There are venues, but they tend to be booked most of the time.
The folks at MASHUP Rock ‘n’ Roll Musicals want to fill a gap with a new space at the Cherryland Center that could soon be available to all.
“It's really challenging when you're a theater company who's looking to be able to put up a set, rehearse in the space and run more than one weekend,” said Lesley Tye, director and co-founder of MASHUP.
Before Tye signed the lease in October, MASHUP had to find creative ways to rehearse. Their last show was "The Sound of mUZIc," a feminist take on the classic tale, set during a zombie apocalypse.
They rehearsed at a local gym, which Tye said was a huge help, but it’s not the same as a theater venue.
“We basically got a couple of rehearsals one week, just in the space, not necessarily consecutively," Tye said. "So we had Sunday, Monday, Wednesday. The next week we got a Sunday tech day where we set everything up. We got to leave it up for Monday and do a dress rehearsal, and then we had to leave the space until we set up on Friday to open the show. It's just really challenging. We don't have the hours and the things to do that.”
For a while, MASHUP used the former InsideOut Gallery in Traverse City’s warehouse district before it closed for good following its owner's retirement in 2016. It was a home for a lot of community groups.
Tye wants MASHUP’s new home at the Cherryland Center to be a space for the arts community.
A shared problem
Other smaller groups also struggle to afford or find space to rehearse or perform. Groups like the Stone Fruit Collective, run by Steve Clark, a local songwriter and theater producer in Traverse City.
Clark's group tells stories through music.
“We rehearse in the clubhouse of my apartment complex, which is not ideal, Clark said. "It's not really set up for theater, but it's a room, and it's something we all have access to.”
He said they have an easy time finding a place to perform. But he is looking for a theater space to rehearse that's affordable.
"You want to keep your overhead as low as possible," Clark said. "So if you're spending thousands of dollars just to rent a room to rehearse in, there's hardly a chance you’ll make that back in ticket sales, if you want to keep ticket sales affordable and accessible.”
Sarah Bielman knows this story well. Bielman was the casting director for Parallel 45. It was a local theater group that shut down in 2023.
Recovering from financial hardships caused by COVID-19 was too difficult to overcome. Parallel 45 also struggled to find venue space especially in the winter months. In the summer, it relied on outdoor shows.
“I think there's a lot of artists in the area that have ideas and have momentum and want to put things on, but there's no space," Bielman said.
Bielman said efforts like MASHUP’s new space could be the future for helping the arts thrive in northern Michigan.
“People want to think and people want to be inspired, and people want to have options, she said. "I think people want more options.”
MASHUP director Lesley Tye said closures of Parallel 45 and the InsideOut gallery are what inspired her to seek out a space where this community can thrive.
“When we come together and support each other, and we find ways that our resources can support each other and help more art happen — that's where it's good," Tye said. "That is what we want to do. It's not just about us finding a home. It's about us establishing a space where a lot of other organizations can use it, and it can become a community asset.”
Tye wants to rent their space to groups as soon as possible. They have a current fundraising goal of $30,000 to officially open its doors. That includes building a stage, plumbing and fire suppression systems.
MASHUP's upcoming show "Madonnativity" is a mash-up of the Biblical nativity story using music from pop legend Madonna.
