Theater For All of You Who Heard the Rumor that 14/48 Is Leaving Capitol Hill Arts Center…
posted by on April 23 at 14:14 PM
… it’s not. Not yet, anyway. After a long(ish) conversation with Shawn Belyea yesterday, here’s a brief update on the state of things with 14/48 and CHAC.
• The future of the CHAC building is uncertain (as it always has been), and 14/48 is talking to some other theaters—notably, ACT—to lay the groundwork for a possible future move.
• CHAC proprietor Matthew Kwatinetz is deciding whether to renew his lease and is considering buying the building.
• CHAC might convert its Showroom (the main, first-floor room that doubles as a theater and a nightclub) into rentable office space. That would ameliorate two of CHAC’s major, perennial problems: noise complaints from neighboring condo-dwellers, and precarious finances. (It would also, of course, take CHAC another step away from being an “arts center.”) Belyea said CHAC has considered the office-space conversion two or three times before.
• But, for the near future, People’s Republic of Komedy will occupy the Showroom.
• And while we’re on the subject of PRoK, here are posters for their new shows in Hollywood (Hub Bub) and New York (Sweet Haven).
If the main theater space is turned into offices, there will be nothing related to "Art" in the CHAC's business. CHAC is barely more than a landlord as it is.
I would really like to see the building maintained as an art space, but there are a lot of expensive upgrades that are needed. And to be honest, I have a hard time seeing the space be more successful with Kwatinetz owning the building, unless he were to allow other groups to come in and take over the theater without any interference.
Mr. Kwatinetz's relatives, who've been keeping him in biz with their regular infusions of cash are the ones considering buying the building. That way they'd at least have some valuable property to show for all the money they've thrown down his rabbit-hole.
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