P’ville’s Arc Stages Receives $500G State Grant for Larger Theater
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A local nonprofit theater group received a $500,000 state grant that will defray some of the expense of building the organization’s new 144-seat theater.
Arc Stages in Pleasantville is the beneficiary of the grant secured by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins earlier this year. In an announcement last Wednesday at Arc Stages, Stewart-Cousins was joined by its staff, local leaders and supporters of the theater to perform a ceremonial breaking of the wall that separates the current space to the new facility, which will measure roughly 3,600 square feet.
Stewart-Cousins said she looks to help reliable nonprofits that have a track record of adding value to the community.
“We’re very conscious of the fact that everything has gone up, but also you want to give resources to organizations that you know will be able to follow through with what the plans are, and as I said, be a great benefit to the community that they’re trying to reach,” Stewart-Cousins said. “Certainly, Arc Stages has more than proven itself to be the little engine that could, and so I’m really, really happy to help.”
Arc Stages, which had previous incarnations as the Chappaqua Drama Group and the Little Village Playhouse, moved to the space at 147 Wheeler Ave. about 13 years ago. It presents professional theater through its Next Stage productions using Actors Equity performers as well as its Community Stage for local actors and theater enthusiasts. There is also an Educational Stage for students.
Since its opening at the Wheeler Avenue site, a smaller makeshift theater within the building has been used with a seating capacity of less than 100 people.
Arc Stages Artistic Director Adam Cohen said the grant will help the organization reach its goal of obtaining as much as $1.4 million for the new theater. Previously, it collected about $500,000 through fundraising efforts and will soon embark on its next capital campaign where the balance of the money, estimated to be $350,000 to $400,000, will be raised, he said.
The new theater, when it’s ready for use will accommodate two-story sets and include a pit for an orchestra, Cohen said. It will have better sound quality and allow Arc Stages to have larger productions, he added. It is currently projected to open sometime next spring, he said.
It will also free up space in the current area for a rehearsal room, a couple of dressing rooms and space for its camp and educational classrooms. Underneath the new theater, there will also be basement space for additional storage.
Cohen said the grant is significant to help bring the money Arc Stages needs to help complete the project while providing an improved facility for the public.
“It’s just going to give the community a real home for the arts,” Cohen said. “The space we’ve been using is great, but there are sightline issues, you can’t see, the sound is weird in certain areas.”
Marlene Canapi, Arc Stages’ founder and chief growth and cultural officer, said there will be more than just shows once the new theater opens.
“With the construction of a proscenium theater, Arc Stages can produce from a bigger inventory of shows, host concerts, talkbacks, workshops and interviews with Broadway stars, increase class offerings and develop works of emerging creative artists,” Canapi said.
Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer said Arc Stages, which he has supported and serves on the Community Stage Board, said the village is fortunate to have such a great cultural outlet in its backyard that benefits the public well beyond its borders.
“We joke, and we should joke, because this is such a creative, lighthearted, amusing, amazing place,” Scherer said. “It’s also a place where every day of my life I think how could it be that this landed in Pleasantville, N.Y., and it has grown in such a fabulous and organic way drawing so many people, not just Pleasantville but the whole region, and that now we’re on the cusp, with a grant from Andrea Stewart-Cousins, in taking the big leap.”
Cohen said the original plan for Arc Stages was eventually to have the larger theater. Now that it’s on the horizon, he’s confident that the community will also be there for the final piece of the fundraising drive to complete the project.
“I know they’ll come through. They came through the first time, they want this,” Cohen said. “It’s as much for everyone here in Pleasantville but also the region, honestly.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
