the Noodle Factory

Last night after pilates, I stopped by RedHen's newest pet project: The Noodle Factory Performing Arts Center and Artists' Residence
The West Oakland area of the East Bay is currently experiencing a new upsurge in development, mostly due to high housing prices in the City which is starting to force artisans: painters, digital/media artists, dancers and musicians out of high rent areas into more disparaged areas. While West Oakland has long been the site of industry, and in more recent years-a hotbed of low-income families and the problems that can arise from poverty (ie. crime, drugs, poor education)-the Noodle Factory is making strides to correct and adjust the problem. They have proposed an 11-unit PERMENENTLY affordable live-work spaces including a theater and cafe for the community"

"After construction is completed in late Spring of 2008, this mixed-use
artisan and cultural arts facility will house 11 work/live units for working
artists/artisans; a rehearsal studio and a public events space for performance /
music arts totaling 2700 sq. ft.; and a cafe / lobby area. An Advisory
Board drawn from the local performing, visual arts, and artisan community is
advising the project to ensure that the reconstructed arts space starts life as
an integral part of the Bay Area arts community."

Even though the space is not entirely finished yet, it's gorgeous. First of all, the lack of any other taller buildings around means that there's a ton of gorgeous natural light in the (easily) 25' high ceiling space. The theater is tucked in behind the rest of the residences, but it's a lovely space with an upper tech booth, plenty of room for storage and an easily adaptable space. There was a fairly good community turn out as well as the theater community representing. And everyone had an idea of how to make the space work. But it was the residences that had me salivating-totally gorgeous, second story, lofted spaces with high end fixtures and design. Natural woods and white walls make these seem less like cramped, cheap artist's spaces and more like actual homes; spaces that people would want to live in.

RedHen has always been an advocate for the well-being of her artists so why wouldn't she be spearheading one of the newest and freshest communities in the Bay Area. A true Aquarian that one. At the end of the champagne toast, RedHen started asking for ideas about how to get the rest of the Bay Area theater community involved as well getting the neighborhood residents to respond and make the theater part of their lives instead of viewing it as a separate entity. One of the things I threw out there was cross-promotion. Whenever I'm at Octavia Lounge, we always make it a point (especially as filler) to mention the local shows that people we know are in. We let people come up and doing shameful self-promotion, cause

a) Local theater artists should support other local theater. It's a community not a competition

b) Local audiences don't always go to see great theater unless they know about it (ex. 'Tick, Tick, Boom' at Hillbarn was great, but I don't think that many people went to go see it)

As artists who work their asses off constantly to have a show of theirs not seen, is ridiculous. Especially when you consider all the crap that's being shown on television. And of course those programs are subsidized by the numerous commercial ads that run all through the show. I have a friend who's losing his guitarist soon because the music scene in the Bay Area blows; he's moving to LA. And that's sad. An area that is so rich in resources, community, culture and talent-is losing a great musician to the hellhole that is Los Angles because it cannot support itself. Sweetie Tanya had an award winning, multi-disc documentarian playing the hell out of the guitar for us because he hadn't met people in the industry yet. I'm not angry here, I'm passionate. Passionate that more great theater be created and seen and understood as filling the soul. Especially theater that is making amends to a community currently in need. Please support the Noodle Factory!

peace out.

* are you a current partner in the Bay Area Theater scene? book your next show or performance at the Noodle Factory. they'd love to have you!