New Downtown Theater???

[Towntalk]

I would really like to wait till we can see a preliminary design for an amphitheater as to location and seating size.
I don't know if anyone remembers, but a number of years ago, the city built an amphitheater on East Federal Street and it was a miserable failure due in no small part to its size and seating capacity.
A downtown amphitheater would be welcome, but it must be technically and logistically possable for it to support itself and bring in the kind of shows that would draw crowds, and we do not have the kind of outdoor theater that is equipped to bring in the kind of shows that tour today ... special effects lighting ... sound ... a large enough stage to support the larger shows ... seating is also critical since it would not be located in a park setting like Morley which is a great venue even though it is under used.
Because it would be located in a confined space as opposed to Morley, it would be critical to not only in crowd control, but allow for parking spaces by not tampering with the present parking area.
Again, unlike Morley, it must be able to support itself financially which means that most of the shows would have to charge admissions.

[jay]

City Council will decide today whether to allow the mayor to spend $90,000 to hire a firm to do design and engineering work for the proposed amphitheater.

How will council vote?

[Towntalk]

This could very well be another one of those throw it up against a wall and see if it sticks ideas, but then who dreamed that Powers would become what it is today? Sure Powers did it with private funds as opposed to government grants, and in my personal view is being under used, but then as I look at other venues in other cities our size, and find that this is not unusual.
Given the tone of the article, I don't think that we'll hear any more about it in the days to come, so I hardly think that we have anything to worry about the city actually authorizing it.

[AllanY2525]

I agree that the city needs to pay down, or pay off, the debt on Covelli Center
before making any MAJOR investments into it - aside from any obvious stuff
like maintenance or repairs.

When the former Wean United building next to the Market Street bridge is
gone it will free up some more land close to Covelli....which opens up
some possibilities for the future......

[Towntalk]

Another thing occurred to me. While Morley can accommodate 3000, there is no permanent seating, and IF an amphitheater is built downtown, and that is an IF, there should be permanent seating.
Morley is in a park setting and it's seating is appropriate for that venue, but an amphitheater downtown is a whole different animal with different requirements and it's technical requirements are different both in terms of sound and lighting.

[Towntalk]

I agree Jay BUT an amphitheater at Coeval would not be to showcase "local talent" just as the center itself is not to show local talent.
Certainly there are local bands that have large followings but you don't see them performing at Morley, but for the lesser known bands, Morley would be ideal.
I.m absolutely certain that Ron could address this better than I, but there are a large number of bands that are getting their national recognition by appearing in concerts with big name bands, which means that they are good in their own right, and a smaller venue could book them in.

[jay]

The Morley would be a great place where local talent could be showcased without constructing a new building.

[Towntalk]

The big difference Jay is the fact that the amphitheater would be tied into the Lovell Center which has direct ties with national booking agencies which would allow it to book in shows that are on tour. There are a lot of bands that while recording for national labels do not yet have the draw power to appear at large venues but still are "star power" and get air time on radio.
This is not to put down Morley, for it's in a beautiful setting, but it does not have the connections to national and international talent agencies that the Coeval does have.
The question I have is how much seating would be available. That is key in bringing in acts. Another would be the design of the ampthitheater since it couldn't eat into the parking spaces already available. The article doesn't give the precise location where it would go, and how it would be designed to only admit ticket holders, since it's obvious that it could be sustainable by making events free to the public except on a very limited basis.
At present it's only in the talking stage, so there is nothing yet carved in stone about it ever becoming a reality, so anything we might say would only be hypathetical

[jay]

Mill Creek Park's outdoor Morley Pavilion is only used one evening each week during three months of the summer.

[Youngstownshrimp]

McNally is right, they need to pay their debt off first.

[Towntalk]

 New Downtown Theater?

Plans are for an amphitheatre downtown in the rear of the Covelli Center.

http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/dec/09/council-mulls-plan-to-hire-designer-for-/

This would be a great thing so that local talent could be showcased in a venue that isn't as large as the Center as well as other events.