Arts and performance center to be named for Clive Davis

From left: John Farr, Clive Davis and Sarah Long. Photo by Taka Kawachi.

Legendary music producer and head of industry giants such as Columbia Records and RCA Music Group, Clive Davis, has made a major pledge to help fund the transformation of the Bedford Playhouse, a former movie theater, into a full-fledged arts and performance center.

The gift will establish the Clive Davis Arts Center at Bedford Playhouse. The Davis Center will encompass all the arts programming offered beyond film, including music performances, theater, art exhibits and stand-up comedy.

Davis won five Grammy awards and is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He is credited with discovering some of music”™s biggest stars, including Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Carlos Santana, Billy Joel and Whitney Houston.

“Clive Davis is a living legend in the music industry,” said Sarah Long, chair of the Bedford Playhouse”™s board.

John Farr, leader of the movement to save the playhouse and transform it, said, “our ability to brand the Clive Davis Arts Center will help us convey that we”™re not just a beautifully renovated movie house, but also a vibrant cultural center.”

Davis said, “I love this community and I strongly endorse the expanded mission of the playhouse. This all seems like a perfect fit and I can hardly wait for it to open!”