Counterlight Studio: a blank-canvas Railtown space opens with an intimate, immersive theatre production
The 5,500-square-foot space at 347 Alexander St. is built to be adapted for performances, shoots and creative work of almost any kind.
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Counterlight Studio opens this month at 347 Alexander St., in Railtown, as a 5,500-square-foot space its founder, Alex Skinner, calls "a blank canvas by design."
The space is split into a 2,000-square-foot flex room and a performance space with professional sound and lighting setups. There is a garage door a car can drive through. Skinner expects it to host theatre, music video shoots and photography.
Counterlight began as a theatre company that needed somewhere to perform, and Skinner decided to build the space itself. The location was found when Skinner and his team stopped for coffee at Pallett Coffee next door and saw the neighbouring unit appeared to be emptying. By the time they left, the doors were closed. They later tracked down who was leasing the space and made a deal.
The studio keeps costs low for users. Counterlight does not employ a crew, so producers can use their own staff or friends, and it does not own a lighting inventory; lighting can be rented at