After nearly a year of vacancy, the newly renovated Westcott Theater opened for a sneak peek of the Westcott Street Cultural Festival Sunday. The building, located at 524 Westcott St., was formerly known as the Westcott Cinema, which closed in October 2007.

For the first time, local residents could witness the theater’s transformation from a former one-screen cinema to a performing arts center.

‘I think with the changing of the times, we’re not a movie theater anymore, we’re not a cinema,’ said co-owner Dan Mastronardi.

Excited to bring live music into the area, Mastronardi reassured locals that the venue would host a variety of acts including bands from Syracuse and nationwide, as well as film festivals and community driven events.

‘It’ll be like going to a bar that plays movies,’ he said, describing the ambience of the new venue.

To renovate the aging, Mastronardi and co-owner Samuel Levey worked for more than a year tearing up chairs, installing spotlights and bringing the building up to 21st century standards.

He was careful to maintain a casual atmosphere, complimented by the new corner bar and the curtains that conceal the bare walls.

Walking into the renovated space, the heavy wooden doors reveal a minimally decorated red lobby.

Inside, crew members tested equipment on the new sound stage, underneath a projector screen that was left from the former movie theater.

People mingled by the entrance, hoping to get a glimpse of the place before the live bands performed.

‘Thirty-four people came in saying they were eager to see the theater now, just to see the venue,’ said Ron Bonk, founder and programmer of the B-Movie Film Festival which will be taking place at The Westcott in October. ‘I’ve seen lots of indie filmmakers go to The Palace and the Redhouse, but this caters to the SU population, and the others don’t have that luxury.’

Despite The Westcott’s resurrection as a predominately live music venue, Bonk was still enthusiastic about its role in promoting the independent movie scene in Syracuse.

‘You’ll see a lot of obscure, cutting edge cinema here, movies that people don’t often get to see,’ he said.

However, music was the focus of today’s small opening.

‘I think it’s gonna be rockin’ as a music venue because it’s a much-needed thing in the area,’ said recent SU graduate Karen Summers.

It seemed that not many people shared her enthusiasm as the floor was relatively bare throughout the afternoon. People who were on the floor were mingling around the bar to chat with Levey.

The bands that were slated to play at 2:30 p.m. were delayed until 5. Even then the groups performed for a dwindling audience of three people. The darkened theater was no match for the music playing outside in the overcast weather.

Despite the low turnout, Mastronardi said he feels positive about the community response.

‘It’s pretty good so far,’ he said. ‘We won’t know until after today; this is the first day we’re open to the public.’

Mastronardi attributes the low attendance to the lack of parking due to the fair, which was difficult to manage and was preventing more people from checking out the theater.

When The Westcott opens for good ‘in a few months,’ he hopes to have these sorted out in order to reach out to SU students forced to live with a lack of live music.

The Westcott improves on a venue that has had a long and storied history within the community, appearing through various incarnations since its opening as an independent movie house in 1919. Today’s setting for local bands as well as national acts simply expands on its legacy.

‘We’re gonna encompass everything, we’re not just movies anymore,’ said Mastronardi. ‘This is a new chapter we’re setting here.’

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Published on September 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm