News
Theatre Alliance to move its operations
Decision was prompted by renovations to SECCA and restrictions that would be placed on performances
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Published: June 11, 2008
Updated: 06/11/2008 01:15 am
Officials with Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance said yesterday that it will move into the old Shell No. 1 gas station at the corner of Northwest Boulevard and Reynolda Road.
The company, known for its cutting-edge fare, is ending a stint in Dunn Auditorium at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art that began in the 1990s.
"We are thrilled to move into our new, permanent home," Andrew Lopina, the alliance's board president, said in a statement. That home will occupy the old station's garage area, which was once the headquarters for Quality Oil Co.
The building, which was built in the late 1930s, is being restored to its original look. The alliance's first show there, a play called Great Tuna, is scheduled to open Aug. 8.
Several factors prompted the alliance to move. SECCA, which was recently taken over by the state and is now a part of the N.C. Museum of Art. It is being renovated and will be closed for six months to a year.
The renovations, which will replace the roof and the climate-control system, were to have started in the fall but will now likely begin in early January, said Mark Leach, SECCA's director.
Architects will begin making on-site evaluations Thursday, Leach said.
Alliance officials were also concerned about restrictions that SECCA had begun placing on shows.
The alliance's eclectic programming includes everything from tried-and-true musicals to shows that you might see in small, off-Broadway theaters. But it has made its most significant mark with presentations that often explore mature and controversial themes and sometimes include nudity. Now that SECCA is part of the state, the alliance has to get the state's permission to performat SECCA. The state has already rejected the alliance's proposal to stage Naked Boys Singing, a musical review that includes nudity and references to homosexuality.
"They have to abide by the policies of the state," Leach said.
Jamie Lawson, the alliance's artistic director, said he doesn't want his company to have restrictions. "I can't work under those conditions," he said.
Dunn Auditorium has seating for 294 people. The alliance's new theater will have 100 seats.
Lawson said that the new performance venue won't radically change Theatre Alliance's programming, but it will mean that patrons will have to make reservations.
The alliance will be paying monthly rent on the new building, as opposed to the per-performance fees it paid to SECCA. The new building will allow the company to rehearse and perform under one roof. Currently, it has to find space to rehearse.
The company should be able to present more performances during a show's run and could add shows if it needed to.
The alliance "can function more freely and share more live- performance opportunities with the community," Lopina said.
Not all of those opportunities will entail stage productions. The alliance, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next fall, plans to mark that milestone by supplementing its five-play season with more events.
Those will include two staged readings, an "interactive theatrical event," and fundraisers.
Lawson also spoke of offering classes in various disciplines, showing movies, and presenting open-microphone nights.
■ Ken Keuffel can be reached at 727-7337 or at kkeuffel@wsjournal.com.
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