Plattsburgh Press-Republican Prime – Summer 2014

PRIME|Summer 2014
5
Susan Doolittle as Meg in The
Birthday Party by Harold Pinter
The Vermont
band
Farm performs
A band
performs
at The Recovery Lounge
Photo by Carol Blakeslee-Collin
Photo by Stephen Longmire
A PLACE TO PLAY IN UPPER JAY
In 2003, Scott and Byron Renderer almost sold the old Ford Assembly plant they’d bought to expand their upholstery business.
Realizing they’d become attached to the place, they took it off the market and to turn it into The Recovery Lounge, a unique artistic
venue that draws much of its talent from the community. Story By Carol Blakeslee-Collin Photos By Stephen Longmire
Y
Photo by Carol Blakeslee-Collin
ou never know quite what to expect when you spend
building’s main room which creates a much different expean evening at the Recovery Lounge. The program
rience than a formal stage. He has also built some rather
varies from edgy theater, to eclectic live music, perstartling environments such as a large sandy beach for Edformance art, play and poetry readings, and art exhibits. The
ward Albee’s “Seascape”. The following year the plywood
surprise is intentional according to actor, director, and artist
and spray foam beach was recycled into a mountain side
Scott Renderer who owns the place with his brother Byron,
and placed in the building’s elevator shaft for his producbut the funky environment, comfortable antique sofas and
tion of Patrick Meyer’s “K2.” Another variation from trachairs, low lighting, and the building itself contribute to the
ditional theater is the lack of auditions. Instead Scott remystique.
cruits his talent locally from his workshops, acting classes,
By day, the brothers run an upholstery shop in the foraudiences, and neighbors. “It’s a community theater and
mer Ford assembly plant and showroom on Route 9N in
involves us all.” And he adds, “It’s satisfying to see people
Upper Jay. They bought the building to expand their upholact who have never done it before.”
stery business with no intention of creating an art center. In
Renderer has staged one or two plays a year and the
fact, they put it back on the market in 2003 only to discover
playlist has been unusual for the rural Adirondacks. Behow attached they had become to the place. They took the
sides “K2” and “Seascape”, we have been treated to Pintbuilding off the market and began to share their passion for
er’s “The Birthday Party”, Sam Shepard’s “True West”,
SCOTT RENDERER
the arts with the surrounding community. In 2005, the two
Mamet’s “American Buffalo”, and “Doubt” by John Patrick
In his own words:
brothers formally founded the Upper Jay Art Center.
Shanley, among others. Scott says he had a pretty solid list
“I don’t have an agenda. I’m of plays he wanted to do when he started a decade ago but
Musicians love the place and the prospect of a weekend
gig in the Adirondacks has drawn an illustrious assortment
has pretty much burned through the list. Asked where he is
working with my instincts
with the likes of the brilliant pianist Eli Yamin, the roomand can’t resist making art. taking the theater in the future, he replies “I don’t have an
filling energy of Alexis P. Suter, Farm, Russ Bailey, the Bob
agenda. I’m just working with my instincts and can’t resist
I don’t spend a lot of time
Meyer Trio, blues legend Danny Kalb, Cuddle Magic, Burmaking art. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the
thinking
about
the
future.”
lington’s bluegrass quintet Possum Haw, and the local band
future.”
Lucid.
Whether it’s the amateur actors, the building, Scott, or
For the past ten years, Scott Renderer has used his years
the artists he finds, audiences agree that the Upper Jay Art
of experience as an actor in New York City to produce, direct, and sometimes Center has become an essential part of the Ausable Valley community. Scott
act in plays conducive to the space. The sets, built by Scott, put his plays in the acknowledges that with success has come pressure to grow and become more,
“One of the biggest challenges is to resist ways to
try to make it better. That takes discipline and confidence.” The Recovery Lounge’s many fans are torn
between wanting everyone to know about the place
and fearing it will be “discovered” and changed by
fame.
“O n e day I’m goin g to speak.
G ran dpa,w ill you hear m e?”
The next play at the Recovery Lounge is “Why
Torture is Wrong and the People who Love
Them” by Christopher Durang. The performance
dates are July 24 – 27 and July 31 – August 3 at
8pm. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at
the door or by phone at 946-8315. Reservations
are recommended.
Worth a click
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PLATTSBURGH
563-1748
245 Tom Miller Rd.
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483-6995
4091 State Rte. 11
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Check out The Recovery Lounge’s website at www.upperjayartcenter.org.
Carol Blakeslee-Collin is a freelance journalist who writes for
various regional magazines and lives in Keeseville, NY. She
is presently President of the Board of the Adirondack History
Museum in Essex County. Previously she has been a museum
director and curator, executive producer at Mountain Lake
PBS, producer at the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer for 21 years,
and a producer at ABC News20/20.