A new multipurpose theater space opens in Brooklyn today
You can think of Crown Hill Theatre, the new multipurpose cultural center opening in Crown Heights today, as an all-in-one entertainment space.
"It's a co-working space, a podcast room, an art gallery, a music studio, a theater space and more all in one," says founder Peter Tulloch, who also ran Fort Greene Fest from 2006 to 2011. "Everything in here is used in a flexible way for varying purposes."
The venture takes over the building at 750 Nostrand Avenue, the former home of the Black Lady Theatre.
As Tulloch recounts, the history of the Black Lady Theatre and its sister site Slave Theater in Bed Stuy is a complicated one that involves ownership battles.
Following a pretty dramatic few years, at the end of 2019, 750 Nostrand Avenue was sold to a developer. The pandemic put a dent in the new owner's plans, at which point Tulloch leased the space in the hopes of opening the sort of hub that could both celebrate and shape the neighborhood's artistic offerings.
"The venue could be rented out but we're also curating a bunch of events in there ourselves," says the founder, specifically mentioning his intention to host Winter Jazz Festival activations on site. "The idea is to bring back great entertainment. We are looking at the space as a blank box that can be used as a film shooting location one day and an art gallery the next. We want a myriad of different performances to be mounted."
But if all goes according to plan, Crown Hill Theatre will be much more than a home for the arts: Tulloch mentions a burgeoning partnership with the city of New York that will transform the endeavor into a talent incubator.
Specifically, on-site instructional rooms will welcome city-affiliated programs dedicated to folks between 18 and 24 who wish to learn "new age trade skills."
"Back in the day, trade skills involved plumbing, construction and electrical installations, for example," says Tulloch. "Today, we're talking about film editing, Adobe Suite skills, audio-related endeavors and more."
The founder then hopes to actually employ those very youngsters to help produce the various performances and shows that will be mounted on site.
"We're trying to recreate that old New York feeling, when people came out to a show because they knew it was going to be good and not only because they knew who was performing," says Tulloch.
As the old adage goes, "if you build it, [they] will come."
We'll see in due time if that holds true at the new Crown Hill Theatre.
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