On Tuesday the Loft at the Mill, a local second-story theatre located at 8th and P streets above the Mill, ended its lease with the location.
The venue’s closing is disappointing for many local theatre troupes in the area.
“It’s sad,” said Ben Tibbels, co-founder of local improv group Lipshtick. “The coolest thing about the Loft was you didn’t have to be affiliated with a group.”
Judith K. Hart, a professor at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre & Film and founding member of the Loft, said her company had been at the Haymarket location since 2002. And now, almost 10 years to the day it was founded in 1999, the organization no longer has a place of permanent residence.
“The loft used to consist of six theater organizations; now it’s down to three,” Hart said.
This is in part due to the dissolving of the local group Rough Magic Productions, which produced new and original work.
Loft board member Jacob Heger said the Loft’s closing was a result of a less supportive audience base and the economy.
“It was financial,” Heger said, “which is what usually happens for arts organizations.”
The financial and economical concerns were alleviated with help from groups like the Lincoln Arts Council and the Nebraska Arts Council. But in the end, Heger said there just weren’t enough, “people, time, money, or effort.”
Even with the economic troubles, Hart said, “we’ve always been able to pay our bill, but with the groups dropping out could not continue.”
Heger said Rough Magic had sold out certain shows all the time, so attendance wasn’t that big of a problem.
“Space was an issue,” she said. “Parking was a huge issue. And the location was not really visible.”
This is due to its third-floor spot in the building.
“People who lived their whole lives in Lincoln didn’t know about it.”
But Heger said that all the challenges the Loft faced were “challenges we could overcome.”
With the location closed, Larry Root’s art studio has already begun moving into the gallery. Heger said the location’s openness and manipulative ability allowed for creative freedom and opened up many staging options. This is the same reason it can be changed to fit other purposes than a theatre.
“The loft was a nice blank canvas for any artistic group to utilize,” Tibbels said.
“It was really nice because it already had sound and lights. If you wanted to put up a show and had the means to put up a show, you could rent the space.”
Tibbels said the Loft allowed for smaller groups with small productions to have an outlet with full production shows. Now that it’s gone, it will be difficult for smaller groups to get spots in larger locations without, “bowing to the theatre big wigs like the Playhouse or the Haymarket (Theatre).”
Heger said that finding space in a town with full schedules is the most difficult struggle for local troupes.
“One of the biggest question marks at the loft was scheduling,” he said. “It’s a constant battle.”
Currently the Loft committee has been considering relocation, with many possibilities including returning to former locations.
“There are lots of ideas and talk but anything final would be about a year away,” Hart said.
He then added that local groups just need to float around and find venues for now. For instance, Angels Theatre Company has a show in August at The Outback at Barry’s Bar and Grill, at 9th and Q streets.
“The companies can perform in multiple venues,” Hart said. “It’s all about collaboration.”
Heger urges all interested in local theatre to go online and check out the Web sites of the local companies and watch for news of performances and new venues.
“(The closing of the Loft) is a great loss for the community and to those who used the space as often as we did.”
nateruleaux@dailynebraskan.com
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