Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
Senator Says Proctors Theatre Is Lifeblood & Economic Anchor Of Downtown Schenectady But Thanks To Schumer-Secured $10M, Proctors Is Finally Ready To Open Once Again
Schumer Secured Dedicated Fed COVID Relief That Provided Capital Region Venues And Theaters Over $39 Million To Keep Stages Lit And Ensure The Show Would Go On
Schumer To Capital Region: $10M Because I Love to Love Cap Region, Baby!
Standing at the iconic Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer detailed the impact of the over $39 million he secured for the Capital Region’s independent live venues, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions thanks to the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG), otherwise known as the ‘Save Our Stages’ program which Schumer led to passage into law. Schumer stood at Albany’s historic Palace Theatre last year to advocate for this funding for the Capital Region. Schumer said that Proctors Theatre is the beating heart of downtown Schenectady and a driving force in the local economy, and the COVID package that he negotiated, provided Proctors Theatre with $10 million in COVID relief to ensure the lights remained on in their darkest days of the pandemic and that Broadway could come back to Schenectady!
“Last year, I stood at another Capital Region staple, the Palace Theatre, promising that I’d deliver for our independent venues – the beating heart of Upstate New York’s cultural life and a driving force in the economy. I’m here to say promises made promises kept, to the tune of $10 million going right here to Proctors Theatre,” said Senator Schumer. “Proctors is an economic anchor in downtown Schenectady, which is why I fought so hard to ensure they’d get their fair share to keep the lights on during their darkest days of the pandemic and recover. Nearly a year after I stood, with Philip Morris and other key venue operators at the Palace Theater in Albany calling for this desperately needed funding; today, I’m here to celebrate over $39 million to venues across the Capital Region to bring Broadway back to Schenectady and ensure the show will go on!”
To date, the SVOG program has provided more than $1.9 billion to more than 1,400 theaters, independent music venues and comedy clubs, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions like museums and zoos across New York. Schumer said that live venues, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions are some of the hardest hit industries by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the dedicated federal assistance he secured saved many venues from permanently shutting their doors to the public. The senator said the federal assistance was imperative to local economies because independent venues drive economic activity within communities like Schenectady through restaurants, hotels, taxis and other transportation and retail establishments.
Other beloved Capital Region venues like the Palace Theater, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, and The Egg, were also able to keep the lights on, and continue to drive their communities with the help of the federal relief funds. Schumer explained that it was not just our big live performance theaters who had to close the curtains in March 2020. Movie theaters like Madison Theatre in Albany and Rotterdam Square Cinemas also received funding.
In December 2020, Schumer negotiated the Save Our Stages Act into the bipartisan COVID relief package, which provided $15 billion nationally for independent live venue operators, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions such as live performing arts organizations and museums that have been significantly impacted by the economic effects of the COVID crisis. Specifically, the COVID relief package created a new Small Business Administration (SBA) grant program known as the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) which independent live venue operators, promoters, producers, talent representatives, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions were eligible for. These grants were used for payroll costs, rent, mortgage, utilities, and personal protective equipment, and other needs, to help keep the industry alive and rebound. Schumer then secured more than $1 billion in additional funding for the SVOG program in the American Rescue Plan, and made sure SVOG applicants could access assistance from both Save Our Stages and the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program.
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