by Bret Fetzer
The morning before the opening of A Theater Under the Influence's production of Blasted, by British playwright Sarah Kane, fire marshals arrived and gave the two performance spaces at the Union Garage a routine fire inspection. A year and a half earlier, the venue had passed inspection with a few minor violations that were promptly addressed. This time, the inspectors objected to part of the set--some bales of shredded paper--and curtains obscuring the rear exit.
The bales were removed, the curtains pulled back, and the fire marshals departed---only to return a few hours before the performance was to begin, ready to shut the venue down because the building was not certified for its current occupancy. Influence's co-artistic director James Venturini restricted the seating to 49 seats in each space and pleaded with the marshals to let the show happen; they agreed.
The following week, Brad Cook (associate artistic director of Theatre Babylon, the UG's other resident theater) went to the Department of Planning and Development and asked a compliance officer for an inspection to speed the process along. After Blasted's second weekend, the officer looked at the Union Garage, laid out a list of requirements--sprinklers to be installed throughout the building, panic hardware put on all doors, a fire corridor created for the back performance space, and more alterations that would run to tens of thousands of dollars--and shut the back space down, suspending Blasted's run.
Fire safety can't be ignored, but this turn of events threatens to close one of the liveliest venues on the fringe scene. Since the Union Garage opened in 1995, Influence and Babylon have produced over 80 shows there, as well as renting space for eight fringe festivals, three Mae West Fests, and productions by dozens of nomadic theater companies. While both performance spaces are rough and ramshackle, they have reasonably comfortable seats, excellent sightlines, and an ineffable good vibe--due in part to Influence's and Babylon's commitment to keeping the rental rates affordable. Furthermore, the cohabitation model has proven extremely viable; even before the second space opened in 2000, sharing the burden of overhead kept both theaters alive. Rental income improved their financial health. At the end of 2003, the Union Garage found itself $1,000 in the black and spent a chunk of that to remodel the front lobby.
Fortunately, the space is not yet doomed. ARC Architects has offered pro bono consulting to develop contingency plans, while the Cultural Development Authority of King County is weighing the possibility of emergency funds. The compliance officer has set some manageable requirements that must be fulfilled before Babylon can open its next show, Gregory Hischak's The Center of Gravity, in the front space. Blasted, after missing a weekend of performances, will reopen at Intiman Theatre (which is between seasons) for two more weekends, starting Thursday, March 11. The reinspection of the Union Garage will happen on March 26--which is, coincidentally, the opening night for The Center of Gravity.
