Building the Valley: Producer's event stage in Tarentum offers 'infinite-seat theater'

Jeff Revilla, a New Kensington man with more than 10 years of experience producing shows, wants to reach an infinite audience.

His podcast studio, Poduty Live in Tarentum, has the capacity to do just that.

The event stage on Corbet Street can house up to 40 audience members during a live show, but Rivella, 48, plans to also sell virtual tickets to those events so any number of people around the world can see the show.

The variety of show types are endless, he said, including meet-and-greets with influencers, YouTubers and other content creators — not to mention trivia shows, podcasts, book readings, fundraisers and band Q&A sessions.

Rivella’s dream for the event stage and its infinite crowd has been in the works for years.

“Back in 2015, there was a platform called Blab,” Rivella said. “It was short-lived. It was the first four-in-a-box live streaming service. It had this great social element to it where you could go live and it’d bring people in and all of a sudden you’re in front of 30 people.”

Rivella used the platform to do a trivia show and podcast where people could answer questions and participate virtually.

“Just the ability to connect people that fast set a spark in me,” he said.

Rivella began asking himself what it would take to make shows have a face-to-face element while keeping the viral element.

In 2020, Rivella presented the concept of an “infinite-seat theater” at Podfest Expo.

“What if you weren’t bound by walls and capacity, and you could put on a show and it didn’t matter the size of the theater?” he said. “It could literally be infinite.”

Rivella began work to combine the two concepts of a theater and livestreaming studio in one location. While the idea was well received at the expo, he said, there has been a bit of a learning curve when he talks about it with people outside the producing and hosting space.

“I realized that I’ve been thinking about this for seven years, but nobody else has been thinking of the next step of podcasting or the next step of content creation,” he said.

Once he introduces the concept to people and it clicks, Rivella said, they’re willing to use the venue to its full capacity.

“It’s a portal to the rest of the world,” he said.

The way the stage is set up, livestream audience members can leave comments in the forum during a show and react, in the moment, to performances. In-person audience members are able to see livestream viewers and see their reactions and comments.

Rivella organized the space to completely draw in the live audience members. He designed the stage room so performers and the livestreamers are the only two elements to look at, causing audience members to be completely immersed in the experience.

Rivella has a few guests on the books in the coming months. Since his opening June 13, he has been hosting interactive trivia shows a few times a month. He said on Tarentum Night Market days, he gives multiple tours to community members and has had people return for his trivia night shows.

He is planning a two-day celebration in advance of International Podcast Day, which is Sept. 30. He plans to have podcasters from all over the world perform in person and virtually on Sept. 28 and 29. Hosts from Ohio and the Poconos are coming in to be a part of the event.

“I have a lot more contacts virtually than locally,” Rivella said. “I am trying to make those connections with local talent.”

Plans also are in the works for a fundraiser in October.

Rivella said the space is not just for shows. Starting in September, he will be hosting a four-week course that teaches people how to use the space.

“At the end of the four weeks, my goal is to have (participants) up on stage, performing a show,” Rivella said.

He also wants to host a show that tests new podcasters’ skills, and they can get live feedback from judges and other professionals.

“I hope this keeps building and building and Tarentum becomes the hub for podcasts,” Rivella said. “A Hollywood for podcasters.”

Rivella said he is trying to keep ticket prices around $5 for in-person and virtual attendance. Tickets for virtual audience members are the same price because anyone in the home at the time of the show can participate with the ticket.

“The ticket price is for a single person at the theater,” he said. “The ticket price for the at-home audience is for a license for that home.”

Rivella’s passion for producing has carried him through more than 20 years of work in the digital field with over 10 of them spent producing shows. He said it took more than two years to find the studio’s building. From there, he spent 18 months creating the space with the right equipment and decor.

“I love producing more than I love being on stage and hosting,” Rivella said. “Making somebody else shine and being able to pull up the things they need in real time and enhancing their performance, that’s the thing I fell in love with.”