UTICA - The stage and loading dock were by far the biggest and most needed changes for the theater. The new stage ... actually the size of the new stage, is what will be most noticeable to spectators this year.

The brand new, much bigger stage at the Stanley Theater is 110 foot wide 50 feet deep, and 78 foot high. Not only did they make it bigger, but Stanley officials built a brand new floor.

"The floor is all new," said Ron Thiele, executive director of the Stanley Center for the Arts. "This is a brand-new cement floor...we put a wooden floor on top of it."

Officials say what they used to lack in space and modern technology is now made up for.

The stage has all new wiring, with lighting and sound equipment that will rival any theater in the country.

"It fits right into the 21st century," Thiele said. "It's got the size, it's got the technical lighting capacity, sound capacity, the wiring, the theatrical rigging ... those things that we need today to be competitive in the touring market."

Also a must to attract top quality shows is the addition behind the new stage - something spectators wont see - the new loading dock.

Before this new area, stage managers would unload and have to lower the equipment, via rope, down through the Stanley's upper levels.

"This was absolutely critical," Thiele said. "Because you've got 4 or 5 trucks to unload, you've got two trucks you can unload at the same time. The equipment rolls off and rolls on...the efficiencies...the safety...the ability to have areas set apart to divide stage space from the scenic space."

So you know already that the renovation project was $20 million total.

So take a guess how much the new stage was? About half the total cost of the whole project - $10 million.