Geva To Be Stakeholder In New PathStone Corporation Building Planned For Site 7

As Geva opens its 47th season, the organization looks outside of their four walls to focus firmly on education and community engagement and to be the leader in the area for connecting theatre directly and deeply to its constituents. Current programming occupies all available space in Geva's 150-year old historic home. Renovations completed in 2016 included the addition of a hospitality suite, and those rooms now host a full schedule of events for both Geva and, as an additional revenue stream, as rental venue to outside organizations.

Geva is partnering with the PathStone Corporation to create a space in which Geva will launch a new arts initiative that celebrates and serves our community through arts-based programming. The 5,900 square foot space, located on the ground floor of the proposed PathStone building at 150 Monroe Avenue (currently known as Site 7), will be home to a year-round program of theatre and creativity classes and workshops. As Geva develops and deepens relationships with community partners and organizations, the flexibility of the new space at Site 7 will also create opportunities for innovative and expansive engagement programming outside of the realm of the traditional theatergoing experience.

Continuing in its efforts to be a national leader in audience and community engagement, Geva is planning for the future. No other arts organization in this region has a dedicated, stand-alone space specifically designed for Education and Engagement Programming. Centered close to the expansion of the Strong National Museum of Play, with a mix of residential and commercial real estate, this additional space will allow Geva to expand its already extensive education and engagement programs which serve 20,000 annually, offering greater opportunities to partner with the Rochester City School District. Geva envisages after school, evening, weekend and summer programs for young people and adults; and meetings and gatherings of area non-profits and community-based organizations.

"This facility is a long-held dream of ours to provide more opportunities for participation in theatre activities for Rochester area residents," states Artistic Director Mark Cuddy. "Our home at Woodbury and Clinton is filled with performance programming, and doesn't have the studio spaces for year-round classes. Our expanding engagement efforts will now also have terrific meeting and learning facilities."

"We are thrilled to have an opportunity to create this new space for our community," says Executive Director Christopher Mannelli. "This will be a place where folks from all over the region can gather, share and celebrate the arts in all its forms."

"Creating a space for our community requires that we listen and collaborate with our constituents to create a unique model of service," commented Geva's Director of Engagement and Associate Artistic Director Pirronne Yousefzadeh. "I am certain that as the process continues and we deepen and expand the dialogue with our community, this new center will be a transformative step forward for all of us."

Geva's tenancy in the building at 150 Monroe Avenue dovetails with the PathStone Corporation's commitment to the community and mission to building family and individual self-sufficiency by strengthening farmworker, rural and urban communities. It is projected that the building will be completed and Geva can begin programs in the space prior to the start of Geva's 50th Anniversary Season in September 2022.