South Oxford Space - Home to Many

South Oxford Space is a professional theatre company that creates original works and provides office space to 19 different theatre companies along with renting space to those companies too including Ripe Time Theatre Company.  It is very rare for theatre companies to find affordable rehearsal and administrative space in the same building. What they have going helps them develop original works at there own pace since they have other companies renting out space and essentially paying their bills. It also allows the company to share work with the public and even show free open rehearsals to show their work. 

Currently, Ripe Time is producing a piece called “Septimus and Clarissa.” The play is a about two characters who never meet, a World War I veteran and a privileged housewife. It was adapted from the novel “Mrs. Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf. The play involves nine actors playing multiple roles. The play is extremely large.

I found this article to be very interesting, because it must get crazy to rent space out to so many different production company. I think that it was a smart move on Ripe Time’s part because it give them the money to produce the shows that they want to without having to worry about where the money is coming from. They can work on their shows and provide for other companies. I could only image that this would be challenging to do. It would be challenging to try to have to accommodate for all of the production companies needs along with their own. It looks like they are making it work though and are enjoying every second of it.

Cherry Lane Theater - Saved by Management and Smart Decisions

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/25/new-revenue-and-better-management-help-cherry-lane-theater/?scp=1&sq=theatre%20management&st=cse

Last year, Angelina Fiordellisi, the artistic director of the Cherry Lane Theatre, announced that she was making plans to step down from the position of artistic director. She was looking for offers from buyers who would want to operate the theater as a company. She was having budget issues and could not handle it anymore.

           

Since last year, Fiordellisi and her business associates have been able to solve some of their budget issues. Instead of selling the company, she decided to lay off all but one of her employees, cut some artistic programs, book more theater events, and hire a business agent who could manage bookings, contracts, and expenses. Because of her smart business plans to change her theater around, Fiordellisi plans to remain as the artistic director at Cherry Lane. She found that artists still really wanted to work in her building even when everything was going down hill and because of her cut backs, she was able to put all of the income towards her bills.

           

Fiordellisi now has a theater that is no longer failing. In coming months, she will be able to hire more staff back on her team and continue to part take in great theater. 

I think that this was a very inspiring article. It was interesting to read because, even though the arts and the economy have not been doing the best lately, Fiordellisi made her company work. Instead of giving up on her company, she stuck with it and made smart decisions so that the theater could survive. Although some employees had to suffer the consequences of the down fall, overall it was good for the whole company. Fiordellisi can now start hiring her employees back or can hire new ones. She has make her theater a success by paying attention to what had to be fixed and changed.