With the announced closing of the West Bank Cafe/Laurie Beechman Theatre by owner Steve Olsen, the theater and cabaret community has sprung into action. A GoFundMe is now active to save the beloved institution from an August shuttering.
Donate here.
Here are the words of organizer Tom D’Angora on the GoFundMe page:
“Four years ago, we came together as a community and created a miracle to make sure that The West Bank Cafe/Laurie Beechman Theatre would survive the pandemic. Now Michael D’Angora, Tim Guinee, Joe Iconis and myself are asking you all to come together to create one last miracle so The West Bank Cafe can not only survive but THRIVE.
For 46 years West Bank Cafe has been a popular theater district haunt. It has been a launching pad for countless musicians, actors, comedians, and writers — a “must visit” for tourists, a “go to” for locals and a perfect spot for a business meeting, a pre-theater meal or after show drinks with friends.
The road post-pandemic has not been an easy one, but Steve Olsen and the incredible staff at The West Bank Cafe have soldiered on and sacrificed to keep the Cafe afloat. Unfortunately, the challenges have become overwhelming and without our help, our beloved Cafe will close for good in late August.
There were many factors that have led to this situation, but the largest and most unjust was that The West Bank Cafe was overlooked for the RRF grant, which is the reason most restaurants were able to make it post-pandemic. To make matters worse, due to an unfair and ridiculous technicality they were also denied the SVOG. Either of these grants would have made it possible for The West Bank to flourish over the past three years. Being denied both has resulted in the current situation.
It is left up to us as a community to once again step up and take care of our own.
The West Bank Cafe will turn 50 in four years, and we must make sure that we are able to toast Steve, eat risotto balls together on the day of the iconic venue’s golden anniversary.
The West Bank Café is more than a restaurant and performance space. So many of us have celebrated birthdays, weddings, opening nights, closing nights, Tony wins, Tony losses, and everything in between there. Everyone is treated like a VIP when they walk through those doors.
The West Bank is home to The Laurie Beechman Theatre -a legendary venue that is as vital to the New York theater scene as any Broadway house or Non-profit theater. There are less and less rooms in Manhattan for artists to birth new work in a safe and supportive environment. The loss of the downstairs performance space at the West Bank would be devastating to the community.. The Laurie Beechman is more than a beloved cabaret, it is an important piece of New York City theatrical history.
It is the stage where Joan Rivers performed her final set. It is the room where the original cast of Sunday in the Park With George rehearsed. It is where the Tony Award-winning play Side Man debuted, where Aaron Sorkin’s first two works were produced, where Lewis Black and Rusty Magee cut their teeth, Where countless Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Tony, and MAC Award-winning artists have developed new pieces. So many stars have not only played but have been born at the Laurie Beechman Theater.
What is more clear than ever is that this restaurant does not just belong to Steve and Janet, it belongs to all of us. It is truly our Westbank Cafe and I believe we can once again pull off a miracle TOGETHER.”
