Adam Kelly on Montreal, Canada's Theatre 314
Actor and Playwright’s Quest for Anglo Independent Theatre
Last May, during a defining moment of clarity while trying to live out The actor/playwright’s dream in the chaos of New York, Adam Kelly realized he had to have more space. His exorbitant slanty-floored cell in the Big Apple wasn’t cutting it. Now back in Montreal, he’s very comfortable in Theatre 314, a 2,000 square-foot performance space that he calls home.
Theatre 314 is open for rentals – preferably “revolution based” – so the space fits the mindset for Kelly's new play, Alan's Search for The Best Girl in Montreal. For those about to enter indie theatre, it might be wise to follow Kelly's wry cue.
Adam's Continuing Search – From Montreal to New York to Theatre 314
How long have you been at Theatre 314?
Adam Kelly: “I moved in here last May when I moved back from New York. At that point, the space was being used for performance, but it was missing certain things that I helped the theatre acquire – things like chairs. It’s a 2,000 square-foot space – like a double loft, which, by Montreal standards, is pretty huge.
"It’s residential but the actual living area, which we use for performance, is a hardwood floor – white walls, black box type theatre space, provided that you get the stuff that you need, and that’s what happened since I moved in. I helped the space get 80 seats. We got risers and then everything started coming together after that.
"I run the theatre with two other guys, and really, they ran it before I got here, but I got them enough stuff to merit being a part of it. We got curtains, lights, and converted one of the rooms back stage into a greenroom and it is actually painted green – convenient, but not intentional. Now the theatre is fully operational. We have had a number of shows here and Theatre 314 is really starting to pick up steam. There’s not that many independent Anglophone theatres in Montreal."
What was New York like? Did the move help you?
Adam Kelly: “In New York, I was living in a tiny little sh*thole in the East Village and paying $1,200 a month for my room. While I was there, I started thinking about what are my possibilities, what do I want to do?
“The acting and writing was a given. But there had to be some way of making income, and I always thought that it would be cool if I had my own space, where I could do my own stuff. When I was living in New York on a slanty-floored bedroom with a crazy Puerto Rican roommate, with tons of noise and chaos all the time, the craving for a bigger space was born. It was actually on the bus coming back from New York, I decided to move back to Montreal. I wanted to find a loft space, and I did not care how much I had to pay for it, because nothing could be as expensive as NYC was.
“When you decide to reshape your financial parameters, doing that, changes things a lot too. I encourage people to do that wherever they can. If you can expand things a little bit, you can start getting into the bigger picture of things. Getting into this space, I specifically waited until I found something I was going to be able to live with and deal with. It just happened I was looking for the right thing at the right time. I saw an ad on Craigslist and that’s how I found this place."
Craigslist, seriously?
Adam Kelly: “Craigslist. The ad said 'Performance residential space looking for someone who’s going to have creative input into what goes on in the space.’
"I thought, are you effing kidding me? I applied and oddly enough, I have moved in here and since I have moved in, the girl who placed the ad moved out. She’s gone back to school and now the space is taking on a completely other life. She said 'I am glad you came in for it, but I can’t stay.' Now I am living in her room, and I just found out that both of the guys that I run the theatre with are moving out. It’s a bit of a crazy time.”
Maybe Adam will place an ad for more actors on Craigslist….
Part Five – Adam Kelly’s Acting for Beginners and the Future of Montreal’s Anglo Indie Theatre Scene.
Adam Kelly in NYC
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Visual & Performing Arts
Latest Articles