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$65K in funding secured for local theater groups

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | By Ryan Zunner,
Michael Loss
Published July 31, 2025 at 12:27 PM EDT
From right to left: Susan Grelick, MusicalFare Board President, Mitch Nowakowski, Buffalo Common Councilmember for the Fillmore District, and Randall Kramer, Artistic/Executive Director of MusicalFare Theatre.
Ryan Zunner
/
BTPM NPR
From right to left: Susan Grelick, MusicalFare Board President, Mitch Nowakowski, Buffalo Common Councilmember for the Fillmore District, and Randall Kramer, Artistic/Executive Director of MusicalFare Theatre.

Several notable artistic and cultural groups in Buffalo will soon see significant new funding. Gathered at the Plaza of Stars in Buffalo’s Theatre District on Wednesday, Fillmore District Councilmember Mitch Nowakowski announced that $65,000 had been secured for five cultural institutions.

MusicalFare Theatre, an Amherst-based company that is set to operate 100 performances in Shea’s 710 Theatre next season, is one of those organizations. Executive Director Randall Kramer said the funding helps execute a vision to bring more people back to downtown Buffalo.

“This funding will help us reach out to community groups and offer discounted tickets, possibly even free tickets,” Kramer said. “We want to get people into the theater. We want the theater to be a vibrant place for all of Buffalo. We're very excited about this.”

Kramer denotes that over 30,000 people are expected to attend MusicalFare performances next season.
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Ryan Zunner
Ryan is the assistant managing editor of BTPM NPR. He first joined the organization in the summer of 2018 as an intern, rising through the ranks to weekend host and junior reporter before leaving in 2021. He then had stints in public service, Top 40 radio, and TV news production. It was there he was nominated for a New York State Emmy Award for coverage of the May 14 Mass Shooting in Buffalo. He re-joined BTPM NPR in August of 2024. In addition to editorial management duties, Ryan leads BTPM NPR’s Indigenous Affairs Desk. He is an enrolled Oneida citizen of Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve.
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Michael Loss
Michael joined Buffalo Toronto Public Media in July 2024 as an Associate Producer. He plays an integral role in creating engaging content for BTPM's daily news programming.
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