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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, April 9, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend January 29, 2004 Theaters share new spot Oregon Stage Works welcomes Green Room’s improv school to A Street space By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune Not even in its new home yet, Oregon Stage Works already has gained another resident. The Green Room Improvisational Theater School will share in OSW’s new space, presenting at least one production a month. The new space in Ashland’s A Street Market Place is expected to be completed in April and have its first shows in May. GRITS is the current offshoot of the Green Room, the space in an Ashland industrial park which artistic director Joshua Heuertz and the group gave up a couple of months ago. More recently, GRITS has been using the Dance Space at 280 E. Hersey St. for its shows. The Stage Works location is just two blocks from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in downtown Ashland and a half-block from the new venue of artattack, another little theater with big ambitions, in the old Cantwell’s building. "Joshua’s group will be in residence," said Oregon Stage Works producing artistic director Peter Alzado. "You could call it a co-producing relationship." Advertisement "It’s a nice district," Heuertz said. "It feels like something big is happening." GRITS’ first production could be as early as June, probably a "theatersports" event in which improv groups compete against each other tournament-style. The group may also present neo-variety shows and other improv events. Heuertz called Alzado in November and asked if he’d be interested in an agreement under which Heuertz’s group would share the space, and Alzado was quick to say yes. "It’ll be good for them," Alzado said. "And it’ll bring a different crowd, maybe younger." Heuertz said rent was the Green Room’s biggest expense. "We started thinking, ‘What’s out there?’ " Oregon Stage Works has had its own odyssey the past year, presenting plays in the OSF’s old Black Swan Theatre, the Ashland Springs Hotel and the Black Sheep pub. GRITS will bring lights and sound gear in addition to on-stage talent and technicians. The two groups could share some costs in terms of advertising or other expenses. Heuertz said the advantages to GRITS begin with rent but don’t end there. "The energy between the two groups in one space, the whole idea," he said. "Nobody makes any great money. It’s a labor of love. "Our following and theirs will have an opportunity to explore another theater without having to choose between two productions on the same night." He said the only downside is a sentimental one — saying goodbye to a space of one’s own. "We did shows artists do but producers turned down," he said. The Green Room specialized in edgy fare that producers often found marginal but performers and audiences generally liked. Alzado said the only problem the new arrangement poses for Oregon Stage Works is scheduling. A minimum of six Stage Works productions a year will run five weeks each. He also plans a full play- reading series and a local playwrights program. He welcomed the infusion of new energy. "It’s a very vibrant scene that could continue to develop," he said, citing a recent Time magazine story about the importance of the OSF and the nation’s regional theater scene. "Ashland could develop into a national center for the performing arts." Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times