KENT COUNTY, Michigan — The multi-million-dollar construction project at 975 Ottawa Avenue (known as SILVA) continues in Grand Rapids, and the creative team behind the project is hosting a variety show at Wealthy Theatre on Thursday, March 7.
Multiple acts will take the stage including singers, dancers, comedians, a magician, a yo-yo champion and burlesque performers. And all of that comes after the pre-show entertainment which starts when the doors open at 6 p.m.
“We're strongly encouraging people to get there at 6 or shortly thereafter to not only get a good seat, but also we’ve got a couple of surprises planned at the beginning of the show,” SILVA founder Mark Secchia said.
Secchia, who’s emceeing the show, said it’s not intended for children, but no one will be turned away.
“It’ll be wacky, it'll be irreverent, and I'll probably embarrass my mother-in-law who's coming,” he said. “There are a couple 14-year-olds coming that we know of, and their parents are aware that, you know, we'll have burlesque.”
Tickets to the show are just $10 each with the money being used to pay performers. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. The main reason for the variety show is to get people excited about SILVA and the future of 975 Ottawa Avenue.
“I think the best ways we're describing it are either as something different or a little word we coined called dinnertainment,” Secchia said. “We want people to come and actually do things and experience things — not just go for an hour, hour and a half, eat some food, drink some drinks and watch TV. We actually want you to stay and enjoy the building and the facility.”
SILVA will open in phases, he said, beginning with a restaurant and bar, followed by indoor bocce bar courts, and eventually a state-of-the-art event space. If all goes well, Secchia said, the first phase will be complete by the end of February 2025.
“It is one of the most exciting and frustrating processes I've ever been through,” he said. “I don't know anything about property development. I know my family has done stuff here in town, but this is all new to me. Just trying to understand a pipe, you know? Is it a water drain? Is it a sewage drain? Is it holding electrical conduit? I am learning so much stuff that I will never, ever, ever need to know again.”
To keep up with the progress at SILVA and get a taste of the unique acts taking the stage, click here.
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