An artistic director on the search for a unique and affordable venue in Los Angeles.

I’ve written before about the ways that small LA theater companies face daunting financial hurdles that are being overcome by greater cooperation and asset sharing.  I’m very happy to spread the word about another such opportunity.  The first step of production is often to seek out a venue.  The calculus and footwork involved can be daunting, and with the huge number of venues in the city and the somehow also huge rents to pay (and competition for the 5% of venues that are actually worth the money) a show can often get off on the wrong foot just because of a lack of information and time in securing a space.

Introducing:

From the release:

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission and LA Stage Alliance have partnered with Fractured Atlas to create SpaceFinderLA, a free online resource for the creative community and general public. The site, the first online searchable database of creative spaces in L.A. County, has important benefits for you as an arts organization. It can.

1) help you find spaces for rehearsals, performances, workshops, auditions, film/photo/video shoots, meetings, parties, showcases, etc.

2) help you generate income if you have spaces to rent.

SpaceFinderLA includes:

• A fully searchable database with dozens of search options, sortable by discipline, size of venue, cost, physical features, equipment, location, floor type, and many other parameters.
• Venue profiles that include photos, custom descriptions, and other touches to give users the “feel” of a space.
• A mapping interface that shows the geographic distribution of search results and provides easy directions from one’s current location.