Rachel Baruch Yackley
Posted Thursday, September 29, 2005

A steady stream of performers are coming into the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, and its manager has plans for more.

This weekend, “The Dick Biondi Rock ’n’ Roll Show” with Joey Dee and others will take the stage.

The show, which also includes Dave Brigati, Bobby Valli, and Johnny Star and the Meteors, will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Ron Onesti, president of the Onesti Entertainment Corp. —which runs the theater — manages numerous artists and produces 1,000 shows annually.

“My strengths lay in the fact that I don’t depend on the theater for income,” he said. “I’m willing to take risks, and to put money back into the theater. My contacts and buying power enable me to bring big shows to the Arcada.”

Other shows this month include tributes to Motown, Buddy Holly and the “Rat Pack.” There are also Halloween-related events and a 25th anniversary of the movie “Raging Bull.”

Onesti said he would like to have bigger shows, but ticket sales would need to increase.

“The reality of it is, if you really want to have good, quality shows, there has to be a consistent stream of support,” he said. “With 900 seats, that’s not a lot (of tickets), and I plan to put every dollar back into the shows.”

Onesti said he had been looking for an opportunity like the Arcada.

“It’s great to have a place to showcase the talents we have,” he said. “It’s a unique facility, historic, and with the support of the community, this seemed to have all the elements I was looking for, in one place.”

The building, which has a working marquee, is in good shape, he said.

The outside and interior of the building will be getting some new paint, to brighten it up, and Onesti is working on plans to upgrade the restrooms and add a sound system.

A lot of this work is “in preparation for next year’s 80th anniversary of the Arcada,” Onesti said.

Helping him with that and much more is a group of about 40 area residents who recently came together and formed the group Friends of the Arcada. The group’s purpose is to provide assistance with the marketing of shows; provide historical background on the theater; and help Onesti produce a video on the history of the Arcada, along with a bit of history of St. Charles.

The Arcada is at 105 E. Main St. For show information visit www.o-shows.com. Tickets are available by calling Ticket Heaven at (630) 260-0626, or at the Arcada box office from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, as well as the night of each performance.