A Little History
This initial entry is quite long. Feel free to skip to the end for where we are as of today on the long and winding road to a professional theatre in Tysons.
First, a little history: I thought this would be a breeze...rent a cheap warehouse space, hang some lights, add in a few chairs, call up a few talented actors, and put on a show. I knew that it wouldn't be as easy as the kids in those 1930's Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland movies--where a simple, "I know...let's build a theatre!" was more than enough to make it happen-but I didn't know much more. Of course now, I cringe at that original naivete but I've been told that most good things begin in the ignorant bliss of a dream.
We started looking for a warehouse space in May 2007. We wanted something in the Tysons/Merrifield area and we wanted something cheap. You may have noticed that there are few warehouses in this part of Northern Virginia and that nothing is cheap around here. But surprisingly, with the help of a great realtor, Samantha Bendigo, we found what seemed like the perfect space just off of Tyco Road. It was the right size; it was in a great location; and it was cheap...in fact, very cheap as long as we were willing to accept a short-term lease. The building was slated to be torn down in less than two years to make way for the development surrounding the new metro stations in Tysons, and the landlord was willing to let it go for next to nothing as long as we were willing to walk away an hour or so before the wrecking ball arrived. Nat Krause, a 3rd year architecture student at Carnegie Mellon, drew up some beautiful plans for the space and I headed to the county government offices for approval.
Or not...and this is where the sweet and sincere naivete morphed into embarrassing ignorance. Although well aware that new businesses don't open without the proper permits, I had no idea that securing them would be such a huge hurdle. I learned very quickly-in fact within seconds of my sitting down-that warehouses aren't zoned for theatres. (This may explain why Fairfax County is without a professional theatre, not counting Wolf Trap, a national park, or The Theatre of the 1st Amendment which has a special relationship with George Mason University. Most Washington area theatres had their start in warehouses, garages, or similar industrial sites where the open space makes for a good performance venue.) Beyond zoning there were equally high hurdles: traffic and parking, building, electrical, plumbing, ventilation, fire safety and more. And so I gave up...for about a day, but then "Saint" Linda Smyth, County Board of Supervisors (Providence District), intervened.
My friend, Sonia Guzman, who believed in this project, suggested that I speak directly to the local county supervisor who, Sonia believed, would be interested enough in the idea that she could help navigate the county government. I had my doubts but Sonia made the appointment and the three of us, Sonia, Nat and myself, sat down with supervisor Smith and her aides and made our pitch. We reasoned that Tysons had to have a theatre if it were ever to become the urban center that it should be. What city doesn't have the arts to keep it alive? I went on with great flourish to describe the delighted audiences loving their "city" all the more because of what it had to offer. She listened, smiled, looked at her aides, and said, "Zoning will be a deal breaker." Amending the zoning ordinance or even getting a variance to allow for a theatre in a warehouse would be a long and costly undertaking. Remember, at this point we still hoped to use the space on Tyco Road and it came with a short-term lease. By the time we got a variance, the building would be history. Linda Smyth suggested an alternative path. From the start, our mission always included a strong educational element. Not only was there a need and a market for more intense actor training than one could get elsewhere in the county, but it also made financial sense for the institution. An "acceptable use" for warehouses in the zoning ordinance is for "schools of special education". Hmm...interesting. Could this "theatre" be framed in such a way that even the performances could be educational components? Yes. An apt metaphor is a teaching hospital. (Grey's Anatomy fans will understand immediately.) The physicians (our actors, designers and technicians) are on a continuum of education: students, interns, residents, specialists, professors and so on. A surgeon teaches and learns even as he/she operates (creates art). The patient (the audience member) is healed (stimulated, excited, informed, challenged) by learners and teachers working side by side. Take away the blood-okay, there will be blood if we ever do a Martin McDonagh play-and the metaphor is perfect. What originally gave rise to the idea of a theatre in the first place-a home for young and emerging theatre artists who've graduated from our high schools and gone off to train for professional careers in theatre and now need a "first stage" to get their careers on the road-was the very thing that would make sense to the earnest gatekeepers in the government center. Thank you Linda Smyth. That first meeting led to a second where Supervisor Smyth had gathered the heads of just about every permit office in the county. We came prepped with and by the architectural firm of Butz Wilbern. They knew the lingo of those who might permit and were able to finesse their way through a barrage of questions and temporary refusals. By the end of the meeting everyone was in agreement that not only could this happen but that it also should happen. It was only a short while to show time. FYI, that meeting took place July 11. Carbon Dioxide had yet to come into play.
