City Living Magazine, In the Know—April ’06 issue
Mapping the Way for Arts and Cultural Development in Worcester
By Christina I. Andrianopoulos

One of the most interesting and biggest projects that will change the climate of Worcester’s Arts & Entertainment scene is the Loews Poli Performing Arts Theatre project at Federal Square. The historic building is located at 2-16 Southbridge Street at the heart of the city’s Arts District. A $20 million restoration scheduled to begin later this year will restore and renovate the Loews Poli to a state of the art and upscale performing arts theatre seating 2,300 guests. The restored state-of-the-art center will be able to present large scale Broadway shows, musical recitals, concerts, comedy acts, dance, and other special international and domestically renowned special events. It will create a vibrant performing arts resource, and by restoring an historically and architecturally significant building it will offer an important cultural destination point projected to attract 170,000 theatre lovers. It will also give Worcesterites and people living in Central Massachusetts an alternative to traveling to Boston, Providence or Hartford to see top caliber Broadway shows and other performances.

Two visionaries, Ed Madaus and Paul Demoga saw a nifty building and took a big risk that something could happen and through strategic planning made sure it would. They established the Worcester Center for Performing Arts, Inc. (WCPA), a not for profit created for the sole intent of restoring and developing the theatre. National Amusements, (Showcase Cinema), donated the theatre in 2002, which launched the historic renovation and rebuilding of the Loews Poli Theatre project. Furthermore, they engaged the services of the Worcester Business Development Corporation, (WBDC), as the development agent to complete the design and construction of the theatre while helping to securing the funding. Partnering together with industry, business and government leaders, the WCPA is dedicated to returning the theatre to its original glory while helping to revitalize and enrich the City of Worcester. By its nature it promises to be the crown jewel of the new theatre arts district. Currently the design phase has been completed, and the projected date of opening is late 2007.

A Brief History of Loew’s Poli Theatre

The genesis of the “Poli Palace” was in 1906 when a small theatre was built named the Grand Theatre in Federal Square. In 1926 it was greatly expanded, doubled in size and was renamed the Loews Poli Theatre, also referred to as the Poli Palace. The architect was Thomas Lamb and the theatre re-opened with approximately 3,100 seats. In that era it was considered one of the most beautiful theaters in New England and operated as a vaudeville house. It remained this way until 1967 when it was acquired by National Amusements, (Showcase Cinemas), and served as part of a Loews chain. In 1998 the theatre was closed when the chain built a 16 screen megaplex in the northern part of Worcester.

In December 2002, the non-profit Worcester Center for Performing Arts, Inc. took control of the venue. A major renovation/restoration initiative is now under way promising that the new upscale theatre will restore the historic fabric and return the magic to the tapestry of a thriving downtown area. By nature of what it is, and how many people it potentially can attract, especially in the evening, it will be a key component of the revitalization of downtown Worcester. This will also potentially attract new businesses or inspire other businesses to expand such as restaurants, hotels, service businesses and more.

Troy Siebels, a renowned theatre and entertainment consultant is the Executive Director of WCPA. He is confident that shows of the caliber of The Producers and Phantom of the Opera among others will perform at the new theatre. Siebels surmises that socio-demographic factors of Worcester lean towards a strong potential for a performing arts theatre to be successful in Worcester.

Below are some of the factors he looks at that raise Worcester’s probability factor for a thriving successful performing arts theatre in Worcester:
• Worcester is the largest city in the country that does not have a performing arts theatre
• It is the only city in the “top 100 cities of the country” that does not have a viable venue to produce a Broadway show
• It is the 74th largest city in the country that has a strong “entertainment age” ticket purchasers target market. Entertainment age entails potential ticket purchasers who range in age above 18 years old and excludes the most elderly

Siebels also states that though the above factors reflect potential for audience frequency, the operating business model they plan to utilize is a basic fundamental model that lowers the risk factor. The theatre’s success is based on offering the theatre for rent to top producers and promoters, many of whom are intrigued by the potential the Worcester market has to offer. In fact, WPCA just signed an agreement with SMG, a facility management company that manages hundreds of theatres and arenas across the country.

Craig Blais, Executive Vice President of Worcester Business Development Corporation is very excited about the project. Blais relayed that WBDC, which is celebrating its 40th year of handling cutting edge economic development projects, is working on some very complex capital funding packages to secure funding for the Loews Poli Theatre project. This includes a major capital campaign with large pledges to date from Bank of America and Unum Provident, among others; receiving state and federal tax credits for historic site preservation, and new market potential; debt financing; and looking at naming rights opportunities from major investors, among others sources. Most recently, Loew’s Poli Theatre received its certificate for it to be registered and recognized as a historic site. Mr. Blais states, “Working with the visionary pioneers of the Worcester Performing Arts Center whose mission is to serve as an innovative and leading force in the economic development of the City of Worcester and community at large, will result in job creation and growth in the tax base.”

A project such as the Loew’s Poli Performing Arts Theatre is couched within a valuable aspect of Worcester’s ongoing economic development initiative, cultural policies and cultural projects that have been highlighted as an emphasis to their economic benefits to Worcester. In fact it is so important to Worcester that its cultural development is led at the helm by a full time Cultural Development Director, Erin Williams, whose role is to ensure that arts and culture play a vital role in Worcester's planning and development efforts. Worcester also has a Cultural Coalition, whose mission is to "draw on Worcester's rich and diverse cultural assets to foster economic revitalization and create a strong cultural identity for the City of Worcester." The Cultural Coalition also lays claim to “representing the unified voice of Worcester's cultural community whose members are the leaders of the City's forty-plus arts and cultural institutions and organizations.”

Troy Siebels tied it all together by stating, “Being a theatre person at heart, I am simply looking forward and can’t wait for the day the theatre will be open. Frankly, it’s going to have a huge effect on the City’s entertainment scene, and make such a difference to downtown Worcester as we know it today.”