New MusicalFare Theater to be built in Amherst Central Park
by Mark Sommer, The Buffalo News, 2/28/24
One of Western New York’s leading producing theater companies will move into a new $10 million, 15,000-square-foot theater built by the Town of Amherst.
The Amherst Town Board on Monday night unanimously approved a 30-year, rent-free lease for MusicalFare Theatre near the former Westwood Country Club clubhouse.
MusicalFare will be responsible for one-third of the construction cost and utilities.
The theater, now on the Daemen University campus, is expected to open in September 2025 for the start of the 2025-26 season. Groundbreaking will occur by this summer.
“MusicalFare is already rooted here in the community, so it’s just a natural fit,” Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa told The Buffalo News on Tuesday. “I’m thrilled to have them as a centerpiece for us. Everyone involved is just wonderfully talented in terms of operations and understanding how to connect with the community.”
Randall Kramer, MusicalFare’s co-founder, artistic and executive director, said the theater has operated on the Daemen campus, also in Amherst, since 1991, and is thrilled by the move to the new Amherst Central Park.
“I think it’s a great investment for the town because they can create a really world-class theater – a small regional theater but of very high quality,” Kramer said. “If we can be successful in making it a real community gathering place, then that’s the kind of thing that starts to give communities a soul.”
Many Amherst residents enjoy and support the arts – about 50% of MusicalFare’s ticket buyers are from there – but the town has few performance spaces, with only one other professional theater company, O’Connell & Company at 4110 Bailey Ave.
That’s why Kulpa suggested to Kramer that the theater company consider relocating to the center of Amherst.
The theater will sit on 170 acres that belonged to the Westwood Country Club. The town acquired the site at North Forest Road and Sheridan Drive last April. The theater is being designed by David Schoell, of Natural Architecture in Hamburg, with engineering by Wendel Companies in Williamsville.
“Amherst is redefining itself regionally, and as part of that we are putting park spaces and cultural performances in the limelight,” Kulpa said.
The new building, at the southern end of the park where Kulpa hopes to add other cultural offerings, will allow the main stage to expand from its current 136 seats to 220. Plans call for eight to 10 rows that will fan out from the front of the stage, rather than being straight across, as they are now. The cabaret will expand from 97 seats to 120, with an expanded bar space.
“We want to still keep things intimate, because we keep hearing from everybody that that’s what keeps MusicalFare special,” Kramer said.
MusicalFare was founded in 1990 and the following year began staging the first of more than 200 musical productions to date at its current home at Daemen.
“They had a building that was unoccupied, and after a number of years we were bringing 25,000 people through the campus to see it, and they thought that was a great marketing,” Kramer said. “Former president Marty Anisman used to call us ‘Daemen’s football team.’”
Three expansions took place over the years, with lobby carpeting and expanded seating in 2001, the addition of a backstage scene shop and reconfigured backstage dressing rooms in 2008, and a cabaret, full-service bar and box office added in 2014.
The cabaret and more spacious bar area, Kramer said, “changed the entire experience” by giving patrons a reason to come early and not feel crowded, and to stay after the show to hear music. It dramatically boosted concession sales and other revenue. Kramer plans to reprise that experience, only with more space and fast-prepped foods including sandwiches and pizza at the new theater.
Daemen President Gary Olson notified Kramer in August 2018 that the landlocked university wanted to take over the use of the building after the 10-year lease expires in 2025.
The decision to bring MusicalFare to Amherst Central Park wasn’t without detractors.
Some expressed concern about the potential for noise and heavier traffic that could disturb people who live near the park. The theater won’t be built near residences and the 220-seat theater will draw fewer people than the 400-member country club once did, theater representatives have said.
A non-compete clause in the contract, which prevents other theater companies from performing indoor performances in the park, also rubbed some people the wrong way.
Kramer said theater performances can be performed outside and “we support that 100%,” but after putting $3.3 million into the building, the company felt it was only fair that they had exclusive rights to its theatrical use.
Kulpa said he agreed after examining leases structured similarly and signed between the City of Buffalo and Shea’s Performing Arts Center and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as community theaters including the Public Theatre in New York City.
Another clause allows middle and high school students to be able to sit in unsold seats for free if they arrive a half hour before curtain.
A clause will also require one Friday morning performance during the run of a show for seniors and others who might find it harder to get to evening performances.
The town will have use of the theater for community events when not in use by the theater.
Kramer plans to offer more than 200 shows a year. He is excited the new theater will beckon visitors from a busy intersection. The current site is tucked into the back of the Daemen campus, and signs aren’t permitted.
“I can’t wait to see what we do in there,” Kramer said. “We’ve been in spaces that had resources, but not to have it be our own and be able able to count on it.”
Kramer said $1.9 million of the $3.3 million has been pledged or received to date. He expressed confidence the theater company will meet its target by September 2025.
Original architectural drawings called for rehearsal, office and storage space that are no longer in the plan, he said, so the company looks to raise another $700,000 to cover those costs.
MusicalFare plans to launch a public capital campaign to raise the additional $2.1 million when the groundbreaking occurs.