It makes perfect sense-and there really isn't any creative way around it-that any time you assemble a crowd there is likely to be a lot of breathing going on. The thought of an audience poisoned by their own CO2 doesn't make for good reviews. The Tyco Road space lacked sufficient ventilation. When the mechanical engineers suggested a $70,000 fix for the problem, we were once again back to square one. Perhaps if we had a longer lease, the investment would have made sense but as such this former tire warehouse would never find glory as a performing arts center. At least now, I knew a little more about what to look for in the commercial warehouse world. Of course, the fact that warehouses are few and far between didn't make the search easier. Samantha, the realtor, found a few but all had their own problems: one was ventilated but way too expensive, another was the right price but the wrong shape (every seat would have site line problems), still another was without parking, one came with a suspiciously strange and awkwardly tactile landlord, and one was snatched from under us even as we were calling the landlord to say we'll take it. By October, I knew every industrial space in the area but to now avail. Samantha patiently suggested we start the search from the beginning and take a look at everything available one more time. And so we arrived back at the very first building she showed me in June but was nixed at the time because it seemed too expensive. For every reason, 1524 Spring Hill Road now seemed more than right for what we wanted.
Of course it has its own problems, all of which we're trying to solve. Any time a space is undergoing a "change of use," a parking study has to be submitted to prove that the parking lot can handle additional cars. It took nearly two months to put it together and it may take two more months for the county to rule on it. Jack Wilbern and his associates at Butz Wilbern have created a beautiful and exciting set of plans for the space that now has to layered with engineer's drawings for all of the mechanical components-electric, plumbing, ventilation, etc. If all goes as we hope, we might be in the space as early as April. With additional luck, we may actually have a show (and a class) up and running by June. Keep your fingers crossed. This theatre thing may actually happen.
Oh, yeah...I don't want you to think that theatre is all about a building and nothing more. Next time, I'll try to fill you in on all of our discussions and meetings... and more discussions and meetings...about a season of plays, casting, classes, philosophy, etc. There are some great ideas brewing.
First, a little history: I thought this would be a breeze...rent a cheap warehouse space, hang some lights, add in a few chairs, call up a few talented actors, and put on a show. I knew that it wouldn't be as easy as the kids in those 1930's Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland movies--where a simple, "I know...let's build a theatre!" was more than enough to make it happen-but I didn't know much more. Of course now, I cringe at that original naivete but I've been told that most good things begin in the ignorant bliss of a dream.
We started looking for a warehouse space in May 2007. We wanted something in the Tysons/Merrifield area and we wanted something cheap. You may have noticed that there are few warehouses in this part of Northern Virginia and that nothing is cheap around here. But surprisingly, with the help of a great realtor, Samantha Bendigo, we found what seemed like the perfect space just off of Tyco Road. It was the right size; it was in a great location; and it was cheap...in fact, very cheap as long as we were willing to accept a short-term lease. The building was slated to be torn down in less than two years to make way for the development surrounding the new metro stations in Tysons, and the landlord was willing to let it go for next to nothing as long as we were willing to walk away an hour or so before the wrecking ball arrived. Nat Krause, a 3rd year architecture student at Carnegie Mellon, drew up some beautiful plans for the space and I headed to the county government offices for approval.
Or not...and this is where the sweet and sincere naivete morphed into embarrassing ignorance. Although well aware that new businesses don't open without the proper permits, I had no idea that securing them would be such a huge hurdle. I learned very quickly-in fact within seconds of my sitting down-that warehouses aren't zoned for theatres. (This may explain why Fairfax County is without a professional theatre, not counting Wolf Trap, a national park, or The Theatre of the 1st Amendment which has a special relationship with George Mason University. Most Washington area theatres had their start in warehouses, garages, or similar industrial sites where the open space makes for a good performance venue.) Beyond zoning there were equally high hurdles: traffic and parking, building, electrical, plumbing, ventilation, fire safety and more. And so I gave up...for about a day, but then "Saint" Linda Smyth, County Board of Supervisors (Providence District), intervened.
