Third in our series of interviews with Seattle's artistic directors is Allison Narver of the Empty Space.

Somebody else came up with this analogy, but if you were to imagine that all the theaters in Seattle lived under one roof, say the Rep was the dining room and ACT was the living room, then Empty Space would be the kitchen. It's the place where we cook up new stuff. Growing up, my mother's kitchen was the place where all the best stuff happened.

More practically, Empty Space is the bridge between the smaller theaters in town and the large professional ones. We are a theater in which emerging artists can work with more mature artists and develop their craft together--that's how you bring up a new generation. Ten years ago there were a number of fringe theaters that produced all year long, like Annex. We produced 15 shows a year and we never stopped, so you had a bunch of non-equity actors really developing their chops. I don't see those kinds of opportunities in Seattle anymore.

We're still doing a subscription package, but we'll be instituting year-round production with what we call Empty Space Projects. They will be smaller, developmental shows that will run for two weekends. And we're starting to work with the International Theatre Institute and New Dramatists in New York to develop new play programs with local writers and writers around the world who can come and be in residence at the Empty Space. What I'd eventually like to see at the Empty Space is a new play development center that operates all year long and perhaps even has some for-profit investment.

There's a part of me that would love to have a for-profit wing that could help support the nonprofit wing. The new play center, for example, could be funded in part by HBO. They put in half a million and what they get out is the right of first refusal on new projects.

One of the things that drives me crazy as a producer is that you've got these new projects whose backs are broken by their dependence on the box office. We're doing [Wallace Shawn's] The Designated Mourner next year. It's a script I've been in love with for years, but it's one of those plays that people stay away from because it won't "sell." Okay, it won't sell, so let's make sure we've got enough going on across the year so we can put our hearts, backs, and muscle into a gorgeous piece of writing like this and not have its little back broken at the fucking box office. A for-profit wing might help a lot. It's a bee I've had in my bonnet since I came to Seattle, but we've had to spend the last few years stabilizing financially first.

It's an exciting time here because we've retired our debt and are ending the year in the black. We're also going into our 35th season. Isn't that intense? Who knew? I grew up going to the Empty Space. It's a hardy weed--that's its strength.

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