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A Full Line Up:

New York's Capital City offers a full entertainment lineup

Albany, N.Y.—Drama, comedy, musicals and more will be entertaining Albany residents and guests in the upcoming months.

Sure, New York City is known for its appreciation of the arts and its amazing theaters, but did you know that you can catch a show just as amazing in the Capital Region? Albany and its surrounding areas is home to some of the best professional and community theater groups. The Palace, Proctors, Park Playhouse, Capital Repertory, Cohoes Music Hall, The Massry Center for the Arts, and The Egg all offer something for everyone who appreciates any type of production.

This season, we invite you to join us in enjoying the arts at one of these local venues:

Palace Theatre 

The historic Palace Theatre is just a short walk from the Albany Visitors Center. Parading itself in lights, the theater houses everything from small recitals to huge concerts by the stars of today. In the upcoming seasons the Palace’s event list is full with names like Bill Maher and the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and of course, classical Christmas specialties including The Nutcracker and The Magic of Christmas.
 
Proctor’s
Proctor’s is the largest of the theaters in the Capital Region with brilliant shows that run anywhere from one night to two weeks long. Some familiar names including Chicago, Hello Dolly, Godspell, Sister Act and The Book of Mormon are hitting the stage this season. You can also catch less known but still great plays such as 50 Shades! The Musical and War Horse, both based of popular books. Proctor’s also features many comedy acts, orchestras, and more that are all expected to be phenomenal.
 
Park Playhouse 

In the summer months, Park Playhouse performs two musicals on the beautiful and historic Lakehouse Stage in Washington Park. Provided free of charge, these professional performances are nothing to miss out on. This past season Park Playhouse presented Spamalot and Shrek: The Musical. Their casts feature professional actors and members of the community and have a two or three week long run each.
 
Capital Repertory Theater
Located in the heart of Downtown Albany, the Capital Repertory Theater on Pearl Street has a cornucopia of classic shows in the upcoming seasons. Including Venus in Fur set to show from October 1 to October 20, a Broadway hit about a sexy actress and her audition for the new show, Venus in Fur. You can also expect to see Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, The Mountain Top, a lucrative story involving Martin Luther King Jr.’s doubts and fears before his assassination, and Gypsy, a Musical Fable originally brought to us by the great Jules Verne and Stephen Sondheim, and MUCH more.
 
Cohoes Music Hall
During this, their eleventh season, Cohoes Music Hall presents Les Miserables, Plaid Tidings, Urinetown, and Little Shop of Horrors. The first and last are musical classics; one set in a post-revolutionary France and tells the tales of tragedy in the lives of many different characters, another set in a dirty city in America during the 1960s wherein a meat-eating plant destroys the world. Plaid Tidings and Urinetown, although less known, are just as incredible. Plaid Tidings takes the boys from Forever Plaid and turns them into a comedic Chirstmas Special. Urinetown: The Musical is a satirical story about a city in which the citizens are no longer allowed to use private toilets.  Every show is sure to delight.
 
The Massry Center for the Arts
The College of Saint Rose’s own Massry Center for the Arts will host professional showcases this season including New Gary Burton Quartet, 70th Birthday Tour with special guests Bopitude featuring Gary Smulyan, An Evening with John Medeski, and Andrew Tyson Piano Performance Presented with Renaissance Musical Arts and Young Concert Artists. In addition to these professional performances, there are many different showcases produced by the incredibly talented students from the college’s music department.
 
The Egg
Part of the iconic Empire State Plaza, the Egg Center for the Performing Arts, hosts many stage performers as well. From comedians, like Ralphie May who will be here on October 12, to the original voice of The Byrds, Roger McGuinn, performing on November 9, The Egg has something for every kind of art appreciator. Also on stage this season are The Temptations, December 7, and The Fab Faux, a musical tribute band performing the works of The Beatles, on February 15.
 
So, in the famous words of Gypsy Rose Lee, “Let me entertain you!” and join us on a tour through the Arts in Albany. For dates and more information on these exciting events please see the full listing of events on each venue website, visit www.albany.org, or call the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 258-3582 or (518) 434-1217.
 
And if you miss a show, head to our blog at www.albany.org/blog to read a review by our very own theatre expert, Will!

About the ACCVB:
The Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. was established in 1976 to promote the civic and commercial progress of the community through increased development of conventions and tourism. ACCVB currently represents more than 300 member businesses and assists each year in hundreds of regional meetings. ACCVB also operates the Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center, Henry Hudson Planetarium, and the Albany International Airport Information Center. For more information, call 518-434-1217 or 800-258-3582 or visit www.albany.org.