By Liz Rogers, Governing Board Member
In March of 2021 our lease on the old office/rehearsal space expired and we moved all of our downtown operations into the lobby of the theater. As we worked on our plan for reopening the theater, finding new office space became a priority, so the search began.
We are thrilled to announce that we have secured a new location at the corner of Liberty and Ferry, on the ground floor of the Liberty Parkade. After four months of wading through mountains of bureaucratic red tape, plans and engineering, further complicated by Covid, as of Monday, Jan. 24, we had a building permit and we’re close to putting the final touches on a brand new office.
Our new space, along with its parking options includes a 30’ x 35’ rehearsal space with 10’ ceilings and no posts running through the center of the room. (For those who didn’t visit our old space, structural support pillars were obstacles in the rehearsal rooms.) I can hear the casts and crews cheering now. The remainder of the space will hold executive offices, a conference room, archival storage and a historical display. It is well-ventilated and the building has ADA accessible restrooms and elevators to all parking levels.
Windows all around on one of the busiest intersections in the city also give us the opportunity to reach thousands of people with our advertising and awareness of Pentacle and its legacy in the Salem community.
One of the things we are most excited about is the opportunities that the rehearsal space offer us. In addition to having an obstacle free rehearsal space, we have another performance space that we can use to expand our season slate. This space, which can seat 40+ patrons will be perfect for small cast shows, musical reviews, experimental theater and more. We’re very excited about the possibility to offer entertainment, conveniently located close to great dining options with free on-site parking. Further, making this secondary performance space available to our directors and performers, longing to get back on the boards, makes us all smile.
The timing for finishing the construction is based largely on the schedules of our subcontractors and the effects of Covid, with a dash of red tape, inspections and occupancy clearance. We’ll be calling for volunteers to help paint and to install the flooring and the base trim once the drywall is complete…so grab the gloves and knee pads, kids. We’ll provide pizza, and sage to cleanse the space.
Stay tuned for more info as construction continues, and if you want to volunteer to help, let me know and we’ll keep you posted on work dates.
