Theatre Nova, The Greenroom to Share Space at Ann Arbor's The Yellow Barn

Three Ann Arbor community groups, The Greenroom, The Yellow Barn Events and Classes, and Theatre Nova, Ann Arbor's newest professional theatre, will share The Yellow Barn, a 2,500 square foot space located at 416 West Huron, in an innovative space-sharing partnership that will bring 42 weekends of cultural programming to Ann Arbor's bustling downtown, along with workshops for playwrights, yoga, tai chi, chi gong and other classes, and a Monday night church geared toward artists. Plans to convert the space are being formed, in order to turn the barn, already a viable concert venue, into a unique, 85-seat "micro-theatre" 24 weeks out of the year. Once finished, the Yellow Barn Theatre will be another affordable small theatre space, in addition to the limited venues around town. The group also plans to make the space available to other local theatre groups on a rental basis.

This unique collaboration began with a meeting in September, of the supporters and members of The Yellow Barn, the group responsible for programming a diverse array of cultural events into that space for the past five years, including live music concerts from Chicago Afrobeat to local rapper Lucas Digia, classes, Sunday sacred music gatherings, and much more. The purpose of the meeting, an email said, was "to find people who will have the energy to carry the mission of the Yellow Barn forward." The small gathering of people that showed up to the meeting that Sunday, September 14, included the volunteers and members of The Yellow Barn, and another organization who shared the space, The Greenroom, a church dedicated to being a "creative force for the creator God." Sitting in a circle in a sunny corner of the 2,500 square foot barn, a rustic and distinctive bohemian structure, complete with wooden floors, barn wood beams, and two giant wooden church pews leaning against the wall, the group gathered to brainstorm a way forward after a financially difficult year. While this unique venue was a favorite with students, townies, and artists alike, the group had fallen just short of making ends meet, and many of the dedicated board members and volunteers running the daily operations could simply not keep up the level of energy and personal investment that had carried the group this far. Fresh horses were needed, and fresh ideas as well.

Also in the group that Sunday was Ann Arbor actress and director Carla Milarch, founding Artistic Director of the newly formed Theare Nova, a new-concept theatre company focused on new plays and playwrights, and finding innovative approaches to the challenges facing small non-profit theatres today. She had toured the space just days earlier, on an invitation from her friend and long-time theatre colleague, Scott Crownover, pastor of The Greenroom. "Theatre Nova was looking for a space to produce its season." Milarch says "We had looked at various other venues, and not found anything ideal. Everything was either too small or way too big, and all of the rental venues were pricey. We had also scoured the commercial real estate pages only to find that everything was out of our price range. We hadn't really been at it long enough to be discouraged, but let's just say that the reality that space for small theatre companies in Ann Arbor was scarce had hit home in a big way."

Then Milarch got the call from Crownover, letting her know that The Yellow Barn space had been listed for rent. The Yellow Barn group, while in discussions with the landlord, had not had enough confidence in its direction forward to put any concrete offers on the table, and Crownover had been following the formation of Theatre Nova and its quest to find a space. The tip was well-timed, and Milarch met Crownover at the barn days later and toured the building. What she saw excited her. Two days after that, Milarch was back with long-time colleagues and friends David Wells and Dan Walker, co-founders of Theatre Nova, and a tape measure. Walker, who has designed and overseen installation of six theatres, including Performance Network, and who is the Producing Director of Theatre Nova, brought his computer, took a look around, and hours later, the team had the first draft of an 85-seat thrust theatre in their hands.

Almost exactly two months later to the day, on November 13th, Milarch and Theatre Nova signed a 5-year lease with West Huron Properties, with The Greenroom and The Yellow Barn as co-tenants. Yellow Barn Board Member Karl Diez, who is a local musician and sound engineer at The Yellow Barn, says there's a lot of synchronicity in this partnership. "When Theatre Nova told us that they were interested in partnering with The Yellow Barn Events and Classes, we began to see a way forward that was beneficial for everyone. By splitting the programming weeks down the middle and sharing the rent and utilities, Theatre Nova gains a permanent space to produce its shows, our Events and Classes fill in the spaces when they are rehearsing the next show, and The Greenroom stays on Monday nights. We've even discovered that the times that are hard for them to program, are our best times for concerts, and vice-versa. It's really a win-win-win."

Theatre Nova Managing Director David Wells, a nationally award-winning playwright and Associate Artist of the group, said "With commercial space at a premium, space-sharing is going to be key for a lot of arts organizations. The partnership at The Yellow Barn is a model of this new way forward. The overhead is lower for everyone, and we still all have access to enough programming weeks to fulfill our artistic missions." Walker adds: "Theatre Nova will be able to provide a full season of five shows, running between 3-5 weeks each. The landlord gains more financially stable tenants, and we all have the headroom to focus on growing our organizations in a sustainable and measured way. What's more, we can become a part of the solution to the space problem for local theatre companies, so it will be a big win for the community as well."

With the ink still fresh on the lease, the groups are now working on a layout for the space that is versatile enough to accommodate the needs of all of the groups, and fundraising to do the theatre installation and a necessary ADA bathroom installation. It's also working on scheduling its densely packed performance calendar. Genevieve Compton, the new Administrative Manager of The Yellow Barn Events and Classes says "We're using our Google calendars like crazy right now, figuring out who is in which space when, and what logistics need to be worked out to make it all run smoothly. There are challenges, but the groups are really working together harmoniously in a true spirit of collaboration. The energy on this project is really good, and feels like it was meant to be. Aside from January, when we will be doing the renovations, there will only be 5 weekends in 2015 where you won't be able to come see something at The Yellow Barn."

West Huron Properties Manager Cathy Kimmel agrees, adding: "We are very excited to welcome Theatre Nova to our eclectic community of tenants and we are thrilled that this newly formed partnership will allow The Yellow Barn Events and Classes and the Greenroom to stay active and fulfilling their missions in Ann Arbor.'" As the three organizations move forward in this collaboration, in pursuit of both their individual missions, and their shared goal of a robust and vibrant multi-use theatre and arts space, one thing is certain - The Yellow Barn will continue to hold a cherished place in the community. Pastor Crownover, who made the call that got the ball rolling, sums it up nicely: "From the very beginning The Greenroom's desire was to create a space where creativity and faith come together. And we've found that that desire has resonated profoundly for those who have been searching for new and fresh ways of experiencing God in their lives. The Yellow Barn has played a huge part in cultivating that experience. We're so excited to be a part of a community that will continue to bring creativity to this unique and wonderful space."

For more information, go to:

www.theatrenova.org | www.facebook.com/theatrenova

www.thegreenroomchurch.com | www.facebook.com/thegreenroomA2

www.ouryellowbarn.com | www.facebook.com/pages/The-Yellow-Barn/37397685841

To post a comment, you must register and login.