Norman Jabaut, a native of the North Country, grew up on an apple orchard in Peru. Jason Andrew hails from Utah and enjoyed summers on the family farm in Springville. Sharing of love of family and respect for community, their worlds collided in New York City and in 2004, they set roots in the North Country purchasing a home on Pratt Street in Rouses Point.
Seeking to connect the arts and community, Norman and Jason began supporting community-based programs through the newly created non-profit arts organization Norte Maar for Collaborative Projects in the Arts. The duo volunteered with the Rouses Point Historical Society in Rouses Point to create the popular North Country event Fete de Danse, building a ballet stage in the ice rink for summer performances. During this time, both were active in other organizations in addition to Norte Maar including The North Country Cultural Center, the Strand, the Alice T Miner Art Museum, SUNY Plattsburgh and SUNY Potsdam.
In 2013, Norman and Jason settled in Jay along the Ausable River just a short walk from the covered bridge. They soon made connections with the various local artists and resident cultural groups. Identifying the artist’s desire to connect with each other and in an effort to initiate grass roots arts exchange, Jason worked to establish the Au Sable River Valley Studio Tour in collaboration with Norte Maar, The Jay Craft Center, Sue Young Studio, and Jackie Sabourin’s Stoneledge Pottery.
On June 18, 2021, Norman and Jason bought the Hollywood / Ausable Theater with a vision is to re-imagine the 1930s vaudeville theater with a purpose to uplift our community through the presentation of music, dance, theater, and film. Beyond their interests in the arts and community, Norman is a RN at NYU Langone while Jason is a founding partner at Artist Estate Studio, LLC.
The Ausable Theater serves the North Adirondack communities of the Au Sable River Valley including Au Sable Forks, Black Brook, and Jay. The Ausable Theater is a proud member of the Au Sable River Valley Business Association of New York.
Follow Norman on IG: @normjabaut
Follow Jason on IG: @jandrewarts