Proctor’s Theater is gearing up for a big re-opening extravaganza since the addition of the GE Theater and new performance spaces at 440 State St. on Sunday, Sept. 30.
Free tours of all the spaces at Proctors along with food and activities for all ages will be offered. Participants will also get to experience two 3-D movies on the new GE Theater’s iWERKS movie screen.
As the newest and grandest addition to Proctor’s Theater, the new GE Theater, across the arcade from the main theater’s entrance, will host alternative performances like stand-up comedians, concerts and movies.
According to Proctor’s CEO Philip Morris, the idea is for the GE Theater to accommodate many types of performances from comedy to movies and concerts, this way the center appeals to the largest variety of people.
There isn’t going to be everything for everyone, but there is certainly going to be something for everyone, Morris said.
In order to achieve this goal, the theater’s main space is equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system that changes acoustically to accommodate any performance. The theater also has a set of retractable theater seats that adjust to fit any type of performance space.
The gem of the GE Theater is the large iWERKS movie screen, which is similar to IMAX. The theater will be showing 3-D and educational movies. For opening day on Sunday, Sept. 30, 3-D movies `Bugs` and `Forces of Nature` will be shown.
The Muddy Cup Coffee Shop, where poetry readings and other performances will take place, is scheduled to open by the end of September in the GE Theater’s atrium.
Above the GE Theater is a set of conference rooms that could accommodate about 250 people. Morris said 13 conferences are already scheduled for next year.
According to Morris, adequate space for conferences was needed in downtown Schenectady, so creating it within Proctor’s Theater allows for it to be a true destination place.
Morris said he expects to have an additional 100,000 people coming to Proctor’s thanks to the new GE Theater space.
The Proctor’s main offices are also moving upstairs above the GE Theater. The current office space is going to be turned into a small performance space for experimental theater projects and small plays.
About 30 years ago, the city was thinking of tearing down the aging theater and a group of dedicated citizens saved it, reopening Proctor’s in 1979.
Today Proctor’s Theater has become the cornerstone of Schenectady’s downtown revitalization efforts and thanks to $30 million in renovations Proctor’s has evolved from a 1920s Vaudeville theater to a performing arts center.
`The community really wanted this we wouldn’t have all these new spaces without the community’s support,` Morris said. “