Biography & Early Wealth Journey

"I would hope it is the first venue of choice for the Bruce Springsteens and the Bon Jovis and the Yo-Yo Mas and the Lang Langs, and at the same time it's a place where we could have produced a Hamilton project or where we could produce a new ballet."

Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images

Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images

That mix of sensibilities is just one of the things that Perelman hopes will set apart his performing arts center from New York City's glut of mid-size venues already open for business – another will be the theater's streaming technology that will allow for live performances to be broadcast over the internet in a more sophisticated fashion than most theaters do it now (if they do it at all).

The center will be home to three separate theaters, each with a different audience capacity – 499 people, 299 people and 100 people – that can be combined into one big auditorium. And if all goes according to plan, it will be the primary home of the Tribeca Film Festival in April, along with concerts, ballets, dance performances, and more throughout the year. And thanks in part to Ronald Perelman, those plans are now a lot more likely to become a reality.