Rochester Lyric Opera has reportedly bought this East Avenue church for performance space. Credit: PHOTO BY CHRISTINE CARRIE FIEN

This is a corrected version of this story.

The
concept of adding multiple new venues to Rochester’s performing arts scene
seemed to die with the Renaissance Square project in 2009. But it has come back
strong.

Several sources say that Rochester Lyric Opera is interested in converting the First Church of Christ, Scientist, building on East Avenue into performance space. Credit: PHOTO BY CHRISTINE CARRIE FIEN

Rochester
Broadway Theatre League wants a 3,000-seat theater downtown, and the city has
taken the first steps toward getting one built by seeking out a consultant to
do a study.

And RBTL officials
say that if they get a new theater downtown, they’ll continue to operate the
Auditorium Theatre.

Rochester
Lyric Opera is said by several sources to want to convert the First Church of
Christ, Scientist, building on East Avenue into a performance theater for its
own productions and a variety of other events. (The church has purchased a property on Mt. Hope Avenue in Rochester.)

Fringe
Festival leaders have already said that the church will be one of the venues
for next September’s festival. And the building is a venue for the Jazz Festival this year.

Lyric
Opera officials declined to comment on their plans, but City Council member
Elaine Spaull says that the surrounding neighborhoods are excited about the
potential new theater.

A
study commissioned in the planning of Ren Square, which would’ve combined a
performing arts center with a transit center and MCC, found that Rochester
could support a performing-arts venue with three or
four theaters. But Rochester’s performance venues have increased since
Ren Square died.

The
Eastman School of Music built a new small theater, Blackfriars now has a
building on East Main, Nazareth renovated its arts center in 2009, and last
year, RAPA began operating a 1,964-seat theater in northwest Rochester.

Can
Rochester support all of these performance spaces? The downtown theater study may
give a clue. It will include a look at the demand for a new downtown theater, and will include a market analysis.

This article appears in Mar 18-24, 2015.

I'm City's news editor, which means I oversee all aspects of our news-gathering operation. I also sneak in to an occasional City Council meeting and cover Rochester's intriguing and eclectic neighbors....

4 replies on “New theaters may be in the works for Rochester”

  1. Yes, yes, yes! There is so much talent here in Rochester and not enough room to show it. We are especially in need of affordable places for smaller groups that may not have the resources to own and manage their own playhouse or stage, but could rent one out for their show.

  2. Renting space for smaller theatres was in the plans for Renaissance Square but the rental fee was far beyond what any group could afford. RAPA is currently renting spaces for smaller theatres. With so many performing arts groups reaching for audiences the issue should not be the need for additional space (there is enough now) but the need for arts coverage by the media. We don’t need a large downtown theatre. We have the Auditorium Eastman Theatre and Kodak Center for Performing Arts.

  3. You failed to mention the Center for Performing and Visual Arts on Joseph Avenue, a project of the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance — converting a landmark designated early 1900’s former synagogue into a 300 seat performing arts center. A transformational project for Rochester’s inner city, with a committed Steering Committee in place to bring the Center to fruition.

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