A New Art and Film Center Opens in Catskill

The state-of-the-art location brings contemporary entertainment – and famous names – to upstate New York.

 

Catskill is on the brink of celebrity. This September, the subdued upstate town officially welcomes Lumberyard to its ever-expanding list of attractions.

An extension of the New York City-based creative non-profit organization, Lumberyard Catskill is a new state of the art hub for film and performing arts. The $8.2 million space seeks to bring a medley of acclaimed and upcoming artists to town for premiere performances and residency showcases.

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“Lumberyard’s ambitious and innovative vision is inexorably linked to this space — as well as to the communities and economic resurgence of the Hudson Valley,” says Adrienne Willis, the program’s artistic and executive director.

When the upstate space opens on September 1, during a celebration hosted by Golden Globe Award-nominee Alan Cumming and featuring performances by tap artist Savion Glover and jazz drummer Marcus Gilmore, it will mark the start of something big for the region. To be more specific, the opening will bring a projected $13 million, 150 jobs, and 10,000 new visitors to the Hudson Valley each year, the center notes in a press statement.

How is such growth possible? To start, there’s the New York City connection. The women-led non-profit designed the new Catskill space in a way that allows for the easy replication of Big Apple scenery and stages. The facility consists of four buildings: a main campus and three adjacent barns. The main space, a column-free, over 7,000-square-foot theater, has the potential to house artists, host events, and operate as a soundstage for film production.

 

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Savion Glover and Marcus Gilmore perform. Photo by Fran Kaufman

 

“Any way we can help upstate — with jobs and growth — it’s exciting. But this is one of the most exciting projects I have seen,” declares Senator Chuck Schumer.

The opening season, which extends through fall and winter 2018, kicks off with the grand opening party on September 1. After that, the space will welcome theater artists, an indie-alternative-folk band, dance performers, and more.

While this season marks the completion of Phase 1 of the creative project, Phase II is still yet to come. The second half of the initiative will see the development of the space’s three adjacent structures in collaboration with the village of Catskill. Throughout the year, the space will continue to be open and available for collaborative residencies and community and event use.

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For more information or to see the full schedule of shows, visit lumberyard.org.


Related: Making Movies and Creating Jobs in the Hudson Valley

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