Save the State Theatre

[Towntalk]

GET THIS STREIGHT ... THE STATE THEATER HAS LONG SINCE BEEN DEMOLISHED AND IS NOW A PARKING LOT! THE ONLY THING REMAINING IS THE OUTSIDE WALL FACING WEST FEDERAL STREET!

[Jaime Hughes]

I appriciate all of the imput that we are getting from the community, and of course we have viewed this point also, getting the younger community involved. Currently Mr. Maizel and I are kicking around the idea of reaching out to the area schools for support, this may be an outlet for kids to get out of trouble and do something constructive. This idea is still in the infant stage as well as many ideas we are contemplating, but please feel free to email us about your ideas and concerns..it helps us! YoStatetheater@yahoo.com


- Jaime

[ForumManager]

If only five percent of high school and college age students attended the theaters frequently, our performance venues would be packed for almost every show.

P.S. Most theaters offer a discount to students.

I agree that there should be more emphasis on getting our students to attend arts functions and for them to get involved in local arts organizations.

I feel that parents are overwhelmed these days when their children come home needing a fee for this class or dues for that club. Extra  items such as attending arts venues simply aren't in the budget. In the last few years most local schools began charging fees for their activities due to less funding and the school systems' desire to offer the activities. Not just in Youngstown... the suburbs too.  So families are forced to make choices and even at a reduced student ticket prices, the productions at our local venues are sometimes out of reach.

As far as arts organizations struggling, I can speak from experience- The Symphony Chorus is struggling because the Symphony Society stopped funding us in 2002. We are also asked not to approach their supporters for funding.  It is difficult to stay afloat... candy sales, nut sales, raffles.  We obtain our own venues at this point.  We offered our concerts free of charge with a good will offering but we found it difficult to pay for costs.  We started charging $10... buy one get one  for advance sales....  All students, college and otherwise are free.  We want to get to a point where we can offer our concerts completely free of charge again.

[Towntalk]

Another thing that these young people can do is volunteer their services. I'm sure that Powers and Stambaugh would welcome them with open arms. By getting involved they not only help the various venues, but they gain valuable experience.

Attending performances is good ... in fact very good, but there is nothing better than getting a behind the scenes experience. Ushering may not sound glamorous, but it does give you an insight that simply going to a show can't.

Likewise, the Youngstown Playhouse is an even better starting point since young people can get real time experience in all facets of theatrical production, something that they couldn't get at Powers or Stambaugh which uses professionals with union cards.

When I was in High School, a couple of my friends volunteered in the Playhouse prop department.

[jay]

It really isn't a case of having too many entertainment venues for the size of the community.  When I attend plays at the various venues, many of those in the audience are senior citizens.  The theaters just have to do a better job of reaching the younger population.  By introducing live theater to students and young adults, the potential audience will be greatly expanded.

Perhaps Jaime and others in the "Friends of Youngstown Theaters" group could hold a fundraising event in conjunction with attending a performance at one of our existing theaters.  The "Friends of Youngstown Theaters" would benefit and so would our theaters.  If only five percent of high school and college age students attended the theaters frequently, our performance venues would be packed for almost every show.

P.S. Most theaters offer a discount to students.

[ForumManager]

I feel the work on the Paramount will be a boon to our community and the restoration/and or beautification  of downtown buildings is important. Hats off to you for your concern and enthusiasm for the State. Saving the facade is an excellent idea. We need to realize what we have in the way of historical treasures. In cities like San Francisco, they buy  architectural antiques for BIG BUCKS.

The building is structurally unsafe and again, at the meeting Mr. Bob Fitzer brought up a good point, why put up another theatre when we should be supporting the ones we have up?

This is an interesting point.

