The Garden Theater continues to grow. When the Segway store moved out of the space at 1189 N. High Street, the Short North Stage jumped at the chance to lease the space.
“We are trying to create an institution here,” says Peter Yockel, Board President for Short North Stage. “Possibilities become obvious and you take them.”
Short North Stage took on the task of rebuilding the Garden Theater as a premiere arts venue just over a year ago, and the growth has been very organic.
“We had many grandiose ideas when we first started, but the theater has its own mind,” says Executive Producer Rick Gore. With the addition of the new space, which they are dubbing “Stage Left Lounge,” they now have three very diverse types of performance spaces.
The Green Room, a more intimate cabaret style space, the gorgeously raw main room of the Garden Theater, and now, Stage Left Lounge, an open, historic looking space.
“It fits the aesthetic and the needs of the Short North,” says Yockel. “People just love this space. You can often find our cast and staff taking lunch breaks in here.”
The space has also been used for meetings and private parties – most recently for the rehearsal dinner of Technical Director Robert Kuhn.
Kuhn had a friend who had been storing the huge bar since he closed a restaurant in Dublin. He was pleased to have it find a new home and donated it to Short North Stage.
Kuhn also had a hand in decorating the space.
While on a shopping trip at Lowe’s, Kuhn happened upon four chandeliers and two pendants that he thought would look great in the space. The best part? They were 90% off! He called up Yockel who gave the go-ahead to purchase them and they fit the space wonderfully. With their antique leaded glass look, they lend a classic vibe to the space, as if they have been there since the beginning.
Historically, the space served as the concessions area for the Garden Theater.
“It’s fitting that it’s evolved back to a concessions purpose,” says Yockel.
Future plans for the space include building out the bar with a granite top and adding an elevated stage toward the back. Yockel and Gore see the Stage Left Lounge becoming a gathering place for performance types and hope to soon expand to offer programming several nights a week. That purpose melds well with their mission to bring live performance back to the Short North Arts District and to offer these types of opportunities to artists.
Although Stage Left Lounge does not have open hours yet, the space will be open during Highball Halloween, and will be open during the Anna and the Annadriods performance of Joy Toy on Saturday night.
For more information, visit shortnorthstage.org.