, more than 100 Capital Region leaders gathered at Proctors for a Cultural Blueprints forum on the arts and economic development. “We’re talking to private philanthropists and foundations and asking, ‘What are you doing for the arts?’ ” Hitchens said. The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region manages 340 funds that belong to individuals, corporations and other organizations in the Capir e n these funds are invested as one big group. Before the market crashed, the Community Foundation’s portfolio was worth about $42 million, but it has since dropped about 6.7 percent. Meanwhile, grant applications are up about 10 percent. “Organizations are really scrambling to turn up dollars,” Frederick said. “If you’re invested in the market, you’re going to see your total asset base be diminished.” But there is a reason for hope, Frederick said. Earlier this year, the Community Foundation released a report showing that baby boomers in the Capital Region will leave $98.8 billion to subsequent generations during the next 50 years. “When the going gets tough, Americans step up to the plate,” Frederick said. “In the local community, the same thing will happen. There’s going to be a lot of people hurting, but we understand volunteerism very well.” Reach Gazette reporter Sara Foss at 395-3193 or sfoss @dailygazette. net.
They do also get private donations from businesses and the local 'wealthy' if you will. They offer corporate packages to businesses at a reduced cost with special benefits. Which I personally think is a great idea.
Supporting the Arts should be supported by people who desire it. The great Mr. Morris should do as WMHT does with their 2ce/year auction. Have telethons. Have a bake sale for God's sake. Or is that beneath them? It would be very interesting to see just how many 'average' people would dontate to the 'Proctor's cause'. I'm sure that it would reveal that most of the folks are not interested and that without the taxpayers money, that they get no return on, would not be enough to keep the place a float.
Proctors along with Central 'pervert' Park are called the 'county jewels'. Well they are NOT! They are helping to break the backs of the taxpayrs with NO RETURN what so ever on their investment. Ticket sales are down at Proctors, which will only get worse in these economic down times and other than the Kosiur day camp and ethnic venues, what does Central Park have to offer the taxpayer? A rose garden, perhaps?
Nonsense!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Excellent BumbleT-glad someone else is paying attention. Phillip Morris should have been fired last year.
Attendance at Proctor's all summer was terrible. Morris states its "too early to tell". Get real. Newsflash: the economy here has been terrible for some time and Proctor's like Metrograft is another dead weight on the County taxpayers back. It's so bad the horrible People's Gazette stopped reporting attendance figures.
Only 800 for Dickie Betts who sold out nationwide. $300,000 wasted on Proctor's promoting unnecessary Art's Nights. 440 State for sale with no interest whatsoever. Proctor's should stick to Broadway plays. Forget about has been singers that can't filled a quarter of the place. The entire "Arts and Drunk District" has been a complete bust and taxpayer rip-off. $3 million dumped into the Big Hose, which still sits unopened. Property tax give aways to the rich, to lure them from Rotterdam. At some point, someone from Rotterdam or the Hilltowns is going to wake up and demand an end to this fiscal insanity.
the best thing we have is Proctors and anyone against it is someone that should be sued for slander and put in jail over there. I cant believe that you people want to close them
Property tax give aways to the rich, to lure them from Rotterdam. At some point, someone from Rotterdam or the Hilltowns is going to wake up and demand an end to this fiscal insanity.
Isn't that what Suhrada is for?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
He never says anything but hot air. And he is rude and not able to wrk with anyone either. Angelo is the guy we need to work with the rest to get these give- aways out of our town budgets. Tommasone, Mertz, and the rest, they spend spend spend and there isnt anyone but Angelo to stick up for us. They gave lots of money to Kosier and that but very little to keep Proctors afloat. I wouldnt be attacking Proctors over here since they are the number one thing in the county and my wife volunteers there with my aunt. When you want to save the money look at other things to take from like the salaries that Ang wants to cut which is the number 1 problem killing us. Leave Proctors alone and help them with the extra money dont cut them
Sal is right, Proctors is the best thing that Schenectady has to offer and that's exactly why the black hole called Proctors should be cut loose from the tax payers support and let it just sink or swim because it isn't helping to lower our taxes one bit only raise them.
the best thing we have is Proctors and anyone against it is someone that should be sued for slander and put in jail over there. I cant believe that you people want to close them
Too funny. The best thing? Nobody wants to close it. Especially after the County taxpayers have dumped million of dollars into it. How about running efficiently and not losing money? How about bringing in a new CEO over there that has experience running large theatres? Some people defend to the death taxpayer waste and having government where it doesn't belong.
It appears that Proctor's business model and Mr. Morris' management is unable to sustain the cost of operations of the theater without continuous financial support of public revenues. I have been informed that the 2009 County Budget contains $200,000 of tax revenues being given to the not-for-profit Proctors Theater. (I believe that the figure was $300K+ in 2008 ). This is in addition to the revenues awarded by the Metroplex.
Proctors Theater must be taken off of taxpayer "life support". It needs to become self-sustaining. The public revenues will continue to be redistributed so long as they have an advocate, Legislator Karen Johnson, working at Proctors.
Sal is right, Proctors is the best thing that Schenectady has to offer and that's exactly why the black hole called Proctors should be cut loose from the tax payers support and let it just sink or swim because it isn't helping to lower our taxes one bit only raise them.
Right if Proctor's is such a jewel RUN IT AS A BUSINESS and get it off the oppressed County Taxpayers back. $300,000 was wasted just for Proctor's to oversee Art's Nights. How many jobs did that produce? Zero.
Wake Up Sal there is no extra money to give out-even if your beloved Angelo passes his minor County savings. More here better sober up and call their County Legislators. If the proposed County increase goes through with the town hikes we are all ruined. And yes people should be in prison but not the alert taxpayers watch dogs who keep warning you. The sheeple keep being hoodwinked and okey-doked.
Logged
Excellent BumbleT-glad someone else is paying attention. Phillip Morris should have been fired last year.
