A Forty Year Legacy of
Live Theater in the Finger Lakes


Watercolor by Skippy Raines

Bristol Valley Theater (BVT) is a unique, professional, summer theater located in rural western New York. It serves an audience that would not otherwise have ready access to professional theater productions.

The Friends of Bristol Valley Playhouse Foundation, Inc., is a not-for-profit membership with the three-fold mission of producing life-affirming theater for a rural and regional audience, presenting a variety of performing arts, and providing training to those wishing to become active in the theater.

Formed in 1983, the initial purpose of Friends was to provide funding for workshops and educational activities in conjunction with the commercial Bristol Valley Playhouse. In January 1986, when the 22-year-old Bristol Valley Playhouse was going to close its doors, Friends committed to continue theater in the area.

After several years of looking for a home to call their own, Friends bought the Trinity Federated Church at 151 South Main Street in the heart of downtown Naples, N.Y., and changed the name to Bristol Valley Theater. Forty thousand dollars was raised to renovate the church in time for the 1992 season. Additional renovations continue.

By 2000, BVT had more than 400 donors and nearly 400 subscribers, and for the first time, the theater's attendance exceeded 10,000 people.  In 2002, BVT exceeded 500 subscribers and continues to grow.  BVT hires professional artists from throughout the region and New York City area.  Under our Artistic Director Karin Bowersock and new  Managing Director Barbara Allen with able assistance from Office Manager, Kathleen Goyette, Bristol Valley Theater continues to enhance its programs to serve the western New York region and the immediate area of Naples.  BVT is focusing on developing stronger outreach programs to students and young audiences.  The Apprentice Program and Children's Show continue to be an important focus for the organization in order to reach more young people through theater training and performance.  In addition, an Intern Program was created to reach out to students in colleges and universities in the area to provide exposure to all aspects of theater in exchange for college credit.

BVT now produces and presents the performing arts from May through October. The spring and fall presenting series have become more and more successful, featuring a wide variety of performing arts: improv comedy, dance, solos shows, children’s and family programming.   Also included are concerts from an array of genres of music, blues, bluegrass, folk, rock and jazz.  The goal: to offer the BVT audience a diverse range of entertainment from around the region.

Theater enlightens, entertains and feeds the soul of our community. While the theater offers a top-notch summer season of trained professionals, its expanding community outreach program rounds out its service to the region and encourages appreciation for live performance arts for future generations. Bristol Valley Theater has managed to carve an important niche in a small town, and maintains its ever-widening reach.