Counterlight Studio, a new low-barrier performance and production space in Railtown, will host its first show, An Early History of Fire, from Nov. 18 to 29 at 347 Alexander St.
The Story
A new theatre and creative workspace is set to arrive in Vancouver later this month, called Counterlight Studio.
The Railtown facility is designed to be used for performances and other creative endeavours, described by founder Alex Skinner as “not a theatre space. It’s a blank canvas by design,” and “not a theatre. It’s a production and creative space that can be adapted to many different needs.”
Counterlight is built around a 5,500-square-foot layout, with skylights and a “giant white warehouse” feel, Skinner said. The venue is divided into two areas: a 2,000-square-foot flex space and a separate performance space with professional sound and lighting setups.
Skinner said the room is being kept sparse to stay flexible, with expectations that it could be used for uses including music video shoots and photography sessions. He also pointed to low physical and financial barriers to participation, including a garage door large enough for a car to drive through.
On the cost side, Skinner said the barebones, adaptable set-up is intended to reduce overhead, including the ability for producers to rely on their own staff rather than hiring dedicated theatre crew. He said the venue’s lighting setup is able to handle many types of lights while not requiring a large in-house inventory, with lighting available through rentals “for reasonable rates.”
Skinner said Counterlight began as a theatre company that needed a home, and that the specific space at 347 Alexander St. came together after he and others were looking at a different location and stopped for coffee at Pallett Coffee next door. He said the neighbouring space appeared to be moving out, and that they later worked out the leasing arrangement.
The first production at Counterlight will be An Early History of Fire, with Skinner set to both star in and direct the play in his debut. Skinner said he read over 100 scripts to find what he described as a story about “a young man stepping outside his inherited or prescribed life in a small town, from a low-income family, and realizing he has bigger dreams.”
Skinner described the production as feeling “somewhere between Good Will Hunting and Death of a Salesman,” and said the audience will be kept close to the action, with performers sometimes only a couple of feet away.
An Early History of Fire runs from Nov. 18 to 29 at Counterlight, 347 Alexander St. Tickets are $35, with shows at 7:30 p.m. and weekend matinees at 2 p.m.
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