RIBBON-CUTTING + OPEN HOUSE EVENTS

The Bushwick Starr was thrilled to host the first public events in our new venue this past weekend at a Ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, September 6, and community Open House on Saturday, September 7, 2024. The Ribbon-cutting featured remarks from major stakeholders, including elected officials, project partners, and key supporters, and was followed by a happy hour celebration in our new lobby, with venue tours available. Our community Open House took place the next day from 4-8pm, and featured food, drink, live music, and venue tours. Both events celebrated and unveiled Starr’s new 5,000 sq. ft. building– a fully accessible LEED certified state of the art facility and permanent cultural space for our community, designed by award-winning architectural firm Bureau V Architecture (the studio behind the design of Brooklyn’s non-profit music venue National Sawdust).

RIBBON-CUTTING PHOTOS by Steven Pisano available HERE
OPEN HOUSE PHOTOS by Coltrane Cho available HERE

KEY QUOTES:

Executive Director of the New York State Council on the Arts Erika Mallin said, “Over the past 20 years, the Bushwick Starr has become one of New York’s great cultural treasures. This new permanent home will further support our vital arts and culture sector to grow, to invent, and to thrive. Arts and culture capital projects like these strengthen their communities, create jobs, deliver more visitors to local businesses, and expand the rich artistic diversity of New York. We congratulate the Bushwick Starr team on this tremendous milestone and look forward to their continued innovation and dedication to their community.”

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "Investing in cultural institutions like the Bushwick Starr goes beyond supporting the arts—it's a catalyst for community growth and economic development. This new venue, with its expanded footprint and modern facility, will create jobs, provide educational opportunities, and serve as a creative hub for Bushwick and beyond. ESD is proud to support this project, which exemplifies how cultural spaces can be powerful drivers of New York's economic vitality and community well-being."

NYCREDC Co-Chairs Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, City University of New York Chancellor and William D. Rahm said, "The Bushwick Starr's new home demonstrates the transformative power of arts and culture in community development. By enhancing the theater's ability to produce innovative work, this project not only elevates artistic expression but also reinforces its role as a vital community anchor. The NYCREDC is excited to see how this space will inspire artists and audiences alike, and we’re proud to have been part of making this vision a reality."

Sue Kessler, Co-Founder of The Bushwick Starr said, “We are here to celebrate a dream coming true– through thoughtfulness & care, hard work & perseverance, imagination & faith, and most importantly, you. Our community is a powerful coalition. You not only stood by us throughout the last 4 years, you rolled up your sleeves and joined this effort to make a permanent home– for us, for the arts, for Bushwick, for New York– your support has been utterly transformative. Thank you for believing in this and in us. Thank you for building this dream together.” 

Noel Allain, Co-Founder of The Bushwick Starr said, “We’re finally able to say the words we’ve been longing to say for 4 long years:  Welcome to the new Bushwick Starr Theater!  What you’ll see inside is simple in its design, but thoughtfully crafted to best serve our artists, audiences, and community. Our fully accessible lobby will not only welcome audience members before shows, but will allow us to welcome you, our community, into the Starr whether you have a ticket or not. We can’t wait for you to start coming here because that’s what gives this building life and purpose- when we fill it with artists, audiences, friends, neighbors. What a gift to be able to welcome you in now.”

THANKS TO ALL THE STARRS IN OUR GIVING GALAXY:

Orbiting Starrs (3 year commitments):
Anonymous
Susan + John Allain
The Abramowitz Family
Laure Bender
Susan Bernfield + Claude Millman
Suzie Bolotin + John Rothman
Jessica + Thomas Rothman
Sara + Mark Billings
Rachel Chavkin
Heather Christian
Steve Coats, in memory of Alma Becker
Michael Contini
Noel Cyr
Max Dana
MaryBeth Delgaudio + Barry Walsh
John Del Gaudio
Gita Deo
Jason Eagan + Zach Shaffer
Jody Falco + Jeffrey Steinman
Jane Fujita
Sandra Garner
Caroline Gart + Justin Nestor
Deborah + Richard Geltman
Asenhat Gomez
Alice + Robin Griffiths
Caleb Hammons
Allison Heim
David Herskovits
Mac Ingram
Jessica Jelliffe + Jason Craig of Banana Bag & Bodice
Maria Portman Kelly
Annie + Charles Kessler
Jane, Marty, + Joyce Kessler
Maxandra + Oliver Kramer
JR Lederer
Katherine Matheson
Alia McKee + Tim Walker
Renee McGarry
Thomas McMillan
Mercury Paint Corp
Miller Family Legacy Fund
David Miner
Emmitt Moore
Cate Owren + Zac Hall
David Jeffrey Ringer
Justin Samoy
Elizabeth Sorrell + Jamie Buckner
Nicole Sundell
Danielle Thomson
Jaynie + Chad Saunders Tiller
Jack Trinco
Rachel Viola
Corinne Woods

