Stage
23 S. Main Street,
Warsaw,
NY
14569
23 S. Main Street,
Warsaw,
NY
14569
1 person
favorited this theater
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http://cinematreasures.org/architects/310
Here is the list of DeAngelis designed theatres for anyone such as myself who is interested in the list of 31 with only 6 open today! I think the theatre in Batavia NY is now a church. Interesting that Michael designed a theatre in Florida which still has to this day…alot of art deco buildings such as the hotels done in pastel colors on South Beach.
Mark! Let me be the first to welcome you to CT. It is a pleasure to have the grandson of Michael DeAngelis among us. I hope that you honor us with many DeAngelis posts regarding this theatre designed by your grandfather along with the other DeAngelis designed theatres listed on CT. Again, a huge WELCOME!
Michael J DeAngelis was a trend setting architect. His use of art deco should never be forgotten! I personally want to thank everyone that has taken a strong interest in him and his designs. And to all that are doing their best to resurrect / refurbish his theaters. Of the 31 theaters he designed only 6 are running today. My interest is very close to home as he was my Grandfather! My name is Mark C. DeAngelis and I can be contacted directly at
Hope you show some classic movies as many theatres do.
Let’s roll…congratulations!
Welcome back!!
We ran the first film at The Stage in 2 ½ years last weekend. It was the new version of “True Grit” and we had wonderful response from the community: two showings over 100 attendance, one over 80 and one over 40. It was awesome! Combined with the two very successful senior matinees on the 16th and the 23rd, we are on a roll!
Though it is not my hometown theatre it has a connection to my hometown theatre as they were both designed by Michael DeAngelis.
I had a chance to see this theatre in the late 80’s. It’s nice to see that it is still in use.
You are welcome…always nice to see someone interested in the arts and perhaps The Stage would be the perfect venue.
Thank you :)
Kaila: May I suggest that you send your acting classes/workshops request to Mr. Penner via his email that he has so kindly provided for us in his Feb. 20 entry. Good luck as I’m sure he would be receptive to your suggestion.
Are they planning on holding things like acting classes or acting workshops at The Stage? I think it would be a really good idea and a really good way to bring in more money. I would definitely go if they had them and I think lots of other people would too (especially kids and teenagers) since we wouldn’t have to drive to Buffalo or Rochester anymore …that would be niiiiiice :D
I forgot to mention the second reason I have not visited this site in a long time. Our group has been working literally day and night for several months to get the theater up and running again. It has been an enormous effort and it all came to fruition last Wednesday. Life is slightly more normal now that we are open but there is always something to do around the theater. I may not visit here often but will check in occassionally to see what up online. By the way, our new website will be up and running soon at www.TheStageofWNY.com Keep checking.
Hello Gang — I have not visited this site for a long time for two reasons. First, after a year of operation, the board of trustees of the WNY Performance Center was forced to close The Stage in November 2009. We mothballed the theater and were forced by the first mortgage holder to put the building up for sale. Since no one came forward to buy it (thank goodness!), we sat on it until just recently. At that time, a friend of mine offered to provide the funding to repair the film sound system. When we purchased the theater originally from Frank Versage, we were not told that the film sound system was shot. That is one of the main reasons that people did not patronize the theater towards the end of Frank’s reign. The sound is now restored to excellence and we are showing our first film the weekend of February 25-27, True Grit. We opened with a live matinee performance February 16th with 268 paid attendance thanks to support from Wyoming County Angel Action and Wyoming County Office of the Aging. I know a great deal about the history of venues at this site (the Farman Theater, the New Farman Theater, the Warsaw Cinema and The Stage), more than I could ever write in this blog. One important point: I am NOT the owner of The Stage. The theater is owned by the NFP corporation, WNYPC. I am currently the president but others have and will serve in that role. I would love to host a gathering at the theater of any of you who are contributing to this blog. Perhaps you would be interested in coming to a film showing or live performance as my guests and we can hang out afterwards with a behind the scenes tour thrown in. If anyone is interested, email me at Cordially, Paul Penner
jaybird21: Nice to read “the first film to be shown in several years”! Mr. Versage is smiling down!
AT LAST. The first film to be shown in a several years, will be “True Grit” on Friday February 25. The Justin Bieber film will be on the next bill. As a senior citizen, I think I’ll skip that one. The 1st “Senior Wednesday” live show on Feb. 16th went very well, with the over ¾’s of the theatre seats sold.
Penner: Please contact me via email.
jaybird: Please contact me via my email. Thank you. I know a journalist in Batavia who has written about The Stage and has interest in any current news regarding it.
That was the major problem with Vitrolite. It looked great as long as it held together, but it was very easily cracked. This is why they stopped making Vitrolite in the U.S. in the late 1940s.
And because Vitrolite was easily cracked and broken, it provided an unstable surface for other materials. Whenever a Vitrolite front has been replaced by something else, the Vitrolite would have to have been stripped off first, so the new material would have something stable to which it could be attached.
jaybird21: Sorry to hear that the vitrolite is gone. It’s a shame that I didn’t know the name of a man in St. Louis (back then) who does repair vitrolite across the country/ What is the status with this Mr. Penner and his ownership of The Stage? My email is as I’d like to talk further about this theatre and your meeting with Frank. So glad that you got to meet him!!
Sorry Patsy, the Virtolite glass panels are gone. Except for the few above the main doors. Frank Versage told me that when he bought the theatre the glass panels were in bad shape, cracked, broken and pieces missing. Kids seemed to like breaking the panels they could reach. He also said he wanted to make the theatre his own by changing the look and the name from Farman to the Cinema. It was neccessary to remove everything to install the new stone facade. Also, the murals that were covered for many years with curtains have some water damage. It is hoped that they will be restored by a group like Buffalo State College that has an art conservation department.
Would like to see the stone facade taken off as the original Vitrolite is probably still there!
jaybird21: I just posted a comment in the Weeks Funeral guest book for Frank Versage. Please read what I wrote and add your comments if you wish as I’m sure the family would appreciate it.
Boxoffice Magazine’s archive is no longer available at issuu.com, but some 3000 back issues in the vault on the magazine’s own web site are currently available for viewing. Here is a fresh link to the photo of the Farman Theatre (originally posted by Gerald DeLuca above) on the cover of the January 6, 1951, issus.
The photo of the Farnum shows that DeAngelis’s original facade treatment has been replaced by the rough stone facade seen in newer photos. DeAngelis chose to face the building a glassy tile, probably vitrolite, in three different colors (the photo is black and white, but three tones can be seen.) There was also a depiction of what appears to be an archer and a hunting dog above the marquee. Possibly this panel was designed by Oscar Glas, who did the murals inside the theater.
I don’t know if Boxoffice intends to keep its archive available to non-subscribers or not, but if they do then you can search for specific issues of the magazine by going to their home page, clicking on “The Vault” and then on the year of the issue you’re looking for, then the thumbnail of the particular issue.