BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Velvet ropes stretched across the front of Shea’s Performing Arts Center on Main Street in downtown Buffalo Friday for Curtain Up.
"The energy is electric. We are vibrating down here on Main Street,” declared Cassie Cameron, producer/director, Irish Classical Theatre.
Whether you're an avid theatergoer or just an occasional patron of Buffalo's Theatre District, Curtain Up is designed as a celebration for everyone.
“The theater has been a keystone in Buffalo's history for decades, for centuries,” reflected Cameron.
"Buffalo has talent second to none,” remarked Brian Higgins, president, Shea’s Performing Arts Center.
This is the first Curtain Up for former Congressman Higgins, who is now eight months into his job as president of Shea’s.
"People are very excited about the new energy in the Theatre District,” Higgins stated.
Higgins is part of creating that “new energy”. One of his goals is to attract more people from across the region, not only to Shea's but into the city's Theatre District.
“Keep in mind, Eileen, there are 109, according to Buffalo Place, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in and around the theater district, so we want to make the theater district a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week destination, not just when the theaters are active, but we want to create more activation for those theaters,” Higgins explained.
Higgins’ concept is being embraced by theater leaders. I asked Michael Russo, co-president of the Theatre District Association of Western New York, and Starring Buffalo, about the vision.
“I absolutely think it's doable. There's such a fabric to downtown in so many ways. Obviously, theater is a big part of it, but there's so many reasons that we want a vibrant downtown. And I think that that's, that's a very achievable goal,” Russo replied.
“Tell us about the energy that's down here between the big and small theaters?” Buckley asked. “That's a great question. The energy down here with all the theaters, is really incredible. We have over 20 professional theater companies producing in Buffalo and the smaller companies do so much amazing work. It’s really exciting,” Russo responded.
“We are going to see thousands of people on our street tonight looking through our windows, recognizing new businesses that they've never seen before,” Cameron stated.
Cameron, from the Irish Classical also reacted to Higgins' goal.
"Do you think his vision is doable?” Buckley asked. “I do. I do. I think that there's a lot of opportunities down here. There's a lot of spaces and so to make this area more walkable, more shoppable — is something that I think he and his connections are going to,” replied Cameron.
The Irish Classical will be one of 11 theaters with Curtain Up performances Friday night called ‘Dracula, a comedy of Terrors’.
"It is a sexy, campy, hilarious take on Dracula, where we have five actors playing over 30 characters,” Cameron described.
Those 11 performances will be featured at Curtain Up. Shea's will be featuring a cabaret event. The final act -is a big, free street party right along Main Street downtown starting at 10 p.m. Friday.
“Break a leg!” laughed Russo.
