HAMBURG, N.Y. (WKBW) — When audiences take their seats for a Broadway show, they see the lights, costumes, scenery and performers on stage. What many don't see is where those pieces come together.
Inside a 60,000 square foot facility in Hamburg, NETworks Presentations crews are helping power some of the biggest touring productions.
The company relocated its national production operations to Western New York, turning the Southtowns into a key stop in the journey from rehearsal to opening night.
"We produce national tours of Broadway shows," said Jason Juenker, senior director of production management for NETworks Presentations. "We have anywhere from 10, 12, 14 shows per season on the road."
While the company's name may not be familiar to theatergoers, its productions likely are. NETworks has produced tours of major Broadway hits and has six shows in Shea's Performing Arts Center's upcoming season.
Putting productions on the road requires much more than actors and a stage.
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"We're a traveling city when we go on the road," said Juenker. "We go into an empty theatre and have to bring everything with us, including the floor, the lights, the sound, scenic elements, costumes, props and elements to make it happen."
Rows of costumes, props, set pieces and equipment fill the warehouse, which serves as the company's primary production hub.
"We have 60,000 square feet here. It's our main hub, and what you see is what you see down at Shea's or on the road somewhere else," Juenker said.
The facility also serves as a storage rental center for theatrical productions. Asset Manager Rick Haug helps organize thousands of items used in past and current shows.
"Some of the things that I'm now managing are the ones I probably saw on actors in New York City as a 12-year-old kid when I first saw it on Broadway," Haug said.
Many of those costumes, props and set pieces are rented to community theaters and professional productions.
"We have a lot of costumes and props and scenery that we rent out," Haug said. "We rent out to theaters. We will rent to larger professional theaters."
The company is preparing for a public warehouse sale June 12 through June 14 at 4091 Jeffrey Blvd, Buffalo, NY, 14219. Haug asks people to enter through the truck entrance.
The event features costumes, props, music, furniture and other items from productions that have traveled stages across the nation.
"There's a lot of costumes, shows, props, furniture, music equipment," Juenker said
For him, a Buffalo native, bringing the operation home carries special meaning.
"To bring this kind of work to Buffalo really means a lot to me personally," said Juenker.
While Broadway may be centered in New York City, a growing part of the industry calls Western New York home, helping send productions from Hamburg to audiences across the country.
