What’s Lurking in Buffalo’s Theatre District…
The evening of October 7th was crisp and cool; fall had arrived but wasn’t yet in full swing, and the first few leaves had turned orange in the trees though hadn’t yet drifted to the ground. When members of AAF Buffalo gathered in Buffalo’s historic Theatre District, some opted for coats and others windbreakers, while a comfortable sweatshirt was the choice for quite a few more.
No matter the outfit, there’s no way we would miss our night of membership appreciation, a staple of AAF Buffalo’s Ad Month; this year, we celebrated with a Halloween-themed, local ghost-story-inspired bar crawl.
After signing in at 42 North Brewing Company, collecting our orange stickers, and schmoozing with Buffalo Fashion Week (another of Buffalo’s creative organizations) on the other side of the bar, we followed local actor and playwright Kurt Schneiderman out into the street and gathered around for the first story, centered around the building from which he had just exited, and the building’s founder, who had perished during the Titanic tragedy and was buried nearby.
There’s a line between scary and gruesome; at times, that line is nonexistent. As it turns out, Buffalo has had quite a troubled history; from frozen citizens in the river headed towards the falls, to bloody battles fought on the steps leading up towards Capitol Hall, all the way to the misshapen invention of the electric chair and its misuse, Buffalo certainly lays claim to some of early America’s more interesting developmental chapters. While such stories might be too much for some, listening to Kurt’s theatrical telling while looking at the halo effect of the lights down the street, the cheery closed businesses and reflections from the theatres in large glass windows after a drink (or two), the terrible details seemed quite distant despite their proximity; a closeness by distance, rather than time.
Wherever you fall on the purpose of a story or the details that make it complete, what’s inarguable is the value of soaking in a pleasant fall evening in the theatre district with good stories and better friends.
We can’t wait to see not only our members, but the next generation of student creatives at the Agency Pitch Competition later this month!
