Harlem theater company boosts uptown arts scene

TALK about going off-off-off-Broadway!

Theater company Mama Foundation for the Arts is trying to build up its version of the Great White Way uptown by partnering with Harlem merchants.

Founder and executive director Vy Higginsen has brokered deals with neighboring businesses to provide her patrons with sizeable discounts for nearby shows, food and even parking.

“Part of our mission is to restore Harlem to its prominence as an entertainment engine,” she said. “We know arts and food, music and food go together.”

The theater company provides vocal training and oversees auditions for shows such as “Alive!,” “Sing Harlem Sing” and “We Are,” which entertain yearly from October to December.

Patrons have the opportunity to enjoy a full day of fun in the iconic artistic mecca, beginning with an off-Broadway show and finishing the evening with a plethora of food choices that include Harlem stalwarts such as Sylvia’s and the ever-hip Corner Social and soul food favorite Jacob Restaurant.

“We have made alliances with other businesses here so they can thrive, and there are others that will come on board,” Higginsen said.

It’ll also be music to the ears of drivers as she’s worked out a partnership with Pro Park, a garage on W. 127th St.

“As long as the customers show us the stub from their program, they get a discount,” said Pro Park’s account manager Moses Suazo.

“Parking is $18, but they pay $12,” he added.

Higginsen is constantly on the move, preparing for her company’s Oct. 4 off-Broadway season opener at Harlem’s Dempsey Theater.

As she continues to provide affordable forms of entertainment to Harlem, she hopes to see her model of business partnership replicated elsewhere.

“We firmly believe in the power of music and arts as the heart of the community because a community without the arts is a half-dead community,” she said.

The Mama Foundation for the Arts is located at 149 W. 126th St.

For more information, call (212) 280-1045.