About Us

Mission

Enrich and entertain The Finger Lakes Region by presenting a variety of exceptional visual and performing arts in a beloved historic landmark.

Vision

Become renowned for diverse programming in a unique setting that inspires patrons and artists.

Core Values

EXCELLENCE
PASSION
INCLUSIVITY
COMMUNITY
ACCESSIBILITY

The Venue

VENUE RENTAL POLICIES

TECH SPECS

View of the House

The house view of the Sands Family Foundation Theatre shows the Orchestra section with 387 new upholstered retractable seats, many of which are removable for production flexibility and special needs seating. Also visible is the sound and lighting control booth, the mezzanine and the Kesel Family projection booth. This view also shows the front-of-the-house lighting positions. The beauty of this 1928 hall is featured in this view, the design of the new elements and accessories blend well into this refurbished period room.

The Stage

The Estey Family stage is a versatile updated and refurbished performance space that is framed by a 34’x18′ proscenium. It contains a 29′ fly loft and manual stage rigging operated on a fly floor located stage right.

A 12’x6′ Gala Spiral stage lift is located in the apron of the stage which travels down to the house floor level with a removable apron wall allowing access to the house and can travel to the lower basement level below the stage for the movement and storage of musical instruments, scenery and production equipment. The stage has a full complement of stage curtains, lighting positions, stage monitors and production intercom system. Also a crossover hallway located backstage along the Kenyon Family Signature Wall provides stair access to the lower level greenroom and production areas.

View from the Mezzanine

The Conifer Realty Mezzanine has five boxes with eight chairs each and a Gender Neutral restroom for patron convenience. The Mezzanine is accessible from the Main Lobby and Lower Level by an elevator.

Sightlines from the Mezzanine are the best in the house. The restored 1928 proscenium is shown along with new paneling in keeping with the original historic details of the venue.

The Lobby/Gallery

This view of the Ontario County Arts Council gallery shows the versatility of this newly created space under the former balcony. The beautiful coffered ceiling and plaster moldings are original.

The former 1,100 seat auditorium extended into this space and has now been converted into a versatile multipurpose space. This area serves as an art gallery, bar and concessions, meeting space or lounge complete with a grand piano. The ambiance is in keeping with its 1928 elegance.

FHPAC History

The 1928 Annex was built as an addition to the 1907 Canandaigua Academy High School and housed a 1,100 seat auditorium, a gymnasium, swimming pool, automotive and wood working shops along with music rooms, boys and girls locker rooms. The annex was designed by Wilson Potter and cost $199,000. The building was converted to a Junior High School in 1963 and served the school district until 1992 when the district closed the building and moved to new facilities. Conifer Realty, LLC purchased the buildings and converted the Main Street building and the east side of the annex into Senior Housing in 1995.

The west end of the annex containing the auditorium and swimming pool were abandoned with no plans for use. In the Fall of 2015 a group of community members got together to examine the possibility of converting the unused space into a performing arts center.

FHPAC was formed and became a 501(c)3 corporation and purchased the west end of the annex from Conifer Realty in December 2018. A fundraising campaign was started in 2016 to raise the six million dollars to fund the restoration and refurbishment along with outfitting the facility. FHPAC opened to rave reviews on January 10, 2020.

FHPAC Board of Directors

Gordon J. Estey, President

Rosemary Park, Vice President

Benjamin Willmott, Secretary

Deborah Wilbur, Treasurer

At large members:

Jennifer Baxter

Jenifer Cheney

Don Cicchino

Curtis Hill

William Kenyon

Scott Kesel

Ellen Polimeni

Jim Terwilliger

FHPAC Staff

Sueann Townsend – Executive Director

Sueann has enjoyed a 20-year career as a professional dancer in classical ballet, modern dance and national and international freelance artist. After her performing career, Sueann worked as teacher, coach, ballet master, and repetiteur. She served as Executive/Artistic Director of the Amherst Massachusetts Ballet from 2011-2017. Sueann invigorated the 40-year-old organization through ambitious programming balanced with fiscal responsibility. She created Ballet For All! which brought classical ballet training to dancers aged 8 to 80. As part of this initiative, she produced a week-long workshop with Ilya Kuznetsov, master teacher from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Sueann’s FHPAC duties include policy and procedure development, operations, marketing and programming.

Gordon Estey – Stage Operations Manager & Facilities Manager

Mr. Estey has been a stage lighting designer, technical director, stage manager and theatrical rental supplier for over 45 years and has designed over 400 productions in his career. His work has been seen in Rochester, New York City and many regional theatres. Mr. Estey served Rochester City Ballet for 25 years as Technical Director and resident lighting and scenic designer. He served as technical theatre consultant on construction for many secondary schools and college theatres in the region. Mr. Estey served 25 years as technical director in the Canandaigua City School District and designed the Academy’s theatre. Mr. Estey was technical consultant for the CMAC amphitheater, Nazareth College Callahan Theatre and Fort Hill Performing Arts Center. He recently retired as lighting designer for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and first worked with the orchestra in 1968 on what is now the FHPAC stage. Other credits include founding Technical Director for Finger Lakes Opera, working six seasons and fundraising event director for UR Thompson Health. Mr. Estey is a Canandaigua Academy alumnus.

Jessamyn Slon - Operations Manager

Tyler J. Struble - Assistant Facilities Manager, Stage Manager

Jillian Sugar - Finance Administrator

IATSE Rochester Local 25 - Stagehands

Jessamyn Slon - Volunteer Coordinator

Gail & Tony DeMuzio - House Managers

Michael Grover & Anthony Rosato - Parking Attendants

Rosemary Park - Webmaster, Graphic Design

Madeleine Cavallino - Data Entry

Archer Communications - Marketing & Advertising

Brown & Brown - Insurance

Flaherty-Salmin - Accountants