The Everyman Theatre is taking its show on the road.
Set to be a key part of the revived West Side of Baltimore, the nonprofit performance venue will be relocating to the former home of the old Town Theatre at 315 W. Fayette St., creating a compliment to the Hippodrome.
“From the community standpoint, we see with retail business that they like to cluster, and with theaters you are doing something similar ? you are creating a destination for culture,” said Mike Evitts, the director of public relations for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. “You have one more reason for people from to come to the West Side.”
Currently located at 1727 N. Charles St., the theater announced last fall that it would be relocating in time for the fall of 2009. That $11.5 million vision became much clearer this week, when Everyman hired Baltimore-based architectural firm Cho, Benn, Holback and Associates Inc. to put its dreams on paper.
“Personally, I love working with arts organizations and old buildings, and it meshes the two,” said Diane Cho, principal in charge of the selected firm. “I really like [Everyman director] Vince Lancisi?s vision not only for the company, but for the new building.”
Cho brings the substantial experience of her business with her. The firm has worked on numerous other fine art projects in the area. These include the Patterson Center for the Arts, the American Visionary Art Museum expansion and the Baltimore School for the Arts.
Proposed renovations at the new site include rehearsal, class, office and storage rooms that will compliment a new 250- to 300-seat facility.
Known for its off-Broadway and classic productions, the Everyman has struggled with space recently. In-house artisans have little to no room to practice their crafts, whether it is woodworking for sets, creating costumes or building and storing props. Michelle Baylin, the marketing director at the Everyman, joked that every spare room or closet hada desk tucked into it.
Capacity also is an issue. Within three years, Baylin estimated that the 170-seat theater would be 100 percent sold out by subscription only.
This would ultimately force the Everyman to begin substantially raising the costs of its tickets, something the theater is fundamentally against doing.
