EMBARK Strives to Establish Home for Live Theater in Peekskill

A little over a year ago Katie Schmidt Feder and Sol Miranda, theater professionals who both live and work in Peekskill, set out with the goal of creating a home and venue for performing and literary arts in the city. 

Feder and Miranda were in agreement that, while Peekskill has many great studios and galleries for visual artists, the establishment of a venue like the one they were proposing would fill a niche important to the area’s theater community. They joined forces with others like themselves, including Marilyn Heberling, a local director, instructor and actress, and Ian Berger, an author and teacher/drama coach at the Garrison School. These dedicated individuals formed a “collation of performing artists” and EMBARK Peekskill was born.

EMBARK Peekskill is essentially an ongoing process of research, outreach and fundraising that will ultimately help realize the goal envisioned by Feder and friends. The group has already met with city officials, the Chamber of Commerce director, local businesses and members of the community to discuss the project. EMBARK also has relayed its proposal to several other performing arts groups in Peekskill and neighboring communities, many of which are seeking a permanent home for their theater companies.

“It is clear that all the performers and groups we have met for the past year, whether they have joined us at this point or not, are in great need of a performance space as a home,” Miranda said.  “As an actor, I have always felt that it is in the process of discovery, especially during rehearsals, when a performer's craft deepens and his/her relationships with collaborators strengthen and trust is established, creating future collaborations and building resources.  We don't have a place to do that.  Even though some community theaters in the area have been well established for a long time, even they don't enjoy the benefits of a space to call home.”

Heberling, a member of EMBARK who is also a board member of YCP Theatre Works, is a prime example of this quest, as she had been searching for a performance space for the YCP group when she became acquainted with Feder and Miranda.

“When I first met Katie and Sol from EMBARK I discovered that their mission and journey was similar to mine, so I have worked with them as a consultant, sharing my contacts and experience to make a performing arts center a reality,” Heberling said. “I believe Peekskill and the surrounding area is a vibrant arts community which would further flourish with more opportunities and facilities for performing artists.”

Many theater goers might argue that the city already has the Paramount Center for the Arts to cater to the area’s performing artists' needs, but for many of those behind the scenes the venue is missing key features critical to live performances.

“Despite the beautiful renovation of the Paramount theater the venue lacks wing space, fly space and suitable dressing rooms,” said Feder, who also noted the Paramount didn’t have a scenic and costume shop or any rehearsal/studio space.

Other issues with the Paramount noted by EMBARK focus not on what the theater lacks, but what it has, such as its continuously booked calendar and a large seating capacity, which make it difficult for companies to secure prime weekend show dates and hold smaller events.

“[The Paramount] hosts a house too large for intimate or experimental productions,” Feder said.

Should EMBARK's dream become a reality the proposed venue would ideally include the following features: A large, 500-seat theater, a medium black box/experimental space, a small concert/lecture hall/cabaret space, an area for a scenic shop and storage and an area for a costume shop and storage. There would also be several rooms used for rehearsal studios, classrooms, practice, writing, children’s crafts and more. Finally, there would be a café that would also serve as a meeting space and gallery.

Another large part of EMBARK’s mission is to implement bilingual workshops to train Spanish-speaking youth and adult members of the community who are interested in the performing arts and creative writing.

“As a bilingual Spanish actor, director and teacher from Puerto Rico I can see the time is now to reach out to our Latino community,” Miranda said. “The gap that exists among the various communities in relation to the Latino population is still too large. … As a professor I have produced, directed and adapted a bilingual version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, as well as other Latino plays written originally in English and bilingually. I have seen how the faces in the audience brighten up because what they were watching was relevant to them; because they felt they belonged, even if it was for a couple of hours.”

To help further their efforts and spread the word about EMBARK’s missions, the group hosted this summer at Depew Park and is planning other events.

Upcoming promotional plans for EMBARK include a “Chat, Chew, and Cheers” event Wednesday, Aug. 3, at the Birdsall House Beer Garden. Unlike the Firefly and Fairy Festival, this is an “adults only” occasion and will be concerned with attracting prospective board and steering committee members, patrons and community supporters. Entertainment for the evening will feature a performance of “My Baby” by Vincent Marano and starring James Michael Armsrong, Tod Engle and Laura Williams. The cost is $15 per person and includes selected beers and hors d’oeuvres.

Members of EMBARK have also been working tirelessly to put together a three-day Fall Performing Arts Festival. The proposed event will take place primarily in downtown Peekskill and at the riverfront throughout the weekend of Sept. 9–11. Theater enthusiasts will enjoy free activities as well as purchase tickets to watch plays, musicals, dance numbers, children’s performances, instrumental performances, opera, and literary readings, all put together by EMBARK members and special guests.

“We believe our Fall Performing Arts Festival offers a unique advantage to downtown business owners in that we will have no food or merchandise vendors associated with our event,” Feder said. “Our audience will be encouraged via show locations and coupons to patronize downtown restaurants and shops during the schedule of the festival.”

For more information contact embarkpeekskill@gmail.com. While the official website is under construction you can keep up with EMBARK’s happenings via its Facebook page. To RSVP to "Chat, Chew and Cheers" e-mail embarkpeekskill@gmail.com -re: CCC reservation.