Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Uptown! theater marks a successful first year
Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center’s leaders are remembering the new theater’s first year with gratitude and wonder. The grand opening “Celebration of the Century” just one year ago, on New Year’s Eve 2016, was a momentous occasion when founders’ dreams became a reality; it was also the centennial of the theater’s permanent home, the National Guard Armory Building.
With much to celebrate just one year later, Uptown! will host a First Anniversary Gala for New Year’s Eve 2017, called “Diamonds and Denim.” The theme recalls “in the trenches” hard work that has resulted in a wide variety of consistently highcaliber, dazzling productions.
Mayor-elect Dianne Herrin, reflected on the theater’s first year, “The Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center has quickly become a cornerstone of our community. Not only has Uptown! brought quality theatre, dance, and adult cultural opportunities to our entire region, but it is also serving our local community.
“I’m particularly impressed with Uptown!’s educational partnerships with groups like the St. Agnes School, the West Chester Area School District, the local YMCA and others – partnerships that build skills and confidence in our youth through creative self-expression … Uptown! has put West Chester on the map as a burgeoning cultural center, and this enriches us all.”
Herrin was among the first in line for Uptown!’s 2018 New Year’s Eve Gala tickets.
Family of the theater’s namesake, “Aunt Lena” Knauer, shared Herrin’s enthusiasm. Beth Knauer recalled a particularly heartwarming occasion when she and a few fellow board members watched as children from a summer workshop entered the auditorium for their first rehearsal on stage.
“As they stepped onto the main stage for the very first time, they looked out into the theater and said, ‘Oh, WOW!’” Knauer said. “It was an amazing, aweinspiring moment!
“How incredible it was to witness that life-changing moment in the lives of those children.”
Aunt Lena’s grandson, Chris Knauer said he was “honored to unveil the portrait of his grandmother and plaque in memory of his father in the lobby of the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center. Their love of the arts and their community will serve as a legacy for generations.”
West Chester Studio for the Performing Arts, Uptown!’s Theater Education Department, has grown by leaps and bounds. WC Studio’s Director, Therese Walden-Murphy, and staff, taught acting, singing, improv and playwriting to children and adults all year, hosted several performances and filled the building with lively summer camps.
Generous donations fund scholarships so that classes and camps can be as diverse and inclusive as the community itself. WC Studio’s spring Children’s Theater production of “Alice in Wonderland” and more recently, their Holiday Cheer concerts, were treats for all.
Additional highlights from the theater’s first year vary with each person asked, as programs provided something for everyone. Fans of musical theater recall The Res-
ident Theatre Company’s spring blockbuster, Barrymore nominated production of “Spamalot.”
Jazz enthusiasts rave about Sara Phalen’s Jazz Cocktail Hours, with soldout crowds at every show. Comedy fans are equally enthusiastic about Better Than Bacon’s Improv shows with lively and unpredictable audience participation.
Followers of Uptown! Speaker Series remember courageous and insightful speakers, like the Tankel family who shared their personal battle with opioid addiction in “HeroIN.”
Windish Music’s range of productions included the popular Dueling Pianos show, Louis Prima JR and New Street Heat, the band returning to perform at this year’s Gala. Opera Tutti and Yajaira Paredes Production’s Latin and Flamenco series rounded out the variety of resident company offerings and also brought memorable shows to Uptown! stages. Other notable performances included The Summer Club, Liberty Wind Symphony, Joel Katz’ Classic Doo Wop and TedX West Chester.
The organization proudly accepted several awards in
their first year. State Rep. Carolyn Comitta, D-156, recently presented Uptown! with a citation for receiving a 2017 Public Impact Award from Preservation Pennsylvania. Uptown! also received a Best of the Main Line Critic’s Choice Award for Arts & Entertainment from Main Line Today.
In October, the West Chester Downtown Foundation presented Uptown! Bravo Theater, LLC with its coveted Bricks & Mortar Award for adaptive reuse and historic preservation of the National Guard Armory Building.
Past President Tom McEvoy remembers last New Year’s Eve grand opening gala when, “This was basically still a construction site.” Theater seats had yet to be installed, but five hundred guests celebrated on all three floors and danced on the concrete subfloor of the main stage.
Indeed, the idea of bringing a theater to West Chester, hatched by Tom and Connie McEvoy, Richard May and Linda Foster over grapefruit martinis, has grown into a cultural hub of the community. In this first year, Director Angela Scully is quick to point out, nearly 4,000 patrons purchased more 15,000 tickets for 140 shows and more than 50 volunteers assist the small staff to keep things running
smoothly.
Additionally, students filled 406 seats in performing arts classes and camps in 2017. Students and the majority of patrons come from West Chester and neighboring Chester and Delaware County communities. In addition to classes, shows and events, Uptown! was host to private functions for a number of community groups as well, such as Chester County Hospital, Moody’s Analytics, the Chester County Community Foundation and even one wedding.
With the community’s continued support, Uptown! looks forward to an even bigger and brighter future. Leaders, founders and the mayor-elect hope to see another big turnout to support the arts this New Year’s Eve. Said Herrin: “What a fantastic way to usher in the New Year with friends and neighbors! Come celebrate with us, and support the amazing citizens who turned this dream into reality.”
Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center is conveniently located near parking and restaurants at 226 North High Street, West Chester. Tickets for the New Year’s Eve Gala and more may be purchased at uptownwestchester.org, at the box office or call 61035-.ARTS (2787).