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FORT SALEM THEATER SOLD |
| The Fort Salem Theater was purchased
in November, 2006, by Hebron (NY) resident Jay
Kerr. Owned since 1982 by Quentin Beaver,
for the past five years it has been under the artistic
direction of Kathy Beaver. This season, Fort Salem
celebrated its thirty-fifth year of bringing live
professional summer stock productions to the North
Country. |
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NEW OWNER
VETERAN OF MUSICAL AND THEATRICAL WORLDS |
Jay Kerr
is a theater composer and instructor of voice
and songwriting, currently working out of his
Manhattan studio and seeking to expand his sphere
of creative influence into upstate New York.
His students perform regularly on Broadway, recordings,
film and television. He began his career holding
cue cards for Captain Kangaroo; as a
soldier, produced and performed in many shows
in Vietnam; and has recorded several CD’s,
including his recent work as musical director
of Broadway Sings ”The Odd Potato,” which
features performances by twenty winners of Broadway’s
Tony Award. He is co-founder of an ongoing writers’ workshop
for The Princeton University Triangle Club; his
musical adaptation of Alice of Old Vincennes will
have its premiere at the Red Skelton Center for
the Performing Arts in Vincennes, Indiana, in
the summer of 2008. |
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PLANS TO EXPAND ENTERTAINMENT OPPORTUNITIES |
In addition to
continuation of the summer shows, current plans
include the opening of a cabaret performance space
in Bancroft Hall, the former rectory that adjoins
the theater space, originally erected as a church
in 1836. |
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HISTORICAL RENOVATION ANTICIPATED |
With restoration
plans underway to return the magnificent Greek
Revival structure to its original grandeur, the
new owner of the Fort Salem Theater, the Brick
Church in the historic district of Salem’s
East Broadway, will soon install seating donated
by and from the Helen Hayes Theater on New York
City’s Broadway. |
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FROM BROADWAY TO 11 EAST BROADWAY |
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“These
seats have literally seen the premiere
of Eugene O’Neill’s first full length
play,” philosophizes Kerr. “Through
the years, classics such as The Subject Was
Roses, Torch Song Trilogy, and Golda’s
Balcony have held theater-goers rapt in
their seats. Now their seats are ours!” |
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EXCITING NEW COLLABORATION UNDERWAY |
“The
Fort Salem Theater has been an integral part
of the community for thirty-five years,” Kerr
said. “It’s a great local tradition,
and people have been very receptive to us. We’re
looking forward to a long and mutually rewarding
working relationship with the community.” |
