It seems like a natural progression; start small nomadic theater group with a mission, grow and strengthen, find a theater space to call your own and then the group can live out the rest of its theatrical life within the confines of said theater space. Every theatre group benefits from having a dependable home, right? Or is something given up when a company chooses to “settle down?”
Live Girls! Theater will be finding out soon, as they announced today they will not be renewing the lease on their below-ground Ballard theatre.
“Having our own venue has been an amazing asset and we have used it to gain a national reputation for supporting women in theater, while presenting a wide variety of exciting and challenging new works,” says Meghan Arnette, Artistic Director, “The flexibility we will gain by going mobile will allow us to reach out to new audiences, create new programs and focus our energy into mission driven projects.”
The announcement comes only a few months before they plan to move out; the current show Bone Portraits will be the last full production in their current space.
While Arnette has chosen not to announce specifically when and where their next performances will be (while mentioning a potential collaboration with Seattle Girls School,) she says a company retreat in early 2010 will solidify their plans for the next season. She also does not know the owner’s plans for the current space, and encourages any companies interested in the Ballard location to let her know so she can refer them.
Full press release under the cut.
I am pleased to share the news of an exciting transition for our theater company. Live Girls! is going mobile and moving out of our Ballard venue. Our lease is up at the end of the year and we have decided that instead of renewing it we will be moving on to new venues and partnerships. We are looking forward to finding fresh ways to expand the Live Girls! mission as we head into our next 10 years of making sure women’s voices are represented on the stage.Having our own venue has been an amazing asset and we have used it to gain a national reputation for supporting women in theater, while presenting a wide variety of exciting and challenging new works. The flexibility we will gain by going mobile will allow us to reach out to new audiences, create new programs and focus our energy into mission driven projects.Watch for more about our plans in early 2010, including news of a program with the Seattle Girls School and the return of the LG! cabaret in the spring to launch our new season. And Quickies and The Bakery Readings will be returning bigger and better than ever!Please plan to come to our annual Holiday Special and auction on December 5th, and help us say goodbye to the space in style. And of course, don’t miss Bone Portraits, our last full production in Ballard, closing on November 14th.Feel free to contact me with any questions. And please let us know if you would like to be involved in making Live Girls! second decade even more amazing than the first!Meghan ArnetteFounding Artistic Director Live Girls! Theater