My friend, Sonia Guzman, who believed in this project, suggested that I speak directly to the local county supervisor who, Sonia believed, would be interested enough in the idea that she could help navigate the county government. I had my doubts but Sonia made the appointment and the three of us, Sonia, Nat and myself, sat down with supervisor Smith and her aides and made our pitch. We reasoned that Tysons had to have a theatre if it were ever to become the urban center that it should be. What city doesn't have the arts to keep it alive? I went on with great flourish to describe the delighted audiences loving their "city" all the more because of what it had to offer. She listened, smiled, looked at her aides, and said, "Zoning will be a deal breaker." Amending the zoning ordinance or even getting a variance to allow for a theatre in a warehouse would be a long and costly undertaking. Remember, at this point we still hoped to use the space on Tyco Road and it came with a short-term lease. By the time we got a variance, the building would be history. Linda Smyth suggested an alternative path. From the start, our mission always included a strong educational element. Not only was there a need and a market for more intense actor training than one could get elsewhere in the county, but it also made financial sense for the institution. An "acceptable use" for warehouses in the zoning ordinance is for "schools of special education". Hmm...interesting. Could this "theatre" be framed in such a way that even the performances could be educational components? Yes. An apt metaphor is a teaching hospital. (Grey's Anatomy fans will understand immediately.) The physicians (our actors, designers and technicians) are on a continuum of education: students, interns, residents, specialists, professors and so on. A surgeon teaches and learns even as he/she operates (creates art). The patient (the audience member) is healed (stimulated, excited, informed, challenged) by learners and teachers working side by side. Take away the blood-okay, there will be blood if we ever do a Martin McDonagh play-and the metaphor is perfect. What originally gave rise to the idea of a theatre in the first place-a home for young and emerging theatre artists who've graduated from our high schools and gone off to train for professional careers in theatre and now need a "first stage" to get their careers on the road-was the very thing that would make sense to the earnest gatekeepers in the government center. Thank you Linda Smyth. That first meeting led to a second where Supervisor Smyth had gathered the heads of just about every permit office in the county. We came prepped with and by the architectural firm of Butz Wilbern. They knew the lingo of those who might permit and were able to finesse their way through a barrage of questions and temporary refusals. By the end of the meeting everyone was in agreement that not only could this happen but that it also should happen. It was only a short while to show time. FYI, that meeting took place July 11. Carbon Dioxide had yet to come into play.
It makes perfect sense-and there really isn't any creative way around it-that any time you assemble a crowd there is likely to be a lot of breathing going on. The thought of an audience poisoned by their own CO2 doesn't make for good reviews. The Tyco Road space lacked sufficient ventilation. When the mechanical engineers suggested a $70,000 fix for the problem, we were once again back to square one. Perhaps if we had a longer lease, the investment would have made sense but as such this former tire warehouse would never find glory as a performing arts center. At least now, I knew a little more about what to look for in the commercial warehouse world. Of course, the fact that warehouses are few and far between didn't make the search easier. Samantha, the realtor, found a few but all had their own problems: one was ventilated but way too expensive, another was the right price but the wrong shape (every seat would have site line problems), still another was without parking, one came with a suspiciously strange and awkwardly tactile landlord, and one was snatched from under us even as we were calling the landlord to say we'll take it. By October, I knew every industrial space in the area but to now avail. Samantha patiently suggested we start the search from the beginning and take a look at everything available one more time. And so we arrived back at the very first building she showed me in June but was nixed at the time because it seemed too expensive. For every reason, 1524 Spring Hill Road now seemed more than right for what we wanted.
Of course it has its own problems, all of which we're trying to solve. Any time a space is undergoing a "change of use," a parking study has to be submitted to prove that the parking lot can handle additional cars. It took nearly two months to put it together and it may take two more months for the county to rule on it. Jack Wilbern and his associates at Butz Wilbern have created a beautiful and exciting set of plans for the space that now has to layered with engineer's drawings for all of the mechanical components-electric, plumbing, ventilation, etc. If all goes as we hope, we might be in the space as early as April. With additional luck, we may actually have a show (and a class) up and running by June. Keep your fingers crossed. This theatre thing may actually happen.
Oh, yeah...I don't want you to think that theatre is all about a building and nothing more. Next time, I'll try to fill you in on all of our discussions and meetings... and more discussions and meetings...about a season of plays, casting, classes, philosophy, etc. There are some great ideas brewing.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home