The Landmark Theatre is on the cusp of its biggest year yet. So far this year, the Landmark has sold 145,000 tickets, already a record. Those ticket sales will only go up as the venue enters its winter and spring season with some of its most well-attended shows. The financial gain has been felt downtown, particularly on South Salina Street. Mike Intaglietta, executive director at the Landmark Theatre, couldn’t attribute the increased attendance to just one reason but is glad to see guests returning after dips in attendance. “We commit to doing everything we can to bring guests here, and that encourages more growth. I think the market has some untapped potential, “Intaglietta said. “If we can, we want to keep up that pace. We don’t want to lose our momentum.”The Landmark Theatre expects to sell at least 160,000 tickets by the end of the year, which is its goal coming into the year. Its previous record for ticket sales was 140,000. Intaglietta adopted an experimental approach of working with national and local entertainment companies to attract more shows. The venue has even partnered with nearby restaurants and businesses to align with shows.The Landmark also received an added boost in funding from New York State and through Alive Downtowns, a coalition of 13 Upstate New York theaters. Alive Downtowns received $5 million in state funding. The venue was able to allocate its ticket revenue to new areas.The financial backing funneled through Alive Downtowns helped cover marketing, collaborations, and promotion. “We ended up [seeing] audiences now coming back because we were able to maintain our level of service despite a down year,” Intaglietta said. “We were able to capitalize on that, and we had our busiest season ever. This is going to be our busiest calendar year ever.”The Landmark Theatre kicked off its 2024-2025 season with the premiere of Les Miserables in October. Five other Broadway productions are scheduled for the remainder of the season: Beetlejuice, Mama Mia, The Lion King, The Cher Show, and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.In its 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons, the venue experienced a downturn in sales. Following the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, guests were apprehensive about returning to indoor settings, Intaglietta said. The following season 2023-2024, the Landmark Theatre experienced a major comeback with popular Broadway shows including Mean Girls, Hairspray, and Aladdin. During the season, the venue saw an increase in ticket sales, events, and season ticket subscribers, as more people returned to live shows. The venue has invested in ways to diversify its events with concerts and comedy shows to attract new audiences.The Landmark began working with entertainment and events promotion companies, including LiveNation, to expand its audience demographics. In prior seasons, the venue averaged up to five Broadway shows, Intaglietta said. Now, it will have six. Big-ticket productions are often more reliable and guaranteed. Most Broadaway shows are booked out a year or two in advance, while concerts are booked between 8 to 16 weeks, Intaglietta said. “We work with professional promoters that know this industry a lot better than we do and pay very close attention to the trends,” Intaglietta said.The Landmark’s success has helped lift businesses around it. The Tasting Room, a wine and whiskey bar located next door to the Landmark Theatre, receives 60 or more guests when the venue has shows. Nicole Samolis, owner of The Tasting Room, Epicuse, and Sky Armory, says the restaurant creates a specialized menu that combines the restaurant’s usual items with ones more representative of the theme of the show. While Les Misérables was at the Landmark, The Tasting Room created a French-themed menu. “We’ll either come up with some fun names that play off of the show or the food will be influenced by the show as well,” Samolis said. The menu is made to allow guests to enjoy a nice dinner but also get to the show on time, Samolis said. Samolis has lived downtown for twelve years. She is proud of the area’s transformation and proud to be part of the more than 80 eateries and bustling businesses  — within a few feet of each other —  that are adding to downtown’s resurgence. “The more that you have downtown, people coming in for these different shows and theater and art. Then that just makes a vibrant community,” Samolis said. “It’s the small brick-and-mortar places like ours that help create that community.” read more of central current’s coverage The Landmark Theatre is having its best year ever The Landmark has already sold 145,000 tickets this year, an all-time record. Its next season of shows has just started. by Yolanda Stewart November 13, 2024November 13, 2024 Advocates demand state of emergency in Syracuse over lead in drinking water Syracuse has more than 14,500 lead pipes that could leach lead into drinking water, contaminating it. 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