Sure enough, the Turning Stone now offers nationally competitive
entertainment in a 5,000-seat events center and an 800-seat showroom.
Rick Gallagher, the director of entertainment and events at the Verona
resort, has been able to book such big name acts as Alicia Keys and
Stevie Wonder in his first 18 months on the job. Upcoming shows include
Leann Rimes on Nov. 5 and Kenny Rogers on Dec. 8.
In the face of this competition, the Stanley Theatre has adapted well
and found its niche. The Landmark Theatre has struggled but may finally
be on its way. Gallagher acknowledges the resort atmosphere at Turning
Stone has helped its performance venues succeed in a way that other
venues cannot.
“Because we are a large resort with hotel rooms and restaurants and
golf courses and spas and other things for people to do, it gives us an
ability to support an entertainment program that may give us an
advantage over a stand-alone theater,” Gallagher says. “When you take a
stand-alone venue like the Landmark, it is a little bit harder for
them.”
The keys to survival for both the Stanley and the Landmark are
renovating their facilities to help them compete, and bringing in shows
that would not work in the Turning Stone’s venues.
To that end, the Stanley underwent a $20 million major renovation in
2008 that has helped the 2,903-seat venue become more marketable. The
theater, which is roughly 20 miles east of the Turning Stone, raised
about $13 million for the renovation from 600 or so donors, impressive
for historically economically depressed Utica. The project doubled the
size of the theater’s stage and significantly improved the backstage
loading area. A new performers’ lounge and a gallery corridor have also
helped the Stanley attract larger productions.
John Faust, Stanley theater manager for the past 30 years, says the
staff is always looking ahead and keeping track of the changes they must
make to survive. The renovations to the theater now make it a home for
both local theatrical productions and touring Broadway shows. The
Stanley, 259 Genesee St., presents 90 to 100 theatrical events a year on
their newly expanded stage. The next renovation on their list is new
seats for the auditorium.
Faust is well aware of the competition the Turning Stone has brought
to the area. The Stanley used to be the go-to venue for country acts
before the casino’s Event Center was built. Now most of the major
country performers go to the casino. In fact, in 2009 the Turning Stone
was named “Casino of the Year” by the Academy of Country Music. To be
nominated for the award, the casino must have brought or promoted at
least five country concerts during the previous year.
As a result, the Stanley will most likely never be able to bring in
the same quality or number of country acts as in the past. Willie Nelson
played there a couple of years ago but Faust believes they won’t be
able to book any other country acts in the future.
Rather, they seek to bring in acts that will excite and educate their
audience, such as the modern dance company Pilobolus, fitting the
Stanley’s mantra of being “friendly, daring and fun.” “Part of our goal
is to bring events that have strong artistic quality and raise the bar
for what you expect to see,” Faust says. “We don’t want to be known just
for the popular stuff, but also for artistic content. We have to brand
ourselves. We are a center for art.”
Bringing in shows like Pilobolus, Cirque Dreams and Riverdance
has helped the Stanley maintain its role as an important arts center.
“We’ve had to find our own little niches,” Faust says. “For instance, Sesame Street Live
will never play the casino for obvious reasons, and most Broadway shows
won’t play the casino. Religious events won’t take place there but we
can have them here. Classical music and comedians do very well here.
We’re finding that those are the kinds of niche things we can do that
the casino cannot.”
Faust says the Stanley was hit pretty hard last year by the Great
Recession and lost a significant amount of money, especially in ticket
sales. As a result, they are being more careful about the shows they
present this year, with a focus on the commercial, forging partnerships
and acquiring sponsors from businesses and local community members.
“This is a very generous, giving community,” Faust notes. “People
like to support us because we are the gem of the Mohawk Valley.”
Improving a Landmark
The Landmark is about to undertake a renovation project of its own
set to begin in September. Executive director Denise Fresina DiRienzo
says the ornate former movie palace at 362 S. Salina St. will be closed
for the next year while workers expand the stage and build a two-story
stage house to provide dressing room areas. She knows that making
improvements to the theater is crucial. Interestingly, the Landmark’s
board of trustees has looked to the Stanley for advice on the project.
“Basically all of the historic theaters in the United States are
doing this,” DiRienzo says. “We were all built as moviehouses, but
today’s technology has changed everything. Our theater is 82 years old
and needs a new stage. We need to expand it to meet the demands of
today’s tours. Our stage, being a moviehouse stage, is not meeting those
demands.”
The Landmark’s board has been trying to make the theater the leading
performing arts venue in Central New York for the past decade. New seats
were installed in 2001 and the lobbies were renovated in 2003. Now it’s
the stage’s turn. Future plans are to upgrade both the auditorium and
the restrooms.
The stage renovation is projected to cost $16.3 million. The
2,948-seat theater received a Historic Preservation grant from New York
state and federal money secured with the help of former Rep. James
Walsh. A few private donors also pitched in.
Plans to modernize the Landmark’s stage have been discussed for more
than a decade, but the project was slow to get started. The theater is a
nationally registered landmark, so proposals to change it require
extensive review. Construction should have started a few months ago but
was delayed while the state wrestled to pass a budget, which included
$6.5 million for the Landmark.
Once the stage renovations are complete, DiRienzo plans to make the
Landmark a destination for touring Broadway musicals, similar to the
Stanley. In the past the Landmark booked Chicago and Jesus Christ Superstar. In addition, she wants to book comedy shows, gospel plays, music performances and children’s shows.
Paula Deckman, the president of the Landmark’s board of trustees,
believes the touring Broadway shows that now play at the Mulroy Civic
Center will find a new home at the Landmark. The Syracuse Symphony
Orchestra and Syracuse Opera are constantly using the Crouse-Hinds
Theater, squeezing out other productions. The renovated Landmark, she
believes, will be able to provide the time and space Broadway shows
prefer.
“The Civic Center has other in-house productions and Broadway shows
that need booking times for rehearsals,” Deckman says. “We will have the
time and space for everyone, a theater that has acoustics that work and
is artistic in design.” DiRienzo says she has not started planning a
2011-2012 season yet, but both she and Deckman are striking a confident
pose.
The Stanley has already made major changes and continues bringing
quality entertainment to the area. It appears the Landmark is at long
last headed in the same direction. Within a year, the arts community in
Syracuse may finally have the Landmark Theatre they have always wanted,
and needed.
Deandra Modica graduated from Niagara University with a major in
English and a minor in Writing. She is interested in music and has
written for the Buffalo News website.
