Geva Theatre Center facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Naval Armory-Convention Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Rear-angle view of the theatre building
Location in New York
Location	Rochester, NY
Built	1868
Architect	Warner, Andrew J.; Gorsline & Aldridge
Architectural style	Classical Revival, Late Victorian
MPS	Inner Loop MRA
NRHP reference No.	85002852
Added to NRHP	October 4, 1985

The Geva Theatre Center is a special place in Rochester, New York, where professional actors put on amazing plays. It's a non-profit organization, which means it uses its money to create great shows and help the community. The theatre is located in a really old building from 1868. This building is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Geva Theatre offers many different plays throughout the year, plus talks about the shows and special readings. They also do a lot of work with the local community.

About the Geva Theatre Company

The Geva Theatre company was started in 1972 by William Markham Selden and Cynthia Mason Selden. Cynthia was an actress from Britain. They lived in nearby Avon. The name "GeVa" was short for "Genesee Valley Arts Foundation."

The first shows were short plays performed during lunchtime in 1973. These took place at the Rochester Business Institute (RBI). Soon, the company started putting on full-length plays. It grew into a major regional theatre, just like others in Buffalo and Syracuse. In 1997, the company changed its name to Geva Theatre Center.

In 2011, Geva Theatre Center hosted a big event called the American Association of Community Theatre Festival. By 2017, Geva was known as the most-attended theatre in New York State, outside of New York City.

Famous Actors at Geva Theatre

Many famous actors have performed at Geva Theatre over the years. Some of these include:

• Samuel L. Jackson (who was in A Raisin in the Sun)
• Scott Bakula
• Georgia Engel
• Kathy Bates
• Josh Brolin
• Robert Downey Jr.
• Bill Pullman
• Anna Deavere Smith
• Robert Vaughn
• Anthony Zerbe

Many people who have worked at Geva have won or been nominated for major awards. These include Academy Awards, Tony Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and Emmy Awards. One person was even nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Rochester native Philip Seymour Hoffman, a well-known actor, often talked about Geva Theatre. He said his mother used to take him to plays there. These visits helped him become interested in acting.

By 2018, Geva had put on more than 400 stage productions. They also hosted many other special events.

New Plays Premiering at Geva

Geva Theatre Center is also known for showing new plays for the very first time. These are called "World Premieres." Some of these include:

• Five Course Love by Gregg Coffin (2004)
• Splitting Infinity by Jamie Pachino (2006)
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, adapted by Mark Cuddy and Marge Betley (2008)
• The House in Hydesville by Dan O'Brien (2009)
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted by Mark Cuddy, with music by Gregg Coffin (2010)
• Voices of the Spirits in My Soul by Nora Cole (2012)
• The Book Club Play by Karen Zacarias (2013)
• All Your Questions Answered by Greg Kotis (2013)
• Tinker to Evers to Chance by Mat Smart (2014)
• Informed Consent by Deborah Zoe Laufer (2014)
• Katherine's Colored Lieutenant by Nora Cole (2014)
• The Road to Where by Cass Morgan (2015)
• Women in Jeopardy by Wendy MacLeod (2015)
• Other Than Honorable by Jamie Pachino (2017)
• The Agitators by Mat Smart (2017)
• Heartland by Gabriel Jason Dean (2018)
• Hard Cell by Brent Askari (2019)

Leadership at Geva Theatre

The person in charge of the artistic side of Geva is called the Artistic Director. Currently, this role is held by Elizabeth Williamson. She started in June 2022. She took over from Mark Cuddy, who was the Artistic Director for 27 years before he retired.

The Historic Geva Theatre Building

Geva Theatre first started in a building on South Clinton Avenue. This was the Rochester Business Institute building. By 1982, the theatre company had grown a lot. They needed a bigger and better place. So, they bought an old building at 75 Woodbury Boulevard. This building used to be an armory and a convention hall. It was right across the street from their old location.

History of the Building

The building Geva bought was designed in 1868 by a Rochester architect named Andrew J. Warner. It was first used by the 54th Regiment of the New York State Militia. This was a group of soldiers.

In 1907, the building was updated and became known as the Convention Hall. Many important people visited the Convention Hall. These included presidents and famous political figures like William Jennings Bryan, William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

The building was also a cultural center for Rochester. World-famous artists performed there, such as:

• Anna Pavlova (a dancer)
• Enrico Caruso (a singer)
• Fritz Kreisler (a violinist)
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (a composer and pianist)
• Gustav Mahler (a composer)
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the writer who created Sherlock Holmes)
• Arturo Toscanini (a conductor)

Other events held in the building included wrestling matches, boxing matches, flower shows, and dog shows. During the 1918 flu epidemic, it was used as a hospital. In 1930, it even became a clinic for tonsil surgeries. Later, in 1949, it became the Naval Reserve Center. By 1975, different city offices used the building.

Renovations and Reopening

Geva bought the building from the city in 1982. They spent three years renovating it. The building reopened as a theatre on March 29, 1985. The first play performed in the new theatre was Planet Fires. This play was written by Thomas Babe, a playwright from Rochester. The story was set after the Civil War. It was about a newly freed black man and a soldier who had left the army. They traveled North together and camped near Rochester.

On November 26, 1985, the new theatre was officially named the Richard Pine Theatre. This was to honor a local developer. He helped Geva get the money they needed to move into the new building.

In 1997, Geva started a big project to add a second stage to the building. This new stage, called the Nextstage, opened in 2000. It was later renamed the Ron & Donna Fielding Stage. This smaller stage has 180 seats. It's used for smaller plays, shows for young audiences, and developing new plays. The original, larger theatre space was then called the Mainstage. It was later named the Elaine P. Wilson Stage. The Wilson Stage has 522 seats and hosts many different types of performances. These include classic plays, new plays, and musicals.

In 2016, Geva finished a seven-year project. This project included fixing the outside of the building and updating the inside. They renovated rehearsal rooms, offices, dressing rooms, and the lobby and café areas. They also added a new entertainment suite. New seats and carpet were put in the Wilson Stage. New flooring was added in the Fielding Stage.

The building was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 4, 1985. It was listed under the name "Naval Armory-Convention Hall."