Words in the Warehouse - An Idea for a Classical Theatre in Peoria

Last night Eli, Callista and I took advantage of Peoria’s First Friday Art Crawl hosted by Ciao (Central Illinois Artists Organization) and visited several galleries in our warehouse district where we saw the tremendous work of many visual artists. At one stop a friend, Doug Leunig, was showing me around The Mill, one of gallery/studio spaces on the crawl when I said “We need to get performing arts involved in First Fridays.” A smile ran across his face and a twinkle came to his eye as he opened a door that lead to an open section of the warehouse that could easily be converted into a theatre. At that moment I had that creative tingle run down my spine that all artists are familiar with – the “What If” tingle.

So here is the idea that hit me in the middle of Peoria’s warehouse district last night – Words in the Warehouse – a classical theatre set is the developing warehouse district in Peoria Il. It could start as a simple affair – a flexible unit stage (Think Blackfriers) and a season of five or six of Shakespeare’s plays staged in rotating rep. Three shows on one weekend a month to start. All local talent.

Scenery would be kept to a minimum utilizing a few necessary set pieces (tables, chairs, thrones). Costumes could be handled in an accessorized contemporary dress (Black shirts and slacks with pieces added as needed) Simple lighting and sound. After an audience based was built up over a few years the production values could be enhanced.

Everyone involved would be paid as in Shakespeare’s day - a share of the net proceeds. No one would get rich quick but Shakespeare didn’t buy New Place the year he started either. Income could be enhanced through a partnership with a local restaurant/tavern that could handle concessions during intermission.

The focus would be on the text and storytelling – Words in the Warehouse.

Any takers? (Better yet – ANY BACKERS?)