• Kelsey Grammer, "Frasier" TV series, Studio Arena Alumnus

  • Buffalo's Studio Arena Theatre is an icon worth saving. - August 19th, 2008

September 12, 2008

Dear Supporters of Studio Arena Theatre,

As most have you have read in the news, Studio Arena Theatre has been undergoing a massive reorganization since February of 2008. While many have heard reports of our closure, this is not the case. In fact, Studio Arena Theatre will offer a presentation of "An Evening with Stephen McKinley Henderson," on Friday, September 19th at 8:00 PM and Saturday, September 20th at 8:00 PM. At $20 per ticket, it promises to be the best bang for your buck in the theatre district on those two evenings. While we will not be offering a full season this year, we at Studio Arena Theatre feel that it is imperative to have the building open for business during Curtain Up! 2008. Even if you already have tickets to another show that evening we invite everyone from the community to join us at the Stage Left Lounge after our show for drinks and entertainment.

Although it seems as though we've been dormant since late February 2008, a dedicated group of community individuals have been working hard to secure the future of Studio Arena Theatre. Our ultimate goal is to eventually rejoin the cultural community as a fully professional regional theatre. The first step in this process is to secure the facility at 710 Main Street. We have been collaborating with Shea's Performing Arts Center to apply their expertise in facility management and venue scheduling. While Shea's wouldn't "take over" Studio Arena Theatre, they would mange the building and help Studio Arena Theatre find profitable revenue in touring shows, non-theatrical events, and perhaps even productions from other local theatre companies. While we work on regaining financial stability and satisfying the requirements of Chapter 11 reorganization, we would eventually begin to bring back the professional, Buffalo produced theatre that has been trademark of Studio Arena Theatre.

A bright spot this year was the overwhelming success of the Studio Arena Theatre School, Stage Struck: Summer 2008 program. Since 1927, the Studio Arena Theatre School has been a gem of the buffalo cultural scene. Famous actors, business people, and political advisors have come out of this program. They have learned valuable lessons about acting that they have then applied to everyday success. While we have no current plans for classes, the Theatre School is among our highest priorities in programming. In the past we have offered classes to all age ranges and we hope to keep that going for years to come.

It has been one of our most challenging years in the history of the theatre but we keep going because we believe that a 624 seat, intimate studio theatre is important to the people of Buffalo. When we do plays like Of Mice And Men and To Kill A Mockingbird, we know that we are contributing significantly to the cultural fabric of this community.

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you for our special Curtain Up! event.