New theater planned for downtown Canandaigua. Here's where | Exclusive
Sure, the building on Coach Street in Downtown Canandaigua that Nils and Amy Swanson are renovating is small. But the community theater playhouse the couple opened several years ago in Westchester County was smaller than this one. The COVID-19 pandemic, which ended their project after two performances, resulted in their move to Canandaigua. They brought the show with them. They are now in the process of renovating a small building that housed a dog-grooming business in the hopes of opening their small playhouse by spring. A sequel, if you will, to their opening act. Their Forall Theater Co. may fill a niche in Canandaigua and Finger Lakes region, as their stage and productions will be on a smaller scale than the nearby Fort Hill Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua and Bristol Valley Theater in Naples. "We'll have the most intimate space in the Finger Lakes, at least to start with," Amy Swanson said. A background in theater Both work remotely; Amy in information technology and Nils in shipping and receiving for a company that furnishes luxury resorts and hotels. Theater is in their roots, and both have been acting since their early teens. Classically trained, Nils said he's acted in
