Paramount Theatre opened in Brooklyn in 1928 as a movie palace.
Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, an affiliate of Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., has partnered with Long Island University Brooklyn to bring entertainment programming to the school’s historic Paramount Theatre.
“We’re very enthusiastic about this project,” said Gale Stevens Haynes, LIU vice president. “It’s in keeping with the enormous excitement and development in downtown Brooklyn. We’ve been a long-term part of the Brooklyn landscape and we see this as an opportunity to really expand our reach and our programs and give our students some new and necessary facilities and opportunities.”
During the next 3-5 months, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment will be bringing in some pilot programs to the theater to see what kind of response they get from the community. Though nothing specific has been announced, they will look to feature emerging talent at the venue through concerts, comedy and maybe even boxing. Haynes said they are looking to host their first event with Barclays Center sometime in the spring. From there, discussions will be held about formalizing a more long-term partnership.
“Our first goal is to reintroduce LIU Brooklyn Paramount Theatre to the community and entertainment industry,” said Barry Baum, chief communications officer, Barclays Center.
LIU has partnered with Barclays Center in various ways since its opening, so this move will further expand on that with a focus on affecting the academic opportunities of LIU students.
“We have already been connected to LIU Brooklyn students through our partnership with Barclays Center,” said Baum. “This initiative is more so focused on creating unique part-time job opportunities for LIU students.”
LIU has owned Paramount Theatre since 1962 and is one of the university's most used multipurpose spaces.
LIU’s partnership with Barclays Center has also offered students hands-on learning opportunities for certain majors, something Haynes feels is an invaluable part of the university’s academic programs and hopes will only be expanded with this new aspect of their partnership.
“We have a very good relationship with them and are firm believers in the value of experiential education,” said Haynes. “We have programs that very nicely coordinate with the activities at Barclays, be they in sports management, sports journalism, media, performance programs and dance and music. So, there’s a lot of synergy that we think gives greater value to the more formal education activities on campus with expanding and exploiting the experiential opportunities for our students.”
Beyond academics, the partnership will work during the NBA’s All-Star 2015 events at Barclays Center when Paramount Theatre will serve as a fan hub with an interactive basketball experience on its court and appearances from NBA legends.
Originally opened as a movie palace in 1928, LIU has utilized the building as a multiuse space since 1962. As a venue for intramural sports, basketball games, concerts, conferences, student fashion shows, lectures and even roller derby, Paramount Theatre is one of the most-used multipurpose buildings for LIU. But with the construction of a new wellness center on campus, it is no longer an essential site for sports, and the desire to return the theater to its former glory was too great to pass up.
“We are an institution with performing arts programs and media arts and the Paramount represents something that is unique,” said Haynes. “It’s Brooklyn, it’s New York City. It has its own mystique about it, so the opportunity to revive that is enormously attractive and important in terms of Long Island University’s history, its connection to the world that surrounds us. It’s a win-win for everyone. And maybe we won’t host the roller derby anymore, but we’ll do things that are fitting to the traditions of the site.”
Another feature that may be a part of a formalized partnership would be upkeep of the historical building. Rather than instituting sweeping renovations, Haynes said Barclays Center majority owner, Bruce Ratner, has an architect who is very focused on returning Paramount Theatre to its former glory.
“So I don’t think we’re going to see some Jetsons modern theater,” said Haynes. “It’s really respecting the past and honoring those traditions, because when you say ‘Paramount’ it invokes an image and feeling that is unique and we don’t want to in any way lessen that.”
Interviewed for this story: Gale Stevens Haynes, (516) 299-4177; Barry Baum, (718) 942-9587