Years of building creative partnerships has made
Know Theatre an important part of Cincinnati's contemporary arts scene.
Founded in 1997, Know opened its own theatre space on Jackson Street in Over-the-Rhine after seven years operating out of a church basement on Sycamore Street. In recent years, the theatre company has collaborated with Exhale Dance Tribe and Concert Nova, among others, and led the
Cincinnati Fringe Festival, which utilizes spaces throughout Over-the-Rhine. But as the Theatre and its partnerships grew, so have its needs so now Know and its partners are taking advantage of Over-the-Rhine's historic building stock.
"We've always helped each other out," says Eric Vosmeier, Know's producing artistic director. "What I'm looking to do is formalize that process."
Know has signed a lease for a new rehearsal space inside the historic Germania Building, owned by Kelly Dragoo and Kelly Murphy of
Eden Floral Boutique. In addition, the fourth floor will also be used to provide affordable office space to artists and small arts organizations. The programs are a part of
Jackson Street Market, launched in August by Know with a mission of investing in the local community of artists in new and innovative ways. Current tenants include mural and street artists,
Higher Level Art, and the Requiem Project, a non-profit organization that is
restoring and programming the historic Emery Theatre across the street.
Requiem plans to use the Germania building space for one year, when the Emery could have a certificate of occupancy. Project founders Tina Manchise and Tara Gordon say Vosmeier has been supportive of Requiem since it began in 2008. They say creative collaborations are part of the Requiem's core mission as well.
"When you start to collaborate in ways that don't currently exist, you tend to draw (new) people to the area and stimulate new audiences," Manchise says.
Vosmeier says the costs for tenants of the Jackson Street Market are minimal.
"The plan is that we will essentially invoice them at the end of the month for their cost of the utility bills for the square footage of the space that they are using," he says.
Know's next efforts include renting two additional spaces at Germania and launching a resource-sharing website, or "a library of everything we own that people can check in and check out," Vosmeier says. It's also moving its scenic shop and storage to a new space on Spring Grove Avenue in partnership with
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.
Know Theatre previously kept its scene shop in a building owned by the
Art Academy, but the Academy's plans to move their ironworks facility in Pendleton closer to their Over-the-Rhine campus had Know seeking new space. Vosmeier reached out to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company artistic director Brian Issac Phillips who proposed the shared space.
"There are some tools and toys they have that we don't and vice versa," Phillips says, "and our openings fall far enough away from each other that we can do that without hurting one another." It is another example of how strong theatre companies in Cincinnati can be when they work together."
Writer: Rich Shivener
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