50 Years at the Amato Center

Dear Supporter, Originally built as an open-air theater in the mid 1970’s as the new location for Playhouse 101, the building underwent a transformation in the early 1980’s when it became home to the American Stage Festival.  In 2003, the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley acquired the building and a whole new transformation occurred.  Air conditioning, upgraded electrical & heating systems, new seats, new curtains, a sound system and stage lighting all allowed the Amato Center for the Performing Arts to open its doors in August of 2005. The theater is now home to three Club theater companies: The Riverbend Youth Company, The Riverbend Alumni Company, and The Friends of the Amato Center.  Since its first show in February of 2006, the Riverbend Youth Company has had upwards of 2000 children, ages 6-18, participate both on stage and backstage. In 2011, the Alumni Company was formed, allowing our college students to return to the stage, and in 2015, The Friends group was formed to encourage whole families to participate in shows like Seussical, Mary Poppins and Annie.  In addition, the theater is home to the Milford Area Players, an award-winning community theater company established in 2002 and well-respected throughout the region. The Amato Center has played host to countless rentals through the years: dance companies from 6 surrounding communities, beauty pageants, local high school choral groups, comedians, touring circus acts, memorial services, home-school coop graduations, magicians, reptile shows, town events, and even two weddings! After 50 years, it’s now time to give our beloved theater some much-needed updates.  Over the past 2 years, we have carefully planned a major renovation project that will address aging electrical systems, bring the over-stage hanging pipes up to industry standards, change over 50 lighting fixtures to energy efficient LED technology, and add much needed integrated systems in both lighting and sound.  Our technical theater students will benefit from these upgrades, providing them with high quality, current equipment.  Audience members will enjoy the sound enhancements, the extra lighting effects each production will be able to add, and the community can celebrate the knowledge that the Amato Center is ready for the next 50 years!

Robin LaCroix BGCSV Director of Theater Arts rlacroix@svbgc.org