Theatre Alongside the Canal is debuting free outdoor theater in the new Canal Street Pavilion in Tonawandas Gateway Harbor Park at the western terminus of the Erie Canal.
This will be the only free outdoor cabaret style musical comedy theatre performances in the WNY area. The stage will be in the covered pavilion, which also seats about 100 people. The open-sided building will accommodate viewing from outdoor seating (bring your own chair) for several hundred people. Professional sound reinforcement will provide amplification of the performance.
Performances for the summer of 2023 include:
• Friday — O’Connell & Company “DIVA by DIVA: A Celebrations of Women”
• July 14 — Bellissima Productions “Spotlight Cabaret: The Past 5 Years”
• Aug. 4 — Stand Up Entertainment Comedy
• Aug. 18 — Lake Plains Players “State of the Art Cabaret”
The series will kick off at 6 p.m. Friday with a ceremony featuring local politicians, the theater sponsor, Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union, as well as Tonawanda Gateway Harbor Inc. representatives. In additional to details about the theatre performances, information will be provided about other Gateway Harbor Events including the Wednesday on the Canal Classic Rock Concerts and Food Truck Thursdays. Representatives from WNY Theatre Companies will be in attendance to discuss their 2023 performances. The DIVA by DIVA performance will begin at 7 p.m. Food and beverages will be available from Old Man River
Next summer, plans call for the theatre performances to take place every Friday at 7 p.m. during the summer season.
The goals of the Theatre Alongside the Canal series are to introduce live area theatre to more people in WNY, provide a venue for outdoor summer theatre and give all area theatre groups the opportunity to promote their upcoming theater season.