The Westcott Theatre

The Westcott in happier times at nights, December 2014. Courtesy CP Thornton/Creative Commons/Flickr.

 The Westcott Theatre on Syracuses east side near SU has closed because of code violations which the owner is fighting in court. In recent years, it has been a live venue for local and smaller national acts. If he can't get it back, he should just sell it to a new owner, who could get better security and also install seating because it was chiefly SRO the last that I remember, going there to see Pink Floyd tribute bands Childhoods End and The Machine. Before that, it was a second run cinema, which I went to when I was going to OCC and had to see Michael Moores Bowling for Columbine, which even had our own Dick Clark in a cameo that he didn't want to make. I never went there in the previous century when I went to school on that side of town. The neighbourhood has lost Big M, Seven Rays, and other businesses on Westcott St over the decades (this is more suited for the sister blog). If the Westcott were done up and repurposed a bit, then perhaps the city would reconsider and issue a new permit and operating licence, and if I ran it, I would more or less keep out acts that would attract bad actors as it were. I don't want to be like the owners of Red Rocks outside Denver or local authorities were at one point, going Mary Whitehouse for a period after an unfortunate incident. I would have the kind of events I would like to see such as proms, plays, talent shows, concerts for small time acts, presentations, events, and the ocassional film like old times (even if it's indie or art house, which would likely have a lower royalty rate than even Lionsgate for that matter). I may even write a post about starting my own promotions company. After one agency's talent show, another's would have to be somewhere else out of principle, and if downtown is too expensive, the Westcott could provide a budget-friendly alternative. For me, one downside is that Centro just doesn't go that way at nights for the public anymore, just for students and faculty during the semester on a special line. It'd be blocks from the next closest bus, and I had to take a cab home before rideshare was even a thing. SU students used to have Jabberwocky in the '70s and '80s, where Bonnie Raitt and our own Lou Reed would go, and the building that had that was recently demolished. I can't think what could go in the Westcotts place if it can't be a live venue anymore. Maybe a registered charity or shop. Westcott Nation doesn't have the same aura that it did when the founder of Boom Babies was still alive. She would have wanted the theatre to stay open since these places looked out for each other. There was just the annual festival, which still draws crowds this day and age, so there should be support for the Westcott to continue under new management for many years to come.