How Richard Lambert Transformed a Theater's End into a Cultural Gift for Buffalo
By ANTHONY CHASE
The holiday season is a sentimental time to remember the important things in life: friendship, family, generosity, and renewal among them. In the theater, we celebrate the occasion most famously with a story about an old miser who needs three ghosts to teach him the true meaning of Christmas.
In 2024, Buffalo's theater community experienced a real-life drama of transformation and legacy. When Richard Lambert announced the dissolution of the New Phoenix Theatre on the Park, what initially seemed like a curtain call became something far more meaningful: a carefully orchestrated gift that would ripple through Buffalo's cultural landscape.
The Buffalo theater community went into mourning when Lambert decided to dissolve the New Phoenix Theatre on the Park and retire to Florida instead of passing the reins on to someone else. But he knew something others didn’t. The high maintenance building at 26 North Johnson Park was not sustainable as a small professional theater. He’d kept it going for years with Band-Aids and chewing gum, but one good crisis in plumbing, or electrics, or roofing, or anything at all, and the whole operation was in peril.
Exploring his options, the idea of becoming a cultural Santa Claus began to appeal to Richard. New York State law requires that when a not-for-profit ceases operation, its assets be distributed to other not-for-profits in a manner approved by the New York State Attorney General. That’s what he decided to do.
Richard recalled the days when he was operating the space and a donation of $5,000 was a tremendous boon, but always came with strings attached.
“Maybe you’d get five thousand, but you could only use it to, say, build a bathroom or something. If you were clever, you might find a way to leverage any money left over for something else, but it was always an effort. You almost never got simple operating money, so that’s what I wanted to provide. I knew it would have made a huge difference to me.”
Indeed, $20,000 can be transformative to a small not-for-profit in Buffalo.
Suddenly, the internet was bursting with exclamations of gratitude and joy. As one person cleverly observed, “First it was like a death and then it was all the joy that came from the organ donations.” Lambert quite enjoys that metaphor.
Speaking by telephone from his home in Sarasota, Richard explained the distribution of funds. “I had two tiers: five organizations that each got $20,000; and 17 others that each got about $13,000.”
The group of five included: Buffalo United Artists, Second Generation Theatre, Subversive Theatre Collective, Paul Robeson Theatre, and Road Less Traveled Theatre. These are all theaters with which Lambert has close personal ties, or who shared his challenges.
He emphasizes that he is delighted with what developer Joan Yang is doing with the building. Yang and her son, Christopher Wan are unusual in the world of property development in that preservationists and neighborhood groups tend to adore them. They have received high praise for their project at West Tupper Street and South Elmwood Avenue. In a May 8, 2023 article, Johnathan D. Esptein of the Buffalo News explained, “Wan and Yang have made extra efforts to work with and listen to the community, hired architects that are trying to be sensitive in their design and are not forcing too much density into the project and neighborhood. Rather than maximizing the building size and number of units he could build, Wan chose to use only half the site, with the rest for landscaped parking, green space and trees.”
The plan for the New Phoenix space at Johnson Park is to convert the building to high end apartments upstairs, with a community friendly performance space on the ground floor.
“I never could have done for the building what Joan is doing,” says Richard. “The asbestos abatement alone has cost $250,000. I never could have done that.”
Indeed, as the project was underway, it was discovered that the plaster the walls contained asbestos. It all had to come out.
“I think,” Richard continues, “that apart from any funds, the rehabilitated building itself is a gift to the city that will be a benefit for 200 years. This will be a better building than when the original cornerstone was first placed. This project just magnifies everything.
In the meantime, Richard and his dog have made their third move in Florida. He has landed in Sarasota where is trying to resist the temptation to get involved in any of the three theaters just ten minutes from his home. “I’ve done a little acting. That’s it. I keep reminding myself that life has a lot to offer!”
For decades, the New Phoenix Theatre on the Park served as an artistic haven, launching careers, challenging audiences, and giving voice to bold creative visions. Countless memorable productions graced its stage, from classics, to avant-garde experiments, to regional premieres, each contributing to Buffalo's rich cultural tapestry. Now, in this season of giving, Lambert has proven himself to be Buffalo theater's own Father Christmas, his final act ensuring that this legacy lives on - not just through the distributed funds that are helping sustain Buffalo's vibrant theater community, but through a renewed building that will serve future generations. It's a story of how one theater's ending became a renewal for many others, proving that sometimes the most meaningful final acts happen offstage.
