BERKELEY, CALIF.: Shotgun Players has announced it will open a new rehearsal space, Shotgun Studios, in February. The new studio, the former home of Serendipity Books, was purchased after a generous donation was made to the group in February 2014.
Renovations to the new space were made through a capital campaign, which has raised $1.6 million toward the overall goal of $1.75 million. The group’s previous warehouse rehearsal space was recently taken over by a new property manager who doubled the rent, forcing the troupe to seek a new home.
“I am humbled and awed by the outpouring of support from the Shotgun community—the generosity of our supporters is truly inspiring,” said Patrick Dooley, Shotgun Players’ artistic director, in a statement.
The new Shotgun Studios will be both a rehearsal space and a shop for Shotgun Players, as well as a creative hub open to other performing arts groups. The extra 2,000 square feet of space at the studio will allow the group to recreate the stage footprint of their performance home, the Ashby Stage, which they own.
“We’ve reached a stage of development and experience that we can design and build a space with our specific processes and values incorporated into the very architecture,” said Mark Jackson, a director who’s a member of Shotgun Players artistic company.
Dooley founded Shotgun Players in 1992 with a small group of artists eager to take risks. Shotgun Players makes its mission affordable and accessible theatre, and runs a Make a Difference (MAD) program, offering pay-what-you-can performances 1,200 free tickets every year to various need-based groups throughout the Bay Area.
