Orpheum Performing Arts Center

Study after study has shown the powerful relationship between the arts and economic revitalization. The Catskill Mountain Foundation is all about serving all age groups - children and adults. The Foundation also focuses on arts-based economic revitalization. As our varied arts programs continue to grow, and become more widely known throughout the Northeast and beyond, more people will visit our Mountain Top, or buy homes here, to take advantage of our offerings. This in turn will generate more revenues for all of the businesses operating on the Mountain Top. Community after community has seen this economic transformation take place over time as they have embraced the arts. Schoolchildren across the Mountain Top will be able to enjoy a widely varied performing arts program in a state-of-the-art facility.

The arts have blossomed on the Mountain Top in the past five years. Many people from the New York City metro area and elsewhere are buying and building homes in the area. Realtors report that there has been a distinct change in the type of buyers we are now attracting. More affluent family-oriented buyers are coming to our area, and the realtors say that the new buyers are very interested in the arts. They use the Catskill Mountain Foundation's materials promoting both its performing arts programming and its studio arts offerings at Sugar Maples to show the newcomers about all of our exciting offerings.

The Old Orpheum

Key to the future development of our Mountain Top performing arts programming is the Orpheum theater. While performances are now presented in the Foundation's red barn, in its movie theater, at the gymnasium of the Tannersville High School, and at the Windham Centre Church, none of these provide the facilities required to present professional dance, theater and orchestral performances. These spaces have no or little wing space. They have makeshift dressing rooms. The seating is either not raked at all, or is minimally raked. The temperature control in these spaces is poor to adequate. There is little or no stage lighting. The stage spaces are small, and the lobby spaces are not large enough to comfortably accommodate the audience members who want to get up and take a break and stretch during intermission.

The New Orpheum will provide the Mountain Top with a performing arts center that solves all of these problems.

• The stage will be 40' wide, 33' deep. This is large enough for professional dance companies to perform on comfortably, and is also large enough for a professional theater company to stage plays, with sets. It is also large enough to hold a 25 person orchestra.
• There will be 10-foot wings on either side of the stage, which are needed for professional dance and theater performances.
• The stage floor will be a professional dance floor to make it safe for dancers.
• The seating will be raked, so that every audience member will have a great view of the performance from every seat in the house.
• The auditorium will have a $300,000 HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), system to ensure that the audience and performers will be comfortable in all seasons.
• There will be a $300,000 professional theater lighting and rigging system, and there will be a 2,000 square foot lobby, which should be large enough to accommodate audience members during intermission.
• The New Orpheum will also include about 1,500 square feet of back stage space for the performers, including a green room, dressing rooms, bathrooms with showers, all of which is necessary to comfortably accommodate professional theater and dance companies.

Rendering of the New Orpheum

The New Orpheum will be one of the few professional performing arts centers in the Catskill Region. It was designed by Hugh Hardy, who also designed the Glimmerglass Opera House, the BAM Harvey theater, the Radio City Music Hall renovations, New Amsterdam theater, New Victory theater and many other wellknown theaters around the United States. Mr. Hardy has designed a spectacular new performing arts center for us, and it is likely that it will become known nationwide because of his involvement.