The Orpheum Theatre in Saugerties, an outpost of Upstate Films, is embarking on a bold new project: transforming its upstairs Theatre 3 into a state-of-the-art screening room with a Dolby Atmos sound system. The renovated space will be named The Mark, dedicated to the memory of Markertek founder and local philanthropist Mark Braunstein, who died in 2021.
Construction is well underway, and the new cinema space is expected to be up and running early in 2024 – perhaps as early as January, according to Upstate Films co-director Jason Silverman, who conducted a press tour of the site last week. “This space is being designed to look and sound as great as any executive screening room around,” Silverman said.
Built in 1908 by the Davis family, the Orpheum started its life as a vaudeville theatre, with a flat floor that could be cleared of seats for dances or roller-skating. The Thornton family acquired the 6,480-square-foot building in 1918 and installed a sloping floor to adapt it to cinema. A major renovation in 1993 split the single-screen movie palace into three smaller theatres, creating Theatre 3 out of what used to be the balcony. All three viewing spaces will remain in operation for moviegoers following the current rebuild of the upstairs.
The not-for-profit Upstate Films, whose home base is in Rhinebeck, purchased the Orpheum in 2021. It completed the building’s first phase of renovations, including technical, safety and environmental updates, a new lobby and a spectacular new audio system in its large theatre, in 2022.
Capacity of the “intimate” upstairs space will shrink slightly, from a potential audience size of 135 to 99. The new seats will be top-of-the-line – though not of the deeply reclining type currently popular in multiplex cinemas, Silverman said, noting, “People can get that at home.” The big attractions of the Mark will be meticulously designed acoustics, as well as theatrical lighting and audio for flexible usage, including seminars and small music recitals. A sizable stage has already been roughed out, and the projection system will be adaptable to generate backdrop effects for live theatrical and musical productions.
The most noteworthy feature of the new space design will be the installation of a state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos sound system, the first of its kind in the region. Atmos expands on existing surround-sound systems by adding height channels to the usual horizontal and vertical, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional – even apparently in motion through the listening space. Atmos technology allows up to 128 audio tracks plus associated spatial audio description metadata (location, movement, type, intensity, speed and volume of sounds) to be distributed among carefully spaced loudspeakers.
“The theatre had 12 speakers; now it’s going to have 27. There will be subwoofers behind that wall. Some of the speakers have to be embedded in the ceiling,” Silverman said as he showed visitors the openings into the building’s attic where banks of high-tech audio gear will be installed. “It’s the newest Dolby system, designed to be completely immersive. Each speaker is programmable. The company is super-specific about where they want these speakers – like, within six inches. We have a Dolby technician working with us on that: Dave Berti. Luckily, he lives right here in Saugerties.”
The redesign of the Theatre 3 space is being masterminded by another expert who “just happens to live here” in the mid-Hudson. John Storyk, whose career in architectural acoustic design got off to a brilliant start in 1968, when he created the legendary Electric Lady Studios for Jimi Hendrix, is a principal of the Walters-Storyk Design Group (WSDG). The multi-award-winning firm touts itself as delivering “cutting-edge technology, ergonomic and stylish interiors and environmentally conscious solutions.” Its more than 3,000 audio/video projects around the globe include venues and studios for Bruce Springsteen, UCLA, Lincoln Center, Spotify, Jay-Z, MTV, Alicia Keys and NYU.
The rebuild of Theatre 3 is about three-quarters funded at this point, and Upstate Films is actively seeking donors to the project at https://upstatefilms.networkforgood.com/projects/207210-support-the-mark. “John Storyk has donated his services, which account for about 30 percent of the cost,” Silverman noted. Two major donors to the renovation, Christina and Kevin Brady of Ceres Technologies, joined last week’s tour, along with Mark Braunstein’s widow, artist Katharine L. McKenna. The Bradys described themselves as “Mark and Katharine’s dear friends,” noting that McKenna “hooked us up 23 years ago.”
Sponsorship of the improvements to the building is a testament to the legacy of Braunstein, who was an active supporter of the region’s indie film and video community. He was a founding sponsor of both the Woodstock Film Festival and the Hudson Valley Film Commission, as well as the Daily Bread Food Kitchen. He was a generous donor to the Woodstock Day School, the Boys and Girls Club, People’s Place and the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley through the Markertek Fund.
“Mark had a tremendous heart. Everything was about giving to the hungry, first and foremost,” said Greg DeCelle, chief marketing officer at Markertek, where he began working with Braunstein in 1992. The Markertek Open Charitable Golf Tournament, launched in 1997, raises about $35,000 annually for the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, he noted. “Many of the company’s suppliers and vendors from across the country have become donors as well. A lot of them come and volunteer here.” DeCelle also cited the purchase of a headquarters building for the Boys and Girls Club and major assistance with the construction of a playground at Cahill Elementary School as community services that Braunstein provided, with little public fanfare. “I don’t think we would’ve done this project without the inspiration to dedicate it to Mark,” Silverman mused.
“Mark would’ve loved it, too – how high-tech it’s going to be,” said McKenna. “When old buildings are renovated, he loved that. He used to say he liked spaces that are like a Swiss Army knife: multipurpose.”
“It’s really exciting to breathe new life into an old space,” agreed Silverman, who sees these improvements to the Orpheum as a key component of the revitalization of downtown Saugerties’ Main/Partition Streets National Historic District. “One way you can bring people back is by giving them an experience they can’t have anywhere else.”
