The Strand Theater Company, a Baltimore troupe devoted to spotlighting women's voices, has been without a fixed address for two years -- until now. With funding from a Maryland state grant, the company closed on the purchase of a 50-seat venue previously occupied by Performance Workshop Theatre on Harford Road in the Hamilton-Lauraville neighborhood.
"We tried to continue operating on a nomadic basis, but we weren't able to stick to one neighborhood," said Strand Theater Executive Director Elena Kostakis. "That hurt us in terms of audience base."
The company, which showcases the work of female playwrights, directors and actors, moved out of a tiny North Charles Street location in Station North in 2014 after six years because of water damage.
"The board felt extremely uncomfortable with us having audience members and artists in the unsafe space and unanimously voted to vacate," Kostakis said.
Last summer, company members visited the vacant spot on Harford Road, originally a Provident Savings Bank building dating from the 1930s.
It had been converted to theatrical use by Performance Workshop Theatre, which has since moved out and is "in the process of reconfiguring ourselves as a touring company," said the organization's producing/artistic director founder Marc Horwitz. (Reports of the company's demise were "premature," he said.)
"It has 50 seats, which is what we had on North Charles Street," Kostakis said. "We feel very comfortable with that number. But there's also potential for growth. We can add another row of seats. It's a really great space, with a lobby, a handicapped-accessible restroom, which is great to have."
In addition to dressing rooms, the building has a basement level that can be used for rehearsals and costume shop.
Plans call for the inaugural season in the new space to open in late September or early October. There will be two productions in the first half of that season; a play festival is slated for the second half.
Strand Theater is "the only company in the Greater Baltimore area and only one of two in Maryland that has a female focus," Kostakis said. (The Venus Theatre in Laurel includes children's voices as well as women in its mission statement.)
Community leaders in Hamilton-Lauraville welcomed Strand Theater's interest in the location.
"They were very encouraging," Kostakis said. "That was the determining factor."
Among those expressing encouragement is Regina Lansinger, director of
Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street.
"When we lost Performance Workshop Theatre, we really noticed a difference in foot traffic," Lansinger said. "We applied for a $225,000 grant from the State of Maryland to pay for the purchase of the building and the property owner was willing to accept that price. All the parties aligned to make this happen."
It took about seven months for the grant money to work its way through the system. Closing on the building took place last week.
Strand Theater has an annual budget of about $22,000, down from a peak of $30,000 during its Station North years.
"We will be doing a lot of fundraising," Kostakis said, "to raise the budget at least back to $30,000. When we didn't have a home, overhead was low, but the ability to produce was also low."
The company has survived changes of leadership over the years, including a much-publicized, but short-lived, tenure of artistic director Rain Pryor. The organization is operating without an artistic director for now; decision-making is being made by a board of directors.
"We know Strand Theater Company is going to be a good fit for our neighborhood," Lansinger said.