A transformation is taking place at the Cannery Music Hall in Southbridge.
The noise of drills can be heard inside the black box theater, as workers replace the spotlights overlooking the small stage. A staircase in the back leads to the second floor, where tools are laid out across the floor.
The once closed music hall is being brought back to life by Julie Fitzgerald, the artistic director of the non-profit, Fitzgerald Performing Arts.
Her mission is to turn The Cannery into a center for the arts, where bands, musicians, comedians, dancers and actors can perform in front of patrons. The arts center at 12 Crane St. in Southbridge is expected to open on Oct. 3, according to Fitzgerald.
“I said, you know what, this would be perfect to have as a small venue for my students,” Fitzgerald said. “And then I said, ‘OK well if this is a music venue before, we could continue it and then on Friday and Saturday nights we can have live music, arts entertainment. We’re going to have comedians, jazz music. I came up with the idea of a Great Gatsby event where it was live jazz music of that era and then food, drinks, dancing.”
Most of the Cannery’s interior will remain the same during the transformation. Pictures of silhouettes hung on the walls of the venue will still be there once it re-opens in October, according to Fitzgerald. The interior of the venue is designed in the style of a cabaret, with tables and chairs positioned in front of the stage.
Because the stage is small, Fitzgerald said that there won’t be any large productions. Nevertheless, she is excited to see the performances at The Cannery, which will feature tribute bands and a show put together by Worcester Comedian Shaun Connolly as some of its first acts.
“I felt like this is the perfect place,” Fitzgerald said. “I was flooded with live musicians that wanted to play here again because they have in the past.”
‘A happy medium’
The owners of The Cannery, Gabriel McCarthy and his son, John McCarthy, both met Fitzgerald in June through an acquaintance. The two have owned the building since 2007 and the hall held performances until 2017 when it was shut down. Gabriel McCarthy stated that he had to prioritize and take care of his other properties, and as a result, he didn’t have time to manage The Cannery, leading to its closure. When Fitzgerald expressed interest in managing The Cannery, the two were pleased with her idea.
“We like that we were able to find a happy medium that a theater company will now manage the performing space,” John McCarthy said.
The building used to be the home of a manufacturing business for freezers and dog food, according to Gabriel McCarthy. Because the elevators in the building used to be filled with cans of food, the venue was named The Cannery, he said.
In addition to The Cannery, the building is also home to The Dark Horse Tavern, an Irish pub run by the McCarthys. The father and son duo and Fitzgerald plan to collaborate when the Cannery re-opens, as the kitchen will provide food and drink to patrons attending performances, according to Fitzgerald.
“She has a big draw from Worcester. She has a big draw from, I think, Grafton,” Jonathan McCarthy said. “The key thing, I think, is that she is bringing a lot of new faces to the building.”
For Fitzgerald, she hopes that The Cannery will help elevate the importance of the arts in the Southbridge region and encourage more people to come to the city.
“We’re helping Southbridge by bringing more people into the area,” she said.