This community isn't that big and our residents also have the option of traveling quite comfortably to Pittsburgh, Akron and Cleveland for entertainment.
In a very small square mileage area we have the following:
Stambaugh Auditorium
DeYor Performing Arts Center
The Oakland
The Playhouse
The Victorian Players
Easy Street Productions
Dana School of Performing Arts
and the Chevrolet Centre
AND all the downtown churches where local arts groups perform
Right now there are also dinner theater productions at the B&O
The Paramount will join the mix at some point.
Did I miss any venues?
We are probably the most entertained community per capita in Ohio... just kidding.
There's nothing wrong with having this much going on arts wise, but aside from only a couple of the big names listed, the venues are struggling to survive.  Not enough population to support them all.

This area could be marketed as Jay always notes, as a retirement haven, but also as an entertainment mecca.
The local arts venues could join forces and throw a huge festival each year. 
Sorry, getting off topic...
just spurred on by  the comment that we need to support what we have already.

[Jaime Hughes]

I appriciate everyone who came out and supported our cause Friday night at Cedars. Many people had stated at the forum the other night, that if Mr. Maizel and I do not accomplish "Saving the State" that we are young, we still have determination and ambition and will not easily detered from doing something else supportive for Youngstown.

All we know about the building is what Youngstown Community Improvement Corp. tell us, as well as little bits of information we learn. From what was said, they want to tear down the theatre portion to make a parking lot for the Technology Center, and want to try to save the facade.

We would like to obtain the facade to make it something that will benefit Youngstown, such as an arts and entertainment museum, or a museum of Youngstown in some sort. I had read that one of you mentioned an office building, which is a good idea and will help the jobs of downtown, but the Technology center will bring in more than 80 jobs (as quoted by the Vindicator). Mr. Maizel and I would like to recognize the arts and entertainment district since the theatre will take too much money and efforts ( Again the Vindicator quoted about $20 Million). The building is structurally unsafe and again, at the meeting Mr. Bob Fitzer brought up a good point, why put up another theatre when we should be supporting the ones we have up?

Mr. Maizel and I thought a museum would be a good idea that will recognize the arts and entertainment district. Hopefully all goes well, both him and I are optimistic about downtown as well as our project.


If you have any questions feel free to email us, YoStateTheater@yahoo.com


Thanks Again for the support!

-Jaime & Corey

[Towntalk]

As I said earlier, if you do get control of the building, the front of the building could be dismantled and reassembled at the Oakland Center For The Performing Arts. Whether it was reassembled on the Boardman side, or the rear which faces Federal Street should be left up to the Oakland board, but I would favor the rear since that side as it stands looks awful.

As I undestand, there will be a parking lot in that area, so this would give some beauty to that area, especially then it was lit up.

[northside lurker]

Hi Jaime,
We met briefly at the Friday meeting, but I stayed mostly in the background and let others do the talking.

As many others have said, I think it's terrific that you and Corey are taking an active interest in Youngstown.  If this doesn't turn out as well as you'd like, I hope you'll continue to help make the area a better place.

[Jaime Hughes]

Greetings all. My name is Jaime Hughes and I am heading this project along with my partner Mr. Corey Maizel. I had seen all of your questions and concerns and please let me explain. I understand all of your concerns with things such as finances, what the building will be used for, our age etc.

We are in the process of creating a non-profit group called "Friends of Youngstown Theatres", which will include not just the State Theatre, but also Powers, Stambaugh, Paramount and eventually the Uptown on Market Street. Although there will be a small fee to become a member of FYT, all the money will go towards the theatres, at the end of the year they will be divided up equally to the five theaters. No money will stay with our organization nor will it go into our pockets.

The main point that we stressed at our meeting is that we are not doing this for "our 15 minutes of fame" nor for the money, but for our love and passion for Youngstown and the arts.

Due to the decay of the theatre aspect of the building, it will be set for demolition and will become a part of the Technology Center that they are putting up. I believe it will become a parking lot since the damages are too extensive to even imagine trying to repair. (If you notice there is a fence around the back part of the theatre due to bricks falling from the roof onto the ground.).

