Best Historic Theatres In Upstate New York
Juliette Fay is the award-winning author of The Tumbling Turner Sisters from sister company Simon & Schuster, The Shortest Way Home, Deep Down True, and Shelter Me. She received a bachelor's degree from Boston College and a master's degree from Harvard University. Juliette lives in Massachusetts with her husband and four children. Her website is JulietteFay.com.
A hundred years ago, most American towns had a theatre to host the traveling performers who came through on the vaudeville circuit. Vaudeville productions were basically variety shows—everything from acrobats to animal tricks, comedians to contortionists, singers to swing dancers. Remember, there was no TV, no radio, and movies were black, white and silent. Vaudeville was America's entertainment.
In a small town, the theatre might simply consist of a stage, seating and a "three-piece band" – a piano player, a piano, and a stool. Small as they were, these theatres could be lovely, with surprisingly decorative interiors. Big time vaudeville theatres were opulent beyond anything we build today, with marble stair cases, gilded prosceniums, massive chandeliers, full orchestra pits, and powder rooms the size of a small ballroom.
Here are some of the most interesting—and oldest!—theatres in Upstate New York that still operate as performance spaces today.
Shea's Buffalo Theatre
650 Main St
Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 847-1410
www.sheas.org
Known as "The Wonder Theatre" for its opulent design and enormous size, with seating for over 3,000 patrons, Shea's was built in 1926 and modeled after European opera houses of the time. It has both Grand and Petit lobbies, and Tiffany designed ceilings and chandeliers. In its early days, Shea's hosted vaudeville greats such as George Burns and Gracie Allen, and the Marx Brothers. An $18 million dollar renovation carefully restored and replicated the original details of the building, and it's now on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 Church St
Fredonia, NY 14063
(716) 679-1891
www.fredopera.org
Built in 1891 in the Queen Anne eclectic style, the theatre is housed on the second floor of the Fredonia Village Hall. It has a lovely curved horseshoe balcony and a decorative pressed-metal proscenium, and has been renovated several times, most recently in the 1980s, when it was in such disrepair it was almost demolished. The community overwhelmingly voted to renovate, and it is now beautifully restored.
Proctor's Theatre
432 State St
Schenectady, NY 12305
(518) 346-6204
www.proctors.org
When Proctor's 2700-seat theatre opened in 1926, tickets to see the five vaudeville acts and silent movie were 50 cents for the evening performance and 35 cents for a matinee. Patrons were treated to a remarkably opulent experience, with a huge marble fireplace in the lobby, gilded ceilings held up by huge Corinthian columns, and enormous chandeliers. For performers, which included Bob Hope and Red Skelton, there were 18 large dressing rooms that each had its own bath! The Proctor fell into disrepair and was almost demolished in the 1970s until a campaign for public and private monies to refurbish and restore saved it from the wrecking ball.
405 Riverside Dr
Clayton, NY 13624
(315) 686-2200
www.claytonoperahouse.com
Built in 1903 as a vaudeville performance theatre, it hosted poplar stars such as May Irwin, who enjoyed visiting this gateway to the 1,000 Islands of the St. Lawrence River. The theatre is housed on the upper floors of a four-story brick building owned by the Town of Clayton. Registered as a national historic place it underwent a $3 million renovation in 2007.
Strand Theatre
25 Brinkerhoff St
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(518) 324-2787
www.strandcenter.org
Built in 1924 as a vaudeville house by Keith-Albee, the world's largest vaudeville circuit, the Strand was fully refurbished and restored in 2007 with a $4 million renovation, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed in the Classic Revival style and boasts almost 1000 seats under its enormous crystal chandelier. Opening night in December,1924 offered the hour-long silent film "Hot Water" featuring major film star Harold Lloyd, with vaudeville and movies to come.
82 Seneca St
Geneva, NY 14456
(315) 781-5483
www.thesmith.org
Built in 1894, The Smith is one of the oldest operating theatres in the country. Its founder, William Smith, was a supporter of women's suffrage and his opera house hosted several major conventions of suffrage supporters around the turn of the century. Having fallen into disrepair in the 1970s, the Smith received a major renovation on its 100th birthday, returning the façade to its original state and the interior to its luxurious 1931 art deco design. It seats 1400 in the orchestra section and balcony.
Ohmann Theatre
65 William St
Lyons, NY 14489
(315) 946-4604
www.ohmanntheatre.com
Called "an ornament to the village" when it opened on December 6, 1915, tickets for performances were 10 cents (5 cents for movies) and the theatre boasted almost a thousand seats. Built by brothers Amos and Burt Ohmann, the theatre has been owned and managed by the Ohmann family for over 100 years. It was renovated in 2005 by its current owner, Burt Ohmann's grandson, Bob.
