Rehearsal Space?

[booksherpa]

[Note: I'm not in the Austin area, so unless you randomly know of rehearsal space in central NJ, this is more of a general advice discussion. Thanks!]

So, I want to form a practice group that will hopefully maybe eventually become a performance group. I can make use of my church (yay UUs!) , but am limited to using it 12 times in a 12 month period. We're talking about meeting twice a month, so we're good for 6 months. After that... what?

If you are not connected with a theater, and are just starting out, what categories of spaces would you suggest checking out as free (or cheap) rehearsal space? We're all apartment dwellers, so no lovely large basements...

[Roy Janik]

There's a long standing practice in Austin of using the rooms of a particular building on the University of Texas campus.

If there's a university near you, you might look into something similar... a building that's generally unlocked with a lot of rooms.

Dance/Yoga studios often have reasonable rates.

There's the old classic "room in the back of a bar" standby... which you might parlay into performance space.

It's also worth checking with local theaters to see if you can use their space in some off-time.

Someone's living room is your last resort. A lot of troupes do this, but I tend to lose focus.

[jose]

Places that we've found (in & near Phoenix) that sometimes have meeting rooms or open spaces that can be used for rehearsals for free or cheap:

- libraries
- city hall
- bookstores
- community centers
- coworking spaces
- galleries & art spaces
- local theatres

For any place that might not be free, you can probably do some kind of exchange whether that means volunteering or something. One of The Torch's groups, Light Rail Pirates, used to rehearse at the YMCA in downtown Phoenix and I believe they led some improv workshops for them in exchange for using the space.

[Spots]

I'm seeing a pattern here. The ideal place to rehearse improv would be a daytime space that deals in the abstract.

AKA a place that doesn't sell a physical product but an idea or skill. Who is rehearsing in a book store? That's different. I want to do that.


Also in a fencing school or beekeeping training facility.

[thedward]

Also in a fencing school or beekeeping training facility.

I'm holding out for a fencing school that is also a beekeeping training facility.