THE SPIRAL THEATRE STUDIO MISSION / HISTORY
The Spiral Theatre Studio was a premier incubator theater for off-off-Broadway plays. Some of our productions focused on the stories of characters grappling with issues related to growing older in a culture at times disrespectful of aging.
We called it the Salt & Pepper Series which promoted greater awareness of issues about the grace and grit of "seasoned" citizens. Each of our five main-stage productions by established and emerging playwrights was performed on our innovative Spiral Stage that provided an emotional landscape for these poignant plays. We were proud to use environmentally conscious, green technology (recycled materials, LED lighting) for our showcase productions.
Paula J Riley, Founder and Artistic Director of The Spiral Theatre Studio offered an opportunity to help grow sustainable theatre in New York City. It was her intention to offer a unique concept which functioned as a link between form and content to produce a transcendent level of theatre.
The unique aspect of The Spiral Theatre Studio was the stage. The stage consisted of a hexagon divided into eight carpeted modular pieces that moved upon a fully carpeted floor. The modules moved within the context of the performance by the actors/characters. The hexagon is a form found quite readily in nature—such as crystals and snowflakes. Thus the stage enabled performances that was a synthesis of the free “organic” and the structured “geometric”.
The acoustically optimized gray carpeted floor and the modules created a unified “field” that forgoes the usual separation between audience, stage and actors. All of the productions on this environmental-friendly construct eliminated the use of sets. By not having set load-ins and load-outs, we functioned in a controlled environment that had a small carbon footprint.
The Spiral Stage was a welcomed change to the traditional black box space.
The stage, once called The Chamber Theatre and since named The Spiral Theatre Studio, was conceived and utilized by Russian born Iza Itkin for the purpose of training and performance during 1966–1972. Paula J RIley was a founding member of Iza's theatre and was trained on that stage. It was designed for Iza by the architect Martin Bloom. The reach of the stage then and now included teaching, workshops, performance, seminars, readings and musical events.
The Spiral Theatre Studio had a productive but short lived home at The Network on 36th street in NYC from October 2013 to August 2014 when the Network shut its doors. The Spiral Theatre Studio was obtained by the Thrown Stone Theatre Group in October 2017. They are looking for productions that will utilize the unique nature of the stage.
>Click here to see a history of Spiral Theatre Productions
We called it the Salt & Pepper Series which promoted greater awareness of issues about the grace and grit of "seasoned" citizens. Each of our five main-stage productions by established and emerging playwrights was performed on our innovative Spiral Stage that provided an emotional landscape for these poignant plays. We were proud to use environmentally conscious, green technology (recycled materials, LED lighting) for our showcase productions.
Paula J Riley, Founder and Artistic Director of The Spiral Theatre Studio offered an opportunity to help grow sustainable theatre in New York City. It was her intention to offer a unique concept which functioned as a link between form and content to produce a transcendent level of theatre.
The unique aspect of The Spiral Theatre Studio was the stage. The stage consisted of a hexagon divided into eight carpeted modular pieces that moved upon a fully carpeted floor. The modules moved within the context of the performance by the actors/characters. The hexagon is a form found quite readily in nature—such as crystals and snowflakes. Thus the stage enabled performances that was a synthesis of the free “organic” and the structured “geometric”.
The acoustically optimized gray carpeted floor and the modules created a unified “field” that forgoes the usual separation between audience, stage and actors. All of the productions on this environmental-friendly construct eliminated the use of sets. By not having set load-ins and load-outs, we functioned in a controlled environment that had a small carbon footprint.
The Spiral Stage was a welcomed change to the traditional black box space.
The stage, once called The Chamber Theatre and since named The Spiral Theatre Studio, was conceived and utilized by Russian born Iza Itkin for the purpose of training and performance during 1966–1972. Paula J RIley was a founding member of Iza's theatre and was trained on that stage. It was designed for Iza by the architect Martin Bloom. The reach of the stage then and now included teaching, workshops, performance, seminars, readings and musical events.
The Spiral Theatre Studio had a productive but short lived home at The Network on 36th street in NYC from October 2013 to August 2014 when the Network shut its doors. The Spiral Theatre Studio was obtained by the Thrown Stone Theatre Group in October 2017. They are looking for productions that will utilize the unique nature of the stage.
>Click here to see a history of Spiral Theatre Productions
This video was made in conjunction with an Indiegogo Fund-Raiser Campaign. At that time the stage and modules were very much "in-construction." However this video offers a good insight into the Spiral Theatre Studio's mission, direction and functionality of the modular stage.