Anyone who has lived or worked in NYC for a while will tell you, when the apartment or office next door to you opens up, grab it.

So that’s what I did.

Thanks to a few of our growing enterprises, we needed a little more space .  . so I snagged the vacant office next to us.  It was a bit bigger than I actually needed, so I decided to do something with the extra square footage that I’ve always dreamed about.

I built a rehearsal room.

Now we have a room for our readings, callbacks, seminars, rehearsals of shows in their embryonic stages, and more.  It’s 23′ x 30′, has AC, wireless internet, mirrors, a piano, and a nice set of windows facing 49th St.  We rehearsed Miss A there, and we’ve already had a Broadway musical take up residence for a couple of weeks.

It’s a Producer’s version of a game room, just no Ms. Pac-Man and no ping-pong table.

Now here’s my favorite part of what we’re doing with the space . . .

We’re offering it to up-and-coming writers and producers for free.

I remember how hard it was working in my apartment as both a writer and a Producer, and how much easier it was to stay motivated once I had someplace to go that didn’t have a couch, a fridge, and HBO On Demand.  And then there was the day that I had 11 people in my bedroom running through a new song from Altar Boyz because we didn’t have the bucks for a rehearsal room.

So I thought I would take our new space and offer it to people that might be in the same position I was, not too long ago:

Here’s how it works:

If you’re a emerging writer or Producer, consider the Davenport Studio as a place to go to get the juices flowing again.  Come noodle a new tune on the piano, come sit in the corner and type, come do some improv with a few actors to find a new scene, have a meeting, bring in a couple of singers to try that new Act II duet, and so on.  Do whatever it takes to get you unstuck so that you can write faster and write more.  And we won’t charge you a penny.

There are a few restrictions:

– Free space can only be reserved 24 hours before you want to come in, and is obviously subject to availability. (Ex. Email us on Monday for use on Tuesday, or on Tuesday for use on Tuesday, etc.)
– To give more people an opportunity to use the space, there is a 2 hour maximum.
– The space is open 7 days a week, and usually until 10 PM, and sometimes later.
– Each individual can only use the space twice per month.
– You cannot use the space to rehearse upcoming productions.  The idea of the space is to help get your show “off the ground” and on your way to a production.  We’ll give you a Emerging Artist rate for rehearsals if that’s what you need.
–  If you want to use the bathroom, there is a $79 charge.  (Just kidding.  Come on, it’s Friday!)

 A very smart business-savvy friend of mine thinks I’m nuts for giving away real estate like this.  (Of course, when people call me crazy, no matter how smart or how powerful they are, that’s usually when I know I’m on to something.)

But the truth is, he just doesn’t get it.

Without new writers writing, Producers don’t have a future.  It’s our job to do whatever we can to get them writing more.  And since most of us can’t pay Hollywood-type advances, maybe there are other things that we can do to help out.

Like open our doors.

To request your 2 hours, email studio@davenporttheatrical.com.  (Remember, you can only reserve space within 24 hours of the time you need it.)

One last thing . . . obviously this is a grand experiment, so some of the restrictions and qualifications above may change.  We thought about spending a week trying to figure out every possible scenario that could come up so we could develop the most fair system possible, but, frankly, that’s boring.  I’m a big believer in putting things out there and tweaking as necessary along the way.  Huh.  I guess that’s why I’m in theater and not film.

See you ’round the studio!

For more info on the studio, click here