Most things don't look like they do in the movies. Case in point: auditioning for a Broadway show. There's no big, empty theatre waiting for you to stride on stage and fill the house with your megawatt performance. Real estate is too rare — and too expensive — for such purposes. Odds are that if you're going to secure your big break, it's going to happen in a decidedly smaller space. Enter the rehearsal room. Whether used for rehearsals, auditions, classes, readings, or even performances, this is where most working performers spend their waking hours. This being New York, there are many options from which to choose. Some relate to the basics: Do you need a piano? A ballet barre? Sprung floors? Others relate to creature comforts: Do you want a sitting room? Wireless Internet? Access to a fridge? And, of course, size and price might be important too. Our tour of Manhattan studio spaces is organized by the three guiding principles of real estate: location, location, location.
Doing It Downtown
Below 14th Street there usually aren't huge studio complexes. However, one exception is 440 Studios (www.440studios.com), which is at 440 Lafayette St., just south of Astor Place. Owned by Off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons, it's currently in the midst of a renovation, which is expected to be completed this December. A prior expansion enlarged 440 to eight studios; that number will soon be increased to 14 — not counting its two performance venues. Located directly across the street from the Public Theater (425 Lafayette St.), 440, despite occupying prime real estate, manages to maintain affordable prices. The high ceilings are a nice touch too. St. Marks Place is just around the corner, so on a break you can get Chipotle, Pinkberry, or nipple piercing.
Dick Shea Studios (www.justsalsa.com/newyork/dance/school/dickshea), with locations at 69 West 14th St. and 104 West 14th St., has three large studios combined, all at super-affordable prices. All are set up for dancing but not singing, and none currently have a piano. Dick Shea also lacks its own website, so you've got to do some of the legwork in investigating. The great deal and location make it worthwhile, though. Call (212) 229-1631 for more information.
The Epiphany Theater Company (www.epiphanytheater.org/newyork) at 154 Christopher St. has two rental-ready studios and is typical of the downtown offerings. There's not much noise from neighbors outside the studio, but if someone's rehearsing next to you, you're going to hear it. The venue is also not the most accessible, housed deep in the West Village in a massive building known as the Archive. It is, however, a very affordable space with a comfortable waiting area. And if you need space but you're dirt broke, they're even open to barter — your personal services to the company can earn you temporary real estate.
Not far away is the Brecht Forum (www.brechtforum.org) at 451 West St. This unique space is as far west as you can be and not get wet — West Street is essentially a euphemism for the West Side Highway. And despite the name, this is neither a theatre company nor a typical rehearsal space. But Brecht Forum's large central room — malleable, despite artful obstructions — is a great place for readings and site-specific performances, not to mention rentals for large-cast events.
Choosing Chelsea
Chelsea may not be as mass-transit accessible as Midtown, but you do save a few minutes by avoiding the tourist stampede.
Chelsea Studios at TheatreWorks USA (www.theatreworksusa.org/chelsea.cfm) at 151 West 26th St. is definitely the area's largest studio, renting 20 spaces, including four offices for meetings or for coordinating auditions or rehearsals in another space. Rates for short-term usage aren't a bargain, but there are price breaks for nonprofits and long-term rentals. The expense can also be offset by the spacious rooms, free WiFi, and the comfortable lounge. The Blue Dog Café at 101 West 25th St. is a great spot to grab a sandwich and coffee on the way.
Collaborative Arts Project 21 — known as CAP 21 (www.cap21.org) and located at 18 West 18th St., offers 10 studios with a full array of sizes and configurations. You don't need to be affiliated with the training program at CAP 21 to rent, but it does engage the spaces during the week, so studios are only available weekdays after 6:30 p.m. or on weekends. Be advised that there are columns obstructing the view in several of the larger rooms. Then again, if you're working toward a performance in a venue that's similarly column-heavy, this might be a blessing.
The Atlantic Acting School (www.atlanticactingschool.org), affiliated with Off-Broadway's Atlantic Theatre Company, is found at 76 Ninth Ave., between West 15th and 16th streets, and rents out its space when not in use by the school or the company. Its eight studios are something of an open secret in the industry: The environment is clean, comfortable, and usually quiet. Rooms are spacious, and rates are heavily discounted for nonprofits and Atlantic alumni. The Chelsea Market, a culinary experience for every palate, is right across the street at 75 Ninth Ave.
The Mass of Midtown
There are certain advantages to rehearsing at the epicenter of the world's media capital. For one, transportation is convenient for those coming from outside Manhattan. You're also likely to run into people you know (which can also be a disadvantage, depending on whom you know).
Midtown boasts a number of mega-studios: large venues with 10 or more rehearsal rooms and an array of amenities. The largest of them is Ripley-Grier Studios (www.ripleygrier.com), which actually operates three locations — two in Midtown and a third on West 72nd Street. The studios at 520 Eighth Ave., in Midtown between West 36th and 37th streets, are considered its flagship. In the decade since it opened, it has expanded to three floors, encompassing more than two-dozen rooms, and it even sports a very reasonably priced café, Butch's Oasis, named for co-owner Butch Grier. As might be expected with all those studios, sound can be a problem. If you're working on a quiet play, it's not unheard of to be drowned out by singing and dancing next door. Still, such extras as free WiFi are much appreciated, and the rental rates are competitive. Ripley-Grier's second Midtown spot, at 939 Eighth Ave., between West 55th and 56th streets, has just five studios, some idiosyncratically shaped. There's no café, but Bagel Stix (891 Eighth Ave. at West 53rd Street) is a good option.
