Barrington Stage Acquires Lt. John L. Truden V.F.W. Post
Renamed Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center
By: Charles Giuliano - Apr 20, 2012
Founded in 1995, under Julianne Boyd as artistic director, Barrington Stage Company is thriving and now expanding.
In 2005 it leveraged seed money from the City of Pittsfield, and additional fund raising, to renovate a former theatre as its permanent location. In 2008 BSC rented space in the Lt. John L. Truden V.F.W. Post just a couple of blocks away in the revitalized downtown to create a Second Stage with a focus on new productions.
Through the generosity of Sydelle and Lee Blatt the building has been acquired as a gift to the theatre company. The purchase price for the multi-purpose structure was $340,843 down from the initial asking price of $424,900. The 12,602-square-foot, two-story structure is assessed by the city of Pittsfield at $747,150
"With the purchase of the VFW building, which allows us a permanent cabaret space as well as an intimate 110-seat theatre space, we have completed the Barrington Stage campus in downtown Pittsfield," told us. "Moving the Youth Theatre to the Berkshire Museum and all rehearsal spaces within the new Upstreet Cultural District will add new vitality to an already burgeoning theatre scene."
By acquiring the new building the company completes its Pittsfield campus while assuming no additional debt. Stage Two was recently renovated while the building was still being leased. The acquisition was widely anticipated, a no brainer, but any such move is risky under the economic circumstances of the past few years.
Not only has Boyd navigated through hard times but appears to have solidified the company and made bold moves to ensure its long term growth and security. Much of that success may be attributed to a combination of brilliant programming, a superb company, and savvy administration.
In a relatively short time BSC has evolved from a small, regional company to a presence on the national stage. A major part of that has come through associations with playwright Mark St. Germain and musicals maven Bill Finn. The Second Stage is being renamed for St. Germain and the yet to be renovated cabaret in the V.F.W. basement, currently a bar, will be named for Finn.
Additional space in the newly acquired building will be used for rehearsals. This should greatly facilitate productions and reduce the down time between loading in sets. This will be particularly significant during the intense summer season.
In the past few years there has been a focus on extending the Berkshire theatre season deeper into the fall, with a winter production, and an early start on the Spring/ Summer program. Toward this end BSC has conducted market research to identify the geography and demographic of audiences. The good news is that, particular during the shoulder seasons, many of the ticket buyers are coming closer to home.
We have seen more and more evidence of this during the off season. When theatres stage strong programming they fill seats. Even in the dead of winter.
Arguably this wasn’t true even a few years ago when such programming was viewed as far more risky.
Particularly with a lingering tough economy, and gas rising above $4 a gallon, the arts in the Berkshires must be weaned away from relying entirely on summer tourism. It is imperative to develop stronger support from a local and regional audience.
That also means more savvy on the part of the companies to shift their marketing and target audiences from a total reliance on New York. Nothing trumps a review in the New York Times or Wall Street Journal. But statistics reveal that readership of print media has declined by 30% and has not yet hit bottom. Not only are more people getting their information on line there is now a shift from desktop computers to tablets and smart phones.
To stay ahead of the curve BSC and other Berkshire arts organizations will have to rethink and upgrade their marketing and pr strategies.
The community of arts organizations have yet to quantify the critical mass of potential ticket buyers, year round, on any given weekend in the Berkshires. Once those warm bodies are identified the challenge is how to reach them to expand audiences.
The best strategy is to think local. The greatest potential audience is found ever closer to home sweet home. The no brainer is that they are already here. As we have been seeing more and more over the past few seasons.
Congratulations to Boyd and BSC.
Barrington Press Release
(PITTSFIELD, MA) Barrington Stage Company (BSC), under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, has purchased the Pittsfield V.F.W. at 36 Linden Street thanks to a generous gift from long-time BSC supporters Sydelle and Lee Blatt. Built in 1972 as Local V.F.W. Post 448, the 40-year-old building, which BSC has been leasing as Stage 2 since 2008, will now serve as its permanent home for new plays and musicals and an all-new cabaret space.
“Having our own home on Linden Street will allow us to create a true community arts center,” said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd from her office. “Not only will we be producing new plays, musicals and cabarets but also we will have spaces for local arts organizations to rent – a rehearsal space, the 110-seat theatre and the 50-seat cabaret – at reasonable costs. We want the burgeoning artistic community in Pittsfield to feel BSC is their home.”
Supporters of Barrington Stage since its early years, Sydelle and Lee Blatt were also instrumental in BSC’s move from Sheffield to Pittsfield in 2005. The Blatts sponsored last season’s acclaimed world premiere production of Mark St. Germain’s The Best of Enemies and were honored at last season’s annual Gala for their continued support. Sydelle has been a member of the BSC Board of Trustees since 2002.
The building, known as Lt. John L. Truden V.F.W. Post, will be renamed the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center and dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, May 26 at 2pm.
The 12,602 square-foot air-conditioned building has two levels. The upper level houses a café and the 110-seat Stage 2 theatre, which will be named the St. Germain Stage after BSC Associate Artist and resident playwright Mark St. Germain, acclaimed author of Freud’s Last Session and The Best of Enemies. The lower level houses rehearsal space, offices and a 50-seat cabaret space with a bar, which will be named Mr. Finn’s Cabaret after Tony-winner William Finn, Artistic Producer of BSC’s Musical Theatre Lab.
Since Barrington Stage began leasing the space in 2008 it has been the home of popular Stage 2 productions such as Freud’s Last Session, My Name Is Asher Lev, the 10X10 On North Play Festival and new musicals from the acclaimed BSC Musical Theatre Lab.
Programming at the St. Germain Stage begins May 23 with the New England premiere of Duncan Macmillan’s intimate drama Lungs. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret kicks off Memorial Day weekend with the rock ‘n’ roll cabaret Joe Iconis & Family on May 25 and 26. For more information on programming at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, visit barringtonstageco.org.
About Barrington Stage Company
Barrington Stage Company, a professional award-winning Equity regional theatre located in the heart of the Berkshires, in Pittsfield, MA, was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. Barrington Stage's mission is three-fold: to present top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways to bringing new audiences into the theatre—especially young people. Barrington Stage garnered national attention in 2004 when it workshopped, and premiered William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's musical hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which later transferred to Broadway's Circle-in-the-Square Theatre where it won two Tony Awards and played more than 1,000 performances. In 2009/2010 Barrington Stage produced the world premiere of Mark St. Germain's Freud's Last Session, which later moved Off-Broadway to the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater and then to New World Stages and has played more than 600 performances. Barrington Stage was voted “Best Live Theatre” by The Berkshire Eagle readers in 2011 and was named “Best Theatre Company” in Metroland’s Best of the Capital Region 2009-2011.