Schenect-ART-ady

Schenectady is known for its connection to Thomas Edison; it’s where he founded the company that would become General Electric. It is also where George Westinghouse invented the rotary engine and air brakes. In addition, American Locomotive Works – aka Alco – made most of the steam and locomotive engines in the country at one point, and its Schenectady location stayed active after WWII. While it may be known as the “City that Lights and Hauls the World” due to its innovative and manufacturing history, Schenectady has its share of artistic achievements as well. From well-known celebrities at one of the largest theatrical venues in upstate New York to local productions, there are bits of Schenectady that will make you shout “brava!”

Famous Friends

Here’s the story of a Schenectady native. Ann B. Davis, best known for her role as Alice on The Brady Bunch, was born in Schenectady in May of 1926 – along with her twin sister, Harriet. While Ann gained the most fame as everyone’s favorite housekeeper, her stage debut was at the age of six, where she earned $2 in a puppet show. Her big break, after years in regional theatres, stock companies, and tours, was on The Bob Cummings Show, where she won two Emmys for her role of the secretary, Schultzie. Fun facts: Ann B. Davis originally planned to be a doctor and was even on a pre-med track in college before getting bitten by the acting bug. Her first film role was in a Jimmy Stewart film, but it ended up on the cutting room floor.

Showbiz can be dangerous. Schenectady son Mickey Rourke trained as a boxer before turning to acting, ending with an amateur record of 27 wins (17 by knockout) and three losses. He made his film debut in a short in 1976, and has since worked in writing, producing, and music supervising. After taking a break in the early 1990s to go back into professional boxing, he wrote, oversaw the music, and starred in 1996’s Bullet. Despite steady work over the next decade, including Sin City and Domino in 2005, Rourke remained a lesser name until 2008’s The Wrestler. This role as an aging professional wrestler earned Rourke leading actor awards from the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, and many others, including multiple film festivals as well as an Academy Award nomination. Ironically, Schenectady used to be the home of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame before that organization moved to its current location in Texas.

Schenectady is also the home of a whole host of other creatives. To start, the conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, while most associated with the land down under, was born here in Schenectady to Australian parents. Director John Sayles, twice nominated for an Academy Award, has done a wealth of Bruce Springsteen-related projects and is a Schenectady native. Also a local is Greg Capullo, a comic book artist who has worked on Batman, Green Lantern, and Justice League, among others.

Fictional Friends

Fictional characters from Schenectady include Doc Octopus from the Spider-Man universe. Doc Ock was introduced in the comics in 1963 and played in person most recently by Alfred Molina in 2004’s Spider-Man 2 – a role he’ll be reprising in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Fictional Schenectady natives also include one of the title characters in the sitcom Will & Grace, Grace Adler, as played by Debra Messing.

Schenectady itself also appears often on the big screen, thanks to its many picturesque locations and its relatively close location to New York City. Sidney Pollack filmed part of The Way We Were with Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford on the campus of Union College in 1972. 2002’s remake of The Time Machine starring Guy Pearce used Schenectady’s Central Park as a stand-in for the NYC version. In 2009’s based-on-a-true-story The Winter of Frozen Dreams, Schenectady stood in for Wisconsin, and the Schenectady Police Headquarters and other city locations appeared in 2013’s The Place Beyond the Pines, starring Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling.

When it comes to the written word, many of Kurt Vonnegut’s books are set in the fictional city of “Ilium,” which is based on Schenectady. Harlan Ellison, who published over 1,700 works of speculative fiction, when asked where his ideas came from, would often answer “Schenectady.” In honor of this fact, Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell award-winning author Barry Longyear compiled a dozen of his short stories into a book entitled It Came From Schenectady in 2016. Schenectady also appears in the Cat in the Hat’s I Can Read with My Eyes Shut, as inscribed by Dr. Seuss.

Live From (Upstate) New York

Schenectady has a lively live arts scene. Proctors Theatre features highly on most Schenectady “best of “lists – and with good reason. Built in 1926 as a vaudeville theatre, the Proctor has seen many big names grace its stage, from Duke Ellington to Bob Hope. The Proctor is one of the few theatres in upstate New York that can accommodate full-sized Broadway shows like Wicked, The Book of Mormon, and the spectacle that is The Lion King. There are three venues within the Proctors space: MainStage, with seating for about 2,646; the GE Theatre with flexible seating for 434 and the largest movie screen in the northeast; and The Adeline Graham Theatrical Training and Innovation Center, aka the Addy, a 12,000 square foot teaching and learning facility. The Addy includes a state-of-the-art media lab, an orchestra room, a dance studio, and an 81-seat black box theatre.

If you’re looking to celebrate the talent in our townsfolk or find the stars of tomorrow, you have to look no further than the Schenectady Civic Playhouse and the Schenectady Light Opera Company. Founded in 1927 by educators from Union College, it took less than a year for the Civic Players to gain enough support to move into their own space in the Stockade District, which was originally a Masonic temple dating back to the 1800s. A year after that, they launched their first full season, and now they have over 450 productions under their belt. The Civic Players bring everything from complicated musical theatre standards like Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George to long-time theatrical favorites like Agatha Christie’s, And Then There Were None.

The Schenectady Light Opera Company (SLOC) dates to a year before the Civic Players. The group quickly embraced their “light opera” name and soon became experts at Gilbert & Sullivan. Not content to stick with operettas, the SLOC moved to modern American musical theatre in the 1950s and went full-tilt into popular musical comedies not long after. SLOC now mounts productions across the musical spectrum, from golden age classics like Guys & Dolls to modern favorites like Les Misérables. Both organizations are non-profits, and incorporating large numbers of volunteers, the Civic Players and SLOC prove you don’t have to pay a lot for tickets to get a quality theatrical experience. In 2010, the SLOC bought several buildings from the Albany Catholic Diocese, which finally allowed for plenty of elbow space for all the crucial bits of theatre the public never sees, like a scene shop and costume storage. The Northeast Ballet Company also shares the space.

In non-musical theatre musical news: The Van Dyck Lounge dates back to 1947 when it was opened by Marvin Friedman, who came upstate from the Harlem music scene. The Van Dyck slate has seen names like Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, and Chick Corea. Known as one of the top “listening rooms” in the country by fans, performers say the stage at the Van Dyck is as well-apportioned as a studio. The Van Dyck is also home to Mad Jack Brewing Company, winner of many awards, including “Best Brewery in the Hudson Valley,” and complete with a comforting bar food menu of pizza, sandwiches, wings, and more.

SchenectARTady

Schenectady is well known for its connection to major engineering historical feats, like Thomas Edison and General Electric or Alco’s place in railroad manufacturing. But there is plenty to appreciate here artistically, as well. Plenty of artists have found not just their homes but also their inspiration here in Schenectady. Likewise, local groups and venues ensure that you can always find something to strike your performance fancy. Besides the community theatre, ballet, and jazz, you can find outdoor concerts at the Rivers Casino & Resort’s Harbor Jam series. There’s no shortage of tunes and fun here in Schenectady.