Proctor's Theatre
432 State Street,
Schenectady,
NY
12305
432 State Street,
Schenectady,
NY
12305
19 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 44 of 44 comments
I’ve only lived in Schenectady for a year and a half and I adore Proctor’s. The expansion/renovation is ongoing, but I saw the touring company of The Phantom of the Opera in February and it felt like Broadway.
I hope they continue to show films as well. I really enjoy going to such a beautiful place to see a film, even if it is a second run.
I believe a proctor is an academic official, for Paulb, who wondered what a proctor was. Although, of course, it was the gentleman’s name.
I played the Proctors Theatre during the ‘80’s. mpetersen, perhaps you worked on my show, I don’t know. All I know it that at that time it was rather a miserable place to play. I hope the renovations make it a nicer place to work, while still preserving the historical value.
Bow Tie Cinemas (formerly B.S. Moss Enterprises) is opening a new deluxe 6-screen cinema complex next door to Proctor’s as well. Opening is scheduled for late 2006.
Progress on expansion — stage has been demolished and steel for the new stage is fabricated and due on the property very soon. Next door building, former Carl Co., is now in title of the Theatre and a great deal of removals of glass etc. is done. The rear will be rebuilt for the new black box theatre which will also show wide format films. $17 million is firm for the $22.5 million project and fund raising proceeds well. After cancellationo of the Producer’s tour, Chicago was booked for December. Then Phantom of the Opera, Peter Pan (last national tour) and the sleeper Dr. Doolittle as well as many other shows. See proctors.org. Its an exciting time.
That ad also shows this was a Fabian Theatre then
There are several Proctor’s Theatres still standing, but not operating as theatres:
-Troy, NY: Closed in 1977. Recently purchased by Rensselaer Polytechnic Instutute. Office portion to be turned into hotel; unknown as to what will become of the double-balcony auditorium.
-Mt. Vernon, NY: Auditorium gutted in 1995 and filled in with office space.
-New Rochelle, NY: Auditorium gutted in late 90’s and repurposed for school and office space.
-Yonkers, NY: Auditorium gutted and turned into office space.
-Newark, NJ: Piggyback theater still standing abandoned. Saw a picture recently of current state of upstairs ‘penthouse’ auditorium—wall and ceiling tapestries have fallen and are draped over the seats.
Mr. Proctor is buried in Larchmont, NY.
Great question, Karen. If Warren (above) or someone else here cannot help you, try asking the Town Historian at the Woodbury Historical Society, 543 Route 32, Highland Mills, NY 10930. F.F. Proctor had an unbelieveable summer estate in the village of Central Valley, NY called “Proctoria”. There is an individual in the historical society who probably knows more about F.F. Proctor, his family, and his theaters than anyone else on the planet. The historian can put you in touch.
I’m interested if any of you know of other F. F. Proctor’s theatres which are operating either as for movies or as a theatre.
The original 2700 seat venue remains “Proctor’s Theatre”. However, as our major expansion proceeds, we will be operating the “ ‘Purchase-Naming-Rights’ ” Theatre and the “Upstairs Stamford Theatre” theater, as well as a 500 seat Black-Box/Iwerks venue, which will be held under the umbrella name “Proctors”; our logo, if you will, or a brand name. (Although we appreciate any publicity generated, we would rather see attention paid to our current and prospective presentations, than to the placement of the punctuation.)
More important is the story of the incredible hard work and fore-sight of the volunteers who banded together to save this venue from the fate of the Erie and the State. The organization they founded preserved this gem from demolition and turned it into a going concern. Now we are in a new phase of making ready for the current generation of Broadway tours, which simply will not fit into our facility. In order to present authentic touring productions of the hits audiences want to see, we must grow and adapt.
Please visit our website to keep up with what is changing, and what will stay the same. It is especially helpful to check out the directions menu, because traffic patterns change frequently due to construction. But when all the fuss and dust has passed, Proctors will still stand for “great theater”.
The American is still standing as well—it’s now an electrical supply store, and the Colony’s auditorium is used for an auto repair business…
Thanks Joe for that info. When I have driven down State Street it appeared that the theaters might have still been there because the Marquee and the arcade were still there. Unfortunately they have gone the way of so many theaters.
Tom Halstead
Both auditoriums of the State and the Erie were demolished. The Erie went down in the 70’s, and the State in the mid-80’s. The arcade and lobby building of the State is still standing. The marquee is used for local business advertising, although the “STATE” letters are gone.
I grew up in Schenectady during the late ‘40’s and into the 1950’s. I remember there were four main theaters in downtown Schenectady. The Plaza, which I believe was the newest and the one that I liked the most, Proctors or is it Proctor’s, the State and the Eire. The Plaza was demolished I think in the 1970’s. The State and the Eire were located in an arcade and I believe the building is still there. Does anyone know what these theaters are being used for today? I moved to New York City in the late 50’s but I visit Schenectady often. I remember seeing “La Cage au Faux” in 1986 at Proctors(Proctor’s) and was very impressed on how nicely it had been restored. Proctors (Proctor’s) was also located in an arcade. I remember the arcade had shops in it such as Van Curler Music Store and Carl’s Department Store. Does anyone remember some of the other stores in this arcade? I would love to hear other peoples recollections of Schenectady and its theaters.
Tom Halstead
Actually, Warren, this theatre is Proctors, not Proctor’s.
I am a stagehand at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, and I always cringe when our name is the “butt” of such jokes as paulb made. However, we can only hope to co-opt the medium by spreading the message of our fundamental position: we are an entertainment outlet. As such, we hope you look us up, and find that which you seek within. And our scheduled expansion should make us even more of a good thing. Enjoy!
I first saw Proctors a couple of years ago when I went to an organ concert. The theatre is very beautiful. It is obvious that a great deal of love went into the restoration. Kudos to all those who were involved.
That is great information, thankyou. Now I (and the rest of us overseas readers) know. Much appreciated. PAUL B.
In the raucous pre censorship 1934 Busby Berkeley movie WONDERBAR set inside a deco nightclub apparently in Paris, two 70 year old women out for a soiree de love remark that the club’s decor is nothing compared to the foyer of the Bijou Theatre in Schenectady…..a hilarious comment considering they are like a pair of turkeys on holiday from the farm…as a result I have always wanted to see what reference point these two would have. Of course I am thrilled at how sensational the Proctor Theatre is but I have to ask….isn’t a Proctor a person who is a Proctologist? (a bowell doctor?).
In Australia we don’t have any cinemas called Proctor (or hotels or anything with that as a name, one would actually want to enter) so you can imagine my amusement at finding a theatre called such a thing. In this country it would be like calling the cinema THE BUM HOLE or something like that. I kid you not. Sorry………
Theatre is in process of formally changing name to PROCTORS (without the apostrophe), rather than PROCTOR’S. Perhaps you could make the theatre searchable via both spellings?