As for the facade, my partner and I have kicked around numerous ideas of what we will do. At our
"open forum" that we hosted on Jan. 12 at Cedars, the vast majority of people would like to see it become a gallery, Idora Park Museum or Museum for the Arts and Entertainment District.

Many of you had expressed concern about if the money will come from the community such as taxes and such. That is false. We will run on your donations, and whether you choose to donate is solely up to you. Of course we will apply for loans, Government grants and private donations, but we will not burden the community by "begging" or requiring them to give money.  we had stated at the open forum, "This is Youngstown's project" which means that we are all on an equal level in helping this building.


I know many of you had mentioned something about our ages (20 and 18), and I appriciate your concerns. Yes we are new and  inexperienced but our youth can work to our advantage. We can bring fresh, new ideas to the table. We have an optimism that only comes with youth. As for being inexperienced, we are willing to try, and we have enlisted the help and suggestions of adults in the community. We believe in Youngstown, and maybe if more young people were made to feel welcome in the future of Youngstown it would stop the great exodus that plagues our city.




I will always welcome your construtive criticism, any ideas can only help me grow as a defender of Youngstown. 

[northside lurker]

Janko,
From what I've read so far, they do want the State to be non-profit.

[Towntalk]

Here is what Paul posted on Cinema Treasures:

Trish & Ballerina & Others: We own the theatre and appreciate the public's input however there is a great deal of misinformation. That will change this year as we assist some folks in the creation of a not-for-profit group and improve the website: www.lptheatre.com I am not sure why the owners of Cinema Treasures refuse to list our website as we are the legal owners of the property and have every intention of rehabilitating and operating the theatre. It will take years! Perhaps you can ask Cinema treasures why they refuse to list our site, as well. We have gone into the building with architects, (Ron Faniro of Youngstown & Gary Martinez from Washington DC) engineers, roofing specialists, city officials, historians and some volunteers. IT IS DANGEROUS AND NO ONE SHOULD ENTER; IT IS TRESPASSING AND COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY! I hope that Trish was authorized by someone to go in; (maybe the YSU class?) We have invested a great deal of time creating the business plan and model for operation. We have the complete support of city officials, historians, bankers and the folks at Youngstown State University. We had two press conferences and a BIG public forum coming in the next month or two for the public to ask questions and to finally get involved. The major issue is how to get a roof on the building to stop the damage and some electric to proviode lighting. A temporary roof will cost $40-50K and temporary electric service will cost $5K. Ideas?
posted by Paul Warshauer on Jan 1, 2007 at 5:11pm

[Mary]

Personally I think that it should not be redone as a theatre but as office or something alongs those lines. Something that could have a postive cash flow sooner rather then later (or never)

[Towntalk]

How much of your own money are you prepared to give to the group that wants to save the State? I suspect none.

My point is that before we ask the city to help invest tax dollars, we get crime under control, more police on the streets, the Chevy Center paid off, money and manpower to utilize the whole County Jail and not just half of it.

If the group can come upwith the money from 100% PRIVATE SOURCES, I woud not object, but when the city is already facing so many financial problems, not one dime should be spent on pipe dreams.

We are talking about millions of dollars to restore the State, and not one person in this group has that kind of money to spend on projects that are riskey at best.

In an earlier post I outlined the kind of money that would be needed, and I know that none of the folks that support the Save the State group have any intentions of either giving financial support, or any of their labor. They'll leave that to others.

[Janko]

what did he post on Cinematic Treasures?

- - -

I think before anyone on this board goes condeming a new project, they should hear what the plans the "kids" have in the first place.  I plan on being at Cedar's at 7pm on Friday just to hear their thoughts before drawing any conclusions.

A few questions for them:

- Are they interested in operating the building as a money-making venture?
- Are they interested in keeping the facade, a piece of the building, or the entire thing?
- How does the passage of HB 149 last week affect the building?

Sometimes it is worth listening to the dreamers.  They may provide fresh ideas and their service may inject new life into our downtown.