Anyone who has ever attended a stage performance at The Storm King School knows that Theater goes hand-in-hand with a Storm King education. And nothing symbolizes the performing arts in the hearts and minds of the school community more than the Walter Reade Jr. Theatre. Sitting on the southeastern corner of the campus between Cottage House and the gymnasium with Black Rock Forest as its backdrop, this modern, eclectic structure has been a focal point of student life since its dedication on April 28, 1984.

The Theatre was a gift to the School through the Walter Reade Jr. Foundation established by Walter Reade Jr., a Storm King alumnus from the Class of 1935 and a former trustee. Mr. Reade, who had passed away 11 years before in a skiing accident, was considered a trailblazer in the art of motion pictures at the time, having opened the doors for controversial films such as Ulysses, Kafka’s The Trial, and Tolstoy’s War and Peace in his successful chain of movie theaters with more than 70 locations worldwide.

 

 

At the building’s dedication ceremony, Mr. Reade’s mother and widow were present to honor his memory along with dozens of classmates, former associates, and local officials. During the ceremony, Storm King’s 12th Headmaster James T. Dowell praised Reade for the contribution to his alma mater and to the arts: “The man was dynamic. One was ever-aware of his vitality, style, and presence. Direct, determined, dedicated but always with a sense of practicality; he was both a dreamer and a doer,” as quoted in The Cornwall Local newspaper.

Also present at the dedication were prominent Cornwall architect Conrad Remick and William Helmer (P’85) of Stony Point’s Helmer Construction who erected the building. Mr. Remick, who worked on the concept and plans of the $550,000 theater, said that it was designed to meet two necessary criteria: “First to resemble the theaters that were so much a part of Reade’s life, and second, to blend with the other buildings and the natural surroundings of the campus.”

 

There is no doubt that the addition of the Theatre 34 years ago was timely for the School, which had been fostering students’ talents and aspirations in the performing arts since very early in its history. Our archives tell us that dramatic arts first appeared in the curriculum at the Cornwall Heights School in the early 1900s. Our third headmaster Carlos H. Stone, who was responsible for expanding the campus and improving facilities at the time, also led the way when it came to enriching student life through the formation of extracurricular clubs. 1903 was a significant year that saw The Echo literary magazine and The Quarry newspaper come to be, as well as the formation of the Cornwall Heights Dramatics Club. Over the years, the club has been known by various names, such as The Players Club, The Mountaineer Players, and Mountain Top Players. In all of its incarnations, the group shared the goal of cultivating student creativity and interest in the theater and performing arts.

 

 

The next exciting time for the Theatre came 20 years later in the early 2000s, when a generous Storm King parent Mr. Michael Friedman, the father of Sarah Friedman Fimm, Class of 1998, made a significant gift toward much-needed renovations. Sarah, who got her start working at Storm King’s music and theater productions, went on to become a well-known American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with several albums released. The Friedman family’s gift served to install a fully redesigned electrical and sound system, control board lighting, and structural wiring for theatrical equipment, as well as new steel framing and riggings, drapes, and other improvements such as the proscenium being painted in its current, graduated Storm King blue.

 

 

Today, the Walter Reade Jr. Theatre continues to stand near the entrance of the campus as a bastion for the performing arts and as a social hub.  Its stage is a popular venue not only for theater and musical performances, but for instrumental, choral, and dance recitals, guest and student speakers, weekly school assemblies, and more. The School and the greater community enjoy Broadway-caliber shows including Cabaret, Almost, Maine and West Side Story, the most recent productions in a long line of Storm King theater and musical performances dating back more than 100 years.