Special Report - Feb 4, 2013: The staff of Performance Space 122 have taken to calling their home, at 150 First Avenue, "P.S. 122: East Village."
In part, the nickname is practical: It differentiates the not-for-profit performing arts organization's main stages, which officially closed for lengthy renovations on February 1, from its new offices in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and from the venues throughout the boroughs where P.S. 122 is now producing shows. But it also indicates something larger: a shift in the organization's identity, from that of a brick-and-mortar theater to something less tactile. The three years during which the organization is homeless (or, really, theater-less) will largely determine what that something it is.
1 comment:
It is really interesting and fabulous that this organization was forced to evolve while they have been displaced from their theatre. Normally, I would think that an organization that is "theatre-less" for three years would find an alternate, stable space to produce their productions in the meantime. However, it is really cool that this organization is taking the time to rediscover themselves and what they stand for. The idea of experimenting with different venues is something very innovative and is certainly a popular modern take on theatre. I wonder what it will be like for this organization to transition back into their permanent space once the renovation is complete. While it is great that they are "finding themselves," so to speak, as well as attracting audience members for future productions, I wonder if they will be able to maintain this momentum when they return to the space where they seemed to lose it in the first place.
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