The Westcott Theater hosts virtual and private events for local artists

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The words “SAVE OUR STAGE” are displayed across the marquee above The Westcott Theater, which stands quietly on Westcott Street.

The Westcott is one of nearly 3,000 independent venues and promoters participating in an initiative called Save our Stages, said The Westcott’s owner Dan Mastronardi. The initiative is working to pass a bill through Congress that would give COVID-19 relief to help small businesses and independent venues.

“We’re the first to close and the last to reopen. Sometimes we get forgotten, and we don’t want to be forgotten,” Mastronardi said.

The Westcott has been closed for public events since the pandemic spread in March, but the music venue is still hosting virtual events and small, in-person private events.

The Westcott will be hosting a virtual concert on Nov. 20 for the alternative rock band Trampoline Jetstream. Emily Steinberger | Photo Editor

The venue will host the alternative rock band Trampoline Jetstream for its EP release on Nov. 20. The Utica-based band will perform the three songs on its EP, as well as a hidden track after the last song. The band will perform at The Westcott without an in-person audience, and the livestream will most likely be available on the streaming service Twitch, said lead singer Nick Vanderwood.

The event will be $10 with a $3 service fee and starts at 8 p.m. The band has played at The Westcott a few times in the past, but Vanderwood is excited to be able to work with the venue for the EP release, even though there is no live audience.

“It’s exciting because we’ve never even done this. We’ve always talked about livestream, but we tend to be more recording musicians, and we’re not really promoting a lot of livestream stuff,” Vanderwood said. “It’s cool that we’re able to do this for the first time with an EP to come out.”

These livestream concerts tend to be “hit or miss,” depending on the demand for the particular act, Mastronardi said. Last month, the venue hosted The Uncle Louie Variety Show, a Syracuse-based comedy duo, for a virtual event that had about 300 ticket sales. The venue also recently supported indie group Hippo Campus in a virtual concert filmed in Minneapolis.

But livestreaming concerts won’t go away when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, Mastronardi said. The Westcott plans to have a livestream at all of their future events for people who cannot attend the event because they feel unsafe or if they are already at capacity in accordance with public health guidelines.

“There’s a huge saturation of livestreams right now so it’s figuring out how we fit into that bulk to make it cool, exciting and different,” Mastronardi said.

Besides concert events, the venue is also hosting an event called the Westcott Wonderland Winter Market. The event will take place on Nov. 28 in collaboration with The Beatnook, an Instagram store that specializes in curating vintage goods, homewares and oddities and kitsch, said co-curator Erin Mauro. The market will also feature 20 hand-selected artisans, vintage sellers and crafters.

“I am most excited to have the chance to mingle with our customers. We are over the moon to connect with other sellers and vendors,” co-curator Heather Binion said.

Binion believes that the event is a great opportunity for people to shop local in a safe way while also “breathing” some life back into the theater.

The event will be at limited capacity and will follow safety precautions such as social distancing and wearing masks.

With the former 50-person capacity limit, The Westcott has been able to hold small-scale private events in accordance with state guidelines, Mastronardi said. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Monday that parts of Onondaga County must follow yellow-zone coronavirus rules, which limit gatherings to 25 people.

Mastronardi said that if someone wanted to have a movie screening or private party, this would be allowed as long as the capacity limit was maintained, and people remained at their seats.

Before legislation is passed to provide relief to independent venues and restrictions are lifted, Mastronardi said that they will just need to keep getting creative and think of new ways to drive revenue, but that relief would be very helpful for the venue’s longevity.

“It would be great if government officials can pass legislation so that we have a fighting chance at survival,” he said.