RBTL Board Chairman, Arnie Rothschild, has announced that the effort toward development of a new performing arts center for the Rochester Broadway Theatre League has been named the 'Phoenix Project.' Appropriately named, as RBTL's hopes for a new theatre rise from the 'ashes' of Renaissance Square, the Phoenix Project has received tremendous support from local town officials.
The Phoenix Project 'Site Selection Review Committee' has been formed to undertake the task of reviewing possible locations in the City of Rochester and surrounding suburbs for a new performing arts center. This committee will be responsible for choosing the most advantageous site for the community and the local economy.
Jay Birnbaum, President of Jay Birnbaum Company, has been chosen as a special consultant to Arnie Rothschild and Don Jeffries for The Phoenix Project. The Site Selection Review Committee will be chaired by Frank Hagelberg, Partner at Boylan, Brown, Code, Vigdor & Wilson, LLP. Other members of the committee will include Lydia Boddie-Rice, Manager of Public Affairs at Rochester Gas and Electric; Stephen Martin, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Vice President of Public Relations & Marketing; Robert Mann, President of Mann's Jewlers, Inc.; Dick Kaplan, President and CEO of Pictometry International Corp.; and Jim Briggs, retired President of Lawyers Co-Op and Senior Vice President of Thompson West. All members of the committee are current members of the Board of Directors of the Rochester Broadway Theatre League, and have a true understanding of the operational needs of the organization, and the ideal features of a venue location.
RBTL will continue to operate the Auditorium Theatre, present the best in touring entertainment and arts-education for local students. For the time being, the Auditorium is a workable venue, but in the very near future, serious renovations will be needed, and a new performing arts center is the only way to ensure that top quality entertainment will continue to be presented in Rochester.