Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Chicago League of Theatres Launches ChicagoSpaces.org
Stage Directions: The League of Chicago Theatres announces the launch of ChicagoSpaces.org, a comprehensive, searchable database of performing arts venues and rehearsal facilities in Chicagoland. The website serves as a free, public and centralized resource connecting artists and performing arts organizations with rehearsal and performing arts facilities that are available for rental.
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7 comments:
I've only ever been to Chicago once to visit some friends of mine, both working in small theater companies. While driving through one neighborhood my friend pointed out time and time again places where she's worked or places to see shows. Of the 5 or 6 places she pointed out, none of them were theatres. They were schools, playgrounds, YMCAs, and churches. (Some of which were hosting theater companies others just public spaces.) It was pretty cool to hear about all this theater that was seemingly happening all around the neighborhood. I'd imagine, and this website seems to confirm that, is that neighborhoods all around Chicago are like this. Makes me wonder, what comes first the company or the space? I'd imagine it's the company, the drive to manifest a personal or collective mission statement. At least from a spacial standpoint, if the physical space is available then a neighborhood can sustain the arts. Good to see the Chicago Leagure of Theatres launching this website to not only promote individual neighborhood arts communities but also Chicago as a whole.
This is an idea that would be fantastic for other cities as well, particularly Edinburgh (which has the Fringe Festival) and New York, where there are so many art groups and venues, and it seems a very daunting task to unite the two. This seems like it will work because it's created by a nonprofit rather than somebody with a stake in specific venues and is free to use. I also am interested in what potential this has to expand beyond just listing spaces and venues, but to be a centralized place to find production personnel and resources so that folks with productions can find everything they need from a pool of space and people looking to pair up with practitioners.
Having had the chance to go and work in a number of the smaller theater spaces around Chicago at this point, and having heard of a bunch besides from other folks, this was a daunting task to undertake. Beyond that, this looks like a fabulous tool to use. and how they have it differentiated between rehearsal spaces or places to record or audition. There is just a fantastic amount of work and effort in putting this together, and it would be great to see this in come up for other cities to help connect more people who need to use these spaces, and those that need to rent them out or are willing to let people use them. As Daniel noted, it would be interesting to see if a database such as this could be expanded beyond just spaces to other resources (materials, personnel, etc.). It's great to see a League of Chicago Theaters going a providing another resource for the theater artists of Chicago
Having a database of available performance and rehearsal spaces seems like a pretty simple concept, though perhaps not too simple to compile. However, the advantages and possibilities that it opens up are endless. One of the major concerns and limiting factors in theatre is money, and presumably the rental of rehearsal and performance space is a good chunk of that money. This database could help companies save their money by providing information on cheap spaces, thereby allowing them to produce more shows on the same budget. As Daniel mentioned, it would be great if this database could be expanded to include cheap useable materials and production personnel.
This seems like a great idea. As life transitions to exist more and more online, it is important for and to people to be able to look things up quickly and efficiently. For better or for worse, if information can not be found online, some may simply give up their search. That is why a feature like this can potentially help keep art going in a time where people's live are so hectic that it sometimes falls by the wayside if detailed info can not be found readily. This opens up a number of possibility for those looking for venues, working at venues, or even looking to see theatre alike. Other cities should consider similar plans, seems useful!
I think that Chicago has one of the best environments for small theater organizations. From my limited experience, the city and theater community is very welcoming to new groups and many organizations tend to work together. As I have said many times on this blog, the more arts organizations can work together to facilitate what they do the better. Often resources and efforts are duplicated that don't need to be. One of the great things about the League of Chicago Theaters is that the organization takes some of the burden of coordination off the individual organizations and allows these collaborative events to actually happen. Theoretically once arts organizations have economic or financial ties, artistic collaboration may follow.
This is an awesome resource and actually the perfect city for it to begin in. While there is a huge theatre community, it is not as widely known as New York to people who are not in Chicago. I think that even just browsing this website quickly it is amazing the opportunities it provides for searching for a place.
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