Former Rex Theater donates $80K in equipment to new Pittsburgh arts group

The former manager of the shuttered Rex Theater is turning his pandemic misfortune into a feel-good moment by reaching out to a fledgling arts organization in Pittsburgh.

Ben Penigar, whose company, Grey Area Productions, ran the Rex Theater, has donated $80,000 worth of equipment to the Steel City Arts Foundation in Stanton Heights. The venue is located in a former church purchased by a Los Angeles comedian named Steve Hofstetter who now calls Pittsburgh home.

Hofstetter said he established the foundation to honor his late father.

“The idea is to create a live, work, play environment for standup comedians as well as other local artists,” said Hofstetter.

The Rex, a beloved, independently owned live music venue on Carson Street that began as a Vaudeville stage in 1905, closed its doors for good in September after covid-19 crashed the economy. It was a tough fall and winter for Penigar, but it turns out Hofstetter was helping him get through the pandemic without even knowing it.

“I spent a lot of time at home this past year, and one of the things that I found to be very therapeutic was laughter,” said Penigar. “In spending time on Facebook and social media, I discovered Steve Hofstetter’s channel. I would see his videos and started following him and just laughed countless times at the guy’s comedy.”

In late December, Hofstetter announced that he was moving from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh to start the Steel City Arts Foundation. Penigar said “it was like a light bulb went on.”

With the Rex having closed, he had equipment sitting in a warehouse and wondered if Hofstetter could use some of it for his new arts organization.

“With so many other production houses and venues across the country closing, the used gear market had become absolutely flooded,” said Penigar. “So, realizing it was unrealistic I would be able to sell my equipment, I figured what better use than to give it to something new in Pittsburgh that’s going to help give a home to the arts and create some laughter for people, something we need now more than ever.”

Penigar emailed Hofstetter, introduced himself and said he had a bunch of audio and lighting equipment to donate. Two 20-foot box trucks full, no strings attached. Was he interested?

“I was overwhelmed,” said Hoffstetter. “While there has been a great deal of community support, this is the single most generous thing that anyone has done for anything I’ve been involved in. I said, ‘Are you sure?’ I mean that light board, he could turn around and make 2,500 bucks on that in a day on eBay, let alone the sound boards and the microphones and the speakers and the lights, etc.”

But Penigar said he wanted the spirit of the Rex to live on.

“All my friends, my spouse, I met at the Rex,” said Penigar. “It’s like 90% of the people that are in my life today, that I would have to my home for dinner, I met through the Rex and going to live music. It’s so much more to so many of us than just going to see an artist perform. I’m going to miss providing a home for that for people.

“I said: ‘What you don’t need you can donate to other non-profits or sell it and turn it into other funds you do need.’ ”

Hoffstetter said the newly donated equipment will be put to good use. His goal is to eventually put on live comedy shows and community events in the upstairs chapel in his building and produce digital content downstairs.

“Because of this generous donation, we’re going to be able to spend the money that we do have on programming and other aspects,” Hoffstetter said.

All in all, not a bad gift from a guy he had never met. For his part, Penigar said he was thrilled to do it.

“The guy’s coming to our town, giving a new home to art in our city. His story about when his father passed, he started a separate non-profit to support comedians, I mean the whole guy’s story is nothing but heartwarming good stuff.”