Shooting Starrs (one time gifts):
Anonymous
Leah Abrams
Jessica Almasy + Benjamin Friedstein
Matilda Bailey
Garth Bardsley + Michael Morgenfruh
Gabe Bettio
Peter Bellamy
Marissa Beringer
Jon and Erin Bernthal
Francis Blacklock
Agnes Borinsky
Marc Bovino
Lance Braunstein
Dominique Bravo + Eric Sloan
Adam Brown
Vince Bruns
Jesse + Megan Bull
The Carbone Family
Theodora “Dorie” Clark
Jane Comfort
Latasha Contini
Elizabeth Cunningham
Lisa Van Curen
Benjamin Darnell + Juliet L Moser
Danielle + Mary Beth
Nadine Daniels
Bonnie Davis
Celine Declayre
Jonathan Dembrow
Diana DiMenna
Freddy Edelhart
Waverley Engelman
Alyce Erdekian
Stephanie Fantino
Frances Felske
Mark Foggin
Rachel + Adam Fusfeld
Naomi Gardner
Zoë Geltman
Madeleine George
Gillespie Glant Family Foundation
Sara Ginsberg
David Greenspan
Nina Grollman
Andrew D. Hamingson + Sarah McLellan
Megan Hill
Karen Brooks Hopkins
Matt Hopkins
Allen + Lucas Hubby
Owen Hughes + Gabriele Blecher
The Humphreys Family
John Michael DiResta + Michael Holtzman
Julia Jarcho + Cody Carvel
Eileen + Adam Jarrett
Sara Juli + Chris Ajemian
Melinda + Peter Kaminsky
Jason Kemper
Mary + Casey Kemper
Michael Cooke Kendrick
B.D. Radley-Kingsley + Gordon F. Kingsley
Thuy Kieu + Justin Hohn
Lisa Jenkins
JumpKick
Brad Krumholz
Josh Levin
Elliot Lane Lowell
Janet Pines in honor of Sasha Lukashok
Susan Lunden
Eleanor Regan + Jeremy Blocker
Douglas Remington
Betsy Mallow + Jeremy Robbins
Eric Marlin
Jill Hunter Matichak
Matthew Owen McKenna
Kaitlyn Meade
Ian Mundorff
Mio Nakamura
Rachel Kauder Nalebuff
Stowe Nelson + Meredith Ries
Peter O’Keefe
Lizzie Olesker
Anastasia Olowin
Ronald Peet
Joshua Phillips
Ben Pomeroy
Alexandra Rosenberg
Mark Russell + Jennifer Goodale
Lindsey + Michael Sag
Julia Salkin
Deborah Stein + Andy Horwitz
Sea Change Strategies
Emily Shooltz
Jeremy Smith
Phil Soltanoff
Kendra C Srebro
Peggy Stafford + Mike Shapiro
Ari Stess
Susan Strickler + Richard Kaye
Isadora Tang
Cesar Tello
Dick Toth
David Townsend + Liza Zapol
Janice Kendrick
Mary Salter + Mel Kendrick
Marc Kirchner
Jay Wegman + Stephen Facey
Robert and Carol Walport
Robin Williams
Jeanne Willis
Gary Winter
Workman Publishing
Alison Wylegala
Casey York
Lucien Zayan

Capital project funding has been provided by generous institutional funders:
Booth Ferris Foundation; The Debate Society; the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation; Howard Gilman Foundation; JKW Foundation; The Logan Family of the Revada Foundation; MacMillan Family Foundation; Nancy Friday Foundation; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, with the support of Mayor Bill de Blasio, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and New York City Council Members Darma Diaz and Antonio Reynoso; New York State Empire State Development Fund; New York State CREST, with the support of Senator Salazar; New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; Prospect Hill Foundation; the Sands Family Foundation; the Steven Roth Fund; Thompson Family Foundation

2023-24 Season funding has been provided by generous institutional funders:
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Axe-Houghton Foundation; ConEdison; Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation; Faro Foundation; Howard Gilman Foundation; Prospect Hill Foundation; New York Community Trust; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, with the support of Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Council; New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; the Nancy Friday Foundation; Revada Foundation; Salman and Vienn Al-Rashid; Seth Sprague Educational & Charitable Trust; Shubert Foundation

The Starr Campaign Committee:

Elizabeth Sorrell (chair), Rachel Chavkin, Michael Contini, Max Dana, Denise Dickens