Tentatively called Art's At Beacon Hill, the theater is located at South Shelton Street and 13th Avenue South, just a couple blocks from Maple Elementary School. It will be home to Seattle Novyi Theatre, a Russian-style repertory group that intends to hold its first performance in the facility March 21.
"It's our job as artists to be a part of the community; to express art and theater in ways that benefit the community," said Michael Perrone, owner of the theater.
One of his main goals is to establish after-school and summer youth drama programs in the theater. According to Perrone, while the north end of Seattle has quite a few programs, this would be only the second youth drama program in the South End.
Re-imagining a landmark
The building was built by the Devos family in 1915. It was rented out as an Italian greengrocery for the first few years of operation. At the end of World War I, the family took over the grocery store and continued to operate it up until 2005.
At that time, Perrone was a neighbor of the owner, Art Devos, for whom the new theater has been named. In 2006, Perrone purchased the property from Devos with the understanding that it would continue to serve the community as a gathering place, as the grocery store had for the better part of the last century. He said Devos still comes over to feed a feral cat and to see how the work is coming along.
In the past few years Perrone has worked as a home remodeler, skills that he is now applying to this project. He said he hasn't taken on any new remodeling jobs since Thanksgiving so he can work full time to finish the theater by opening weekend.
Paul Leyer, producer and founding member of Novyi, has been helping Perrone throughout the project. Perrone met Leyer at a drama workshop in 2001 through their mentor, Leonid Anisimov. Though both of them were raised in the Puget Sound region, Leyer lived in Japan until a few years ago.
When they started, the roof was leaking and the interior was moldy. Perrone re-roofed the building and then began re-structuring the inside, using mostly existing materials.
Wood from the store shelves has become risers for the theater seats. The floors have been cleaned, but he has kept the original finish intact.
The original storefront area will be used as a coffee shop and will be open during the morning and early afternoon as well as at night during performances. A door at the back of the shop, which used to go to the old grocery cooler, now opens to the theater.
Perrone also tore off decades' worth of plaster and wallboard to expose original brick walls. Leyer noted that the combination of the old wood walls and the brick provide a good acoustical environment.
The lower floor, which is only partly finished, will include a prop workshop, restrooms, dressing rooms, a green room and an office for Perrone.
This project was not without its challenges. In order to bring the building up to code, he was required to install three separate electrical systems - for the coffee shop, theater and living quarters; he is still waiting on permits from the city before he can use these new systems. He also noted the building code does not allow him to add any new windows to the structure.
Also, the property is zoned residential even though it has always been used for commercial purposes. Perrone told a story of how he had to sell a couch on Craigslist in order to make enough revenue to qualify as a commercial property. Despite these problems, he said the entire remodel cost less than $35,000.
An old passion
Perrone's interest in theater began early, participating in his first production in sixth grade. He attended Washington State University in the late '70s but dropped out. He later finished a Bachelor of Art in Drama at the University of Washington.
Like Leyer, Perrone studied theater in Japan in the mid '90s. More recently, he worked as technical director of Theater Schmeater for the 2005-06 season. However, he said he had always dreamed of having his own theater and that the Beacon Hill project is an extended dream of his mentor Anisimov.
The repertory group Seattle Novyi Theatre consists of 11 actors from Cuba, England, Japan, Russia and the United States. Novyi practices a style of drama known as the Stanislavski System, taught by Anisimov.
In this system, instead of learning one play and performing it many times throughout a season, a group of actors will gradually learn many plays and roles and rotate through them day-by-day. Thus audiences will have an opportunity to see different plays and see the actors play different roles each time they come.
"We are inviting people into a creative process and helping the community grow in the process," Leyer said. "Like gardening, the creativity that will grow here will feed the community."
For their March 21 debut in the new theater, Seattle Novyi will perform "The Dearest of Friends" by the American playwright Horton Foote. Tickets will be available at the door ($15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors).
Art's at Beacon Hill is seeking volunteers. Anyone willing to help can reach Perrone at (206) 861-6260 or Leyer at (206) 331-6944. To find out more about Seattle Novyi Theatre, visit: www.seattlenovyi.org.
Alex Sell may be reached via editor@sdistrictjournal.com.[[In-content Ad]]