For nearly a decade, all eyes in the Rochester cultural scene were fixed on Renaissance Square, specifically on the performing arts center that was at one point a key component in the project. The initial plans called for multiple performance halls, ranging from an intimate space for smaller shows to a large-scale theater meant to house the Rochester Broadway Theatre League. But in August of this year the $200 million-plus project died on the vine, with nothing to show for itself except for millions of wasted tax dollars and years of bureaucratic paper shuffling.

But while the Ren Square saga unraveled, something else was going on around Greater Rochester. Several individual arts groups decided to put their own plans into action, and set about raising funds, drawing up plans, and starting construction even as the $230 million gorilla on Clinton and Main lost its footing. The result is that this fall will see the reopening of two massively upgraded extant performance venues, the debut of an entirely new space, and the first fall season of a promising new community stage. While politics claimed the life of a once-promising arts project, these art organizations were making things happen with a fraction of the budget and time. And now fans of the arts will get to reap the rewards of these exciting new additions to our cultural landscape.

Blackfriars Theatre: Leveling the playing field

John Haldoupis is super excited about the bathrooms at Blackfriars' Theatre's new location on East Main Street. Not only are they super sleek, with new tiling and shiny black (yes, black) porcelain fixtures, but most important, patrons will no longer need a sherpa to locate them, or to find the theater itself. In its previous home on Lawn Street, theatergoers had to climb several flights of stairs to reach the box office and the stage, and if they needed the restroom during the performance, they had to go all the way back down to the basement.

Since the average theatergoer is, as Haldoupis admits, not the springiest of chickens, accessibility was a real concern for the semi-professional theater troupe and its fans. After investigating the economic realities of installing an elevator into its former East End location, Blackfriars decided to do something even bolder, and scouted a new location that will give the group higher visibility, more accessibility, and yes, bathrooms and a stage on the ground level.

So when Blackfriars opens its 60th season with the Kander and Ebb musical "Zorba" on Friday, September 25, it will do so in its new home in a former bus maintenance garage. An enormous amount of work has gone into converting the space, from filling in a sloped floor with concrete to buying and rehabbing 100-plus seats from the former Westcott Theater in Syracuse to hanging sheetrock, lights, and power cords - you name it, it's being done. One thing not being built is a stage, which will simply be the floor of the new space (although Blackfriars will still retain its signature turntable, and employ it when needed). That means that the new setup is essentially a thrust configuration, with the audience surrounding the action on three sides. Haldoupis, who is known for his elaborate set designs, says he's enjoying the challenge of visualizing his productions in a more three-dimensional sense. "Everyone wants to sit in the center section," he says of the new floor plan, "but the wings are just as good. There's really not a bad seat in this house."

It's important to note that the theater will not be complete by the time "Zorba" opens. The dressing rooms upstairs will not be ready (the actors, in costume and character, will serve as ushers, adding to the continuity of the story being told), and other behind-the-scenes amenities will still be in the works. "It's like a wedding, but 10 times - no, 15 times - no, 20 times - as hard," he said. "But we're used to dealing with this kind of insane pressure that most people will never get." Earlier this week Blackfriars was forced to postpone the opening by one week to accommodate issues with the electric system.

Ultimately, none of that stress matters, because Haldoupis says he is confident that the new home will meet all of the theater group's needs, from accessibility to foot traffic to performance space. And what's more, Blackfriars made it happen all by themselves, in an economically turbulent time. "We're not just all talk," Haldoupis says. "We actually did it."

Blackfriars Theatre will open its season with "Zorba" on Friday, September 25, and hold an open house at its new space, 795 East Main Street, on Saturday, September 26, from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information on the theater and its 60th season call 454-1260 or visit blackfriars.org.

Kodak Hall: Completing George Eastman's vision

Sometimes a grand theater can be a little too grand. After being constructed in 1922, the Eastman Theatre was used primarily as a silent-movie house. And according to Charlie Owens, president and CEO of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, in its first year the theater's 3000-plus seats serviced more than 1 million patrons. Today, nearly 100 years later, all those seats are actually a detriment to the theater's current purpose, to serve as the city's premier concert hall. While the Eastman School of Music and the RPO certainly reach huge audiences, it's difficult to fill an auditorium that large. Additionally, the shape of the hall - basically a big fan - is no longer considered ideal for sound.

All of that will be fixed when the Eastman reopens next month with a major facelift and a new name, the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Douglas Lowry, dean of the Eastman School of Music, says that this will be "the first consequential remodeling of the Eastman building since the 1920's." Improvements to the hall include new carpeting, sound system, and heating and cooling system; the addition of box seats to the orchestra and mezzanine levels, which will help reshape the theater into the acoustically preferable "shoebox" schematic; a reduction of the hall by about 1500 feet (to allow for more lobby space); the refurbishing of nearly 550 existing seats; and the removal of about 800 seats, bringing the new capacity to approximately 2300.

The RPO's Owens says that fewer seats will not only make the hall sound better ("It has always had very good acoustics, now it will go from very good to great," he says), but it will also make getting tickets to shows more competitive. "For many years it's been possible to get a good seat at quarter to 8" on a concert night, he says. "With 850 fewer seats, we're now selling 80 percent of the house, so we've probably sold 100 percent of prime seats. Over time we believe that that will create a sense in the community that we need to get our tickets further in advance." Flying the sold-out banner from time to time, he says, will encourage people to purchase tickets earlier. And if a show is particularly successful, the RPO has the option of adding a Sunday matinee to accommodate more patrons.

Both Owens and Lowry stress that what people will see at the October unveiling is only the first phase of the $46.9 million renovation project, set to be completed in 2011. So while you won't see them now, in the next few years look for enhanced amenities like concession stands and a possible caf�, a gift shop, upgraded bathrooms, elevators, and a new patron lounge. "There's a lot to look forward to this fall, but even more to look forward to in the future," Owens says.

That's especially true for the Eastman School, which will be getting several major improvements housed in the addition now being built. The new 220-seat Hatch Recital Hall will fill the need for a large-scale rehearsal hall for Eastman's larger ensembles and the RPO, Lowry says, and a new state-of-the-art recording studio is also part of the plans.

Raising funds for such a massive project in a tough economy hasn't been easy, Lowry admits. Every nonprofit has "felt the pinch," he says. But he says Eastman remains committed to the project, and committed to keeping it on schedule. And it's also committed to its role in growing the arts scene in Rochester, he says.

"The opportunity to create a downtown cultural center that not just thrives, but booms, is very real," Lowry says. "We're here. We very much want to drive Rochester as a cultural and civic hot house. Rochester has so many assets, and sometimes it doesn't acknowledge them. There are many exciting things happening right now that will contribute to that growth."

Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre will officially debut Thursday, October 8, with "The Eastman Re-Opens!" The program will feature the RPO and Rochester Oratorio Society performing Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 as well as "Geo," a new work by ESM's Lowry commissioned for the event. The program also runs October 10 and 11. For more information on the Eastman Theatre project visit esm.rochester.edu; for more information on the RPO and its season call 454-2100 or visit rpo.org.

MuCCC: Little, mellow, different

MuCCC is not new, technically. The Multi-Use Community Cultural Center debuted in March of this year, but this marks its first fall season on the local arts scene. MuCCC is the brainchild of its executive director, Doug Rice, best known for his work with ArtWalk. After Rice split with that organization earlier this year, he decided to try his hand at something new. So he bought the old church near the intersection of Atlantic and Elton in the Neighborhood of the Arts, and set about using his stage background (he previously did sound-design work in New York City) to transform the space into a black-box theater. His idea was to open the venue up for local community arts groups to rent. Roughly six months later, MuCCC has hosted about a dozen shows from a variety of local theater and dance groups, and barely a weekend goes by without something on its stage.

Rice converted the church in a mere 32 days, ripping down the false ceiling, removing a full baptismal pool, painting the walls black, blocking out the stained-glass windows, installing the lights, and more.

MuCCC fills a much-needed hole in the local venue scene. Its modest space can seat between 80 and 175 people, depending how the room is configured (the stage and pews used for seating can be rearranged any number of ways), but it comes equipped with light rigging and a sound system. That makes it ideal for smaller theater groups that don't have their own spaces, like Method Machine or Greater Rochester Repertory Companies, both of which have already used the venue to stage multiple shows.

Rice says that he regularly gets inquiries from troupes interested in using the space. "There are more talented, creative theater groups out than I would have guessed," Rice says, "and they're all looking for a cool space."

What's most exciting, Rice says, is seeing the audience developing. "People show up at the door and ask us what's playing that night," he says. Rice says that reaction has been so positive he's considering adding a subscription series for shows down the road.

In the future, the plan is for MuCCC to continue hosting smaller local stage groups performing more intimate works, but Rice is also branching out a bit, with an upcoming Bop Shop concert featuring the Asylum Street Spankers. Beyond that, he says he's looking to continue to involve the community in the development of the space (he's started a community garden out back), and to continue to forge ties within the performing-arts community.

MuCCC is located at 142 Atlantic Avenue. This season will include performances by GRRC, Method Machine, Nuts and Bolts Comedy Improv, the ImageOut poetry reading, and more. For a full list of events check muccc.org.

Nazareth College Arts Center: The cultural connection

After taking a tour of the renovated Nazareth College Arts Center with Lindsay Reading Korth, director of the center and chair of the college's theater arts department, only one question came to mind: what hasn't been changed?

Later this month Nazareth will publicly unveil the results of its $10 million renovation project, and they are, in a word, impressive. Virtually nothing is the same: a substantial chunk of the outside of the building has been enclosed to create the new Sands Family Pavilion, with an information center, several new lounge spaces (including an exclusive patron suite), and even a brand-new art gallery. The seats have all been replaced.

But most important, the stage itself has been brought into the 21st century, with a fly system for lights and scenery, totally modernized sound and light systems, increased wing space, a suspended floor ideal for dancers, and finally, a curtain. Yes; to give you a sense of how massive a change this is for Nazareth, up until now the theater didn't even have a proper main curtain.

Over the past few years the college has built a reputation as a destination for top-notch dance performances. Now, with the improvements to the stage and increased behind-the-scenes amenities, it is really at the top of its game, as evidenced by this season's stellar dance line-up: Jose Limon, Thomas/Ortiz Dance, and of course Garth Fagan Dance are only a few of the names. It will also be bringing in major names like Elizabeth Streb and Inlet Dance for its recently announced dance festival next summer. None of this would have been possible without the renovations.

Korth gives credit to Nazareth President Daan Braveman who, along with Constellation Brands CEO Rob Sands, argued that with some improvements, Nazareth Arts Center could provide a mid-sized theater that would be a good venue for theater and dance.

The improvements don't benefit only the many traveling shows that come to Nazareth. The Arts Center is also home to several local groups, including the Fagan troupe, Rochester City Ballet, and Rochester Children's Theatre, which will all participate in the Arts Center's black-tie gala on September 26. Deborah Haber, the producing artistic director at RCT, says she is especially excited to get back on the stage after last year's Renovation Tour, which shuffled performances around to various spaces on campus - tents, gyms, you name it - while construction was being done.

"The theater was beautiful beforehand, but it's really special now," Haber says. "We're doing ‘Peter Pan' this year, and there's flying involved there. We would not have been able to do that show beforehand."

Nazareth College Arts Center is located at 4245 East Avenue. The renovated Arts Center debuts with a black-tie gala Saturday, September 26, at 6 p.m., featuring the premiere of a new work by Garth Fagan Dance with collaborators the Ying Quartet. The festivities continue with Community Festival Day Sunday, September 27, with a host of area art groups, including Bach Children's Chorus, Elizabeth Clark Dance Ensemble, and Writers & Books, all offering free performances from noon to 4 p.m. After that, a weeklong celebration commences, with art exhibit openings in the new Arts Center gallery, concerts, theatrical pieces, and dance performances by Borinquen Dance Theatre (Tuesday, September 29, 7 p.m., free), Iroquois Spirit Dancers (Wednesday, September 30, 7 p.m., free), and much more. For more information or a full schedule call 389-2170 or visit naz.edu/artscenter.