Dixon Place exterior. Photos of the space: Leslie Strongwater from dixonplace.org flickr stream
Dixon Place celebrated it's "Almost Official" Grand Opening with an "Open House Spectacular" last night in their new home at 161A Chrystie Street. The Lo-Down was on hand as the company took the opportunity to thank the many contributors that helped establish a permanent residence after almost 25 years of performances in varied transient spaces (beginning in Founder and Artistic Director Ellie Covan's living room). After almost seven years of fund-raising and development, the experimental performance lab, which has been open and operating for most of this year, can finally call the Lower East Side "Home".
Interior lobby and "salon" performance space.
The state-of-the-art mainstage theater seats up to 140.
Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner, Kate Levin (above left) presents Dixon Place Founder, Ellie Covan (above right) with a Proclamation from the Mayor decreeing Dec. 2nd to be "Dixon Place Day".
Catherine Porter, Dixon Place Director of Development
Councilmember Alan Gerson (above), along with the Department of Cultural Affairs, was credited with being instrumental in helping Dixon Place to secure much of the funding needed to build their new space. Other funding agencies and foundations, too numerous to name, were acknowledged, as well. (visit the DP website for more info about their capital campaign).
Regina Nejman and Company helped kick off the evening with flare.
Voted "Best One-Stop Performance Shop" in
August of 2009, The L Magazine noted,"As ever, they've got naked
people, puppets, little theater, big theater, Mangina, dance,
occasional one-nighters by famous people, music, a bar, poetry,
literary readings, kind of awesome chairs, comic book slideshows, and
things you can't even imagine (that's right). And they worked their
asses off to get where they are, so they've earned a little kudos now
and again."
Welcome Home, Dixon Place.