The same bagel spot is also good if you're visiting Shetler Studios (www.shetlerstudios.com), which also has rehearsal spaces at 939 Eighth Ave., as well as around the corner at 244 West 54th St., between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. Many of Shetler's 20 studios are best suited to accommodating extremes in numbers — it's a great space for either small music rehearsals or large-cast events. Shetler also offers a 40- and a 60-seat theatre, plus an annex space that seats 75, all of which work well for readings or performances. It's not the cheapest space in the city, but it won't break the bank and has to rank among the leaders in aesthetic appeal.
Pearl Studios (www.pearlstudiosnyc.com), located at 500 Eighth Ave., between West 35th and 36th streets, is another mega-studio that offers some bang for your buck. There's nothing too fancy here, but there's a nice array of prices and sizes — and two of the 13 rooms have piano carpets, catering to music rehearsals. Free WiFi, too, is a nice perk. The location is just a couple of blocks from Penn Station, meaning transportation, fast food, and Starbucks are everywhere.
Champions Studios (www.championsstudios.moonfruit.com) at 257 West 39th St. may well be the value king among the mega-studios. It doesn't offer much in the way of décor or amenities, but boy the price is right. It should also be noted that while there are plenty of spaces that work well for straight plays, Champions is primarily known as a dance studio, and a variety of instructors offer lessons there. Champions also offers open dance classes four days a week, in case you've been meaning to brush up your bhangra.
Many studios are located in the same buildings. For example, not only are Shetler and Ripley-Grier in the same building at 939 Eighth Ave., but Shetler is in the same building as Nola Studios over on West 54th Street. Nola caters primarily to song and dance, with five large studios geared toward dance and four toward vocal rehearsals. Nola lacks a website, however, so to check out the goods you'll have to drop by. Or you can call it directly at (212) 582-1417. A meat-markety Gold's Gym is in the same building if you want to rev up before or cool down after.
Ripley-Grier shares 520 Eighth Ave. with a complex run by the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York. A.R.T./New York's Spaces at 520 (www.offbroadwayonline.com/page.php?key=spaces520) offers four spaces to rent, all funky-cool and very affordable. The large Bruce Mitchell Room is a gem and a wonderful spot for readings or performances. The catch — though it's not much of one — is that only nonprofit groups can book space here. Using space for auditions is also prohibited. It should be noted, too, that of the numerous performing arts organizations that maintain offices in the complex, some have private rehearsal studios that they may rent out when they're not in use.
The Producers Club (www.producersclubtheaters.com), further north and west at 358 West 44th St., is an oddity in that it has more theatres (four) than studios (two) to rent. The studios themselves are also on the odd side, with dungeonlike décor and some interesting extras. For example, one of them has a grid. You're not likely to perform there, but if you need a place to rehearse a lighting-intensive piece of experimental theatre, this might be it. The theatres, meanwhile, range from the tiny Sonnet thrust to the 99-seat Grand proscenium; all may be rented for readings, events, or multiple-performance runs. There's also a lounge, complete with a fully stocked bar, that may be engaged for cabaret performances or receptions.
In addition to producing shows on and off Broadway, Manhattan Theatre Club (www.mtc-nyc.org/studio_rental.asp) at 311 West 43rd St. is also in the space game. Called the Creative Center at MTC, its complex includes four large rehearsal rooms, all of which can be rented when MTC productions aren't rehearsing in them. Prices are appropriate for the size, and the high ceilings and relative quiet are nice perks.
There's a similar deal over at Theatre Row (www.theatrerow.org/studios.htm) at 410 West 42nd St., where its six theatres are augmented by six studios. Luxury isn't the thing here. There are no top-shelf amenities, and as the studios are located on the lower levels, they have a decidedly basement feel. Still, rates are decent and the location, which is across the street from the venerable Ollie's Sichuan Restaurant at 411 West 42nd St., is surprisingly quiet. Adjacent to Theatre Row is the Theatre Row Diner, 424 West 42nd St.
Using the Upper West Side
In the land of Zabar's there aren't many theatres — but there are some rehearsal spaces for those Upper West Siders who don't like to venture far from home.
With 10 studios, the largest group of rehearsal spaces is called Steps on Broadway (www.stepsnyc.com) but is known in the biz as Steps. Located at 2121 Broadway, between West 74th and 75th streets, this dance studio puts the kibosh on competition by prohibiting rentals for classes. It also tries to control foot traffic by charging a premium for auditions. But for dance or large-cast play rehearsals, it's hard to beat the combination of reasonable prices and spacious, well-kept facilities. Note, however, that Steps' studios don't feature pianos. The Steps Studio Theater (available Saturday and Sunday nights) is also a remarkable bargain, whether for rehearsal or nonprofit performances.
And while Ripley-Grier's location in this part of town, at 131 West 72nd St., isn't as large or luxurious as its downtown digs, it still sports nine studios, a pair of waiting rooms, and free WiFi.
For those with an appreciation of architecture — and padding in the budget — there's Riverside Church (www.theriversidechurchny.org/about/?rentals), 490 Riverside Dr. at West 120th Street. Up in Morningside Heights, the gorgeous, sprawling site has a host of spaces suitable for events and even a theatre that's configurable for up to 250 seats. Conventional rehearsal spaces don't exist, however, and there are no rooms with ballet barres, mirrors, or pianos. But the church does have a number of vaultlike rooms that are often available.
Additional Resources
The following theatre companies rent out rehearsal space, which usually consists of a theatre and a rehearsal room, when not in use:
Peoples Improv Theater
154 W. 29th St., 2nd fl.
(212) 563-7488
WorkShop Theater Company
312 W. 36th St.
(212) 695-4173
The Space
300 W. 43rd St.
(212) 594-0140
Urban Stages
259 W. 30th St.
(212) 421-1380
Where Eagles Dare
347 W. 36th St.
(646) 207-2926
www.johncpresents.com/WED/copy/theatre.htm
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