JAMESTOWN – The owner of The Spire Theatre recently said that the obstacles he’s encountered running his performing arts business pale in comparison to the satisfaction he receives watching young artists showcase their talent.
Angelo Giuffre’s comments to WNYNewsNow came immediately after the final round of his locally-produced and growing showcase, Chautauqua’s Got Talent show.
On that particular night, Guiffre started out by discussing the interesting dynamic that plays out when the show’s champion is crowned.
“The energy that you are feeling is love,” said Giuffre. “These are not tears of sadness, they are tears of joy.”
Guiffre’s efforts are grassroots and have not been met without significant challenges. For example, the theater receives no public grant money to help with the development of the programs, many of which support and foster young talent.
“If public money came our way, we would gladly accept it,” Guiffre said. “People know we are here and we do our best to reach out and let them know what we are doing.”
The Spire Theater was built in 1868 and is, naturally, in need of repairs. The biggest one is a new roof, which will undoubtedly come with a very large price tag.
“We’re raising money for a new roof,” said Guiffre. “It’s just been a long time to get it started but we’re starting to get there now.”
The Spire Theater is in a much better place, content and production-wise from when it first started. That much was evident at the last Chautauqua’s Got Talent show.
“Recently, people have been pointing out that we are not part of the downtown footprint, so we posted a thing on Facebook about it,” said Guiffre.
Subsequently, the response that Guiffre said he received from that post was overwhelmingly supportive.
For a complete calendar of events at the Spire Theater, click here.