‘Cultural landmark in Dayton’ celebrates 20th anniversary
The Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center turned 20 years old Friday.
“The center is a cultural landmark in Dayton, and our mission to contribute to a thriving downtown experience gives us great pride,” Ty Sutton, President & CEO of Dayton Live, said.
>> Reward upped for information on Dayton woman missing since December
Many people have been coming to the corner of Main and Second Street to shop at Rike’s Department Store, but for the last 20 years, people have been coming to this location for a different reason, to be entertained.
The Schuster Center is located on the former Rike’s Department Store site, which was demolished in 1999. After the demolition of Rike’s, ground broke for the Schuster Center in April 2000.
Those who remember the iconic store are still able to catch a glimpse of the iconic Rike’s holiday windows, which are displayed in the lobby of the Schuster during the holidays.
>> Flooding, heavy rain forcing road closures in parts of the Miami Valley
News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson spoke with Sue Stevens, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Dayton, who had worked at the Schuster Center since the building was just rubble.
“The company has grown dramatically in those 20 years. The building of the Schuster Center made it possible for us to bring the biggest broadway titles to Dayton,” Stevens said.
There was not a venue in Dayton that was big enough to accommodate for the big shows, until the Schuster Center was built in February 2003.
>> Mikesell’s moves the sale of its last case of Dayton-made chips to next week
“The Mead Theatre which is the star of the Schuster Center was built specifically to accommodate the technical needs of the Phantom of the Opera which at the time was the biggest touring broadway production,” Stevens said.
If you look up at the ceiling of the Mead Theather, you will see the same constellation in the sky when the Wright Brothers took their first flight in Dayton.
“We’re really proud to have that history here in Dayton,” Kailey Yeakley of Dayton Live, said
>> Springfield police seeing increase in homicides in 2023
The performing arts center was named in honor of Dr. Benjamin and Marian Schuster.
Since the opening of the performing arts center in 2003, over 5.37 million guests have walked through its doors that have watched 10,687 performances, attend meetings, weddings, parties, receptions, graduations, and fundraisers.
Dayton Live, formerly known as Victoria Theatre Association, is a not-for-profit arts organization that owns and operates the Schuster and has been working on expanding programming and finding different shows for people of all interests.
>> Man indicted on 7 counts, including murder, assault, for deadly shooting in Dayton
“We have just been so excited and proud for the past twenty years to be presenting such high quality top notch performances here in the Dayton area,” Yeakley said.
The Schuster Center is also home to Dayton Live’s Premier Health Broadway in Dayton series and the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance – Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera, and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.
The next broadway show is on March 21, do not hesitate to buy your tickets so you can be sitting in the front row. To find out how to buy tickets, visit the Dayton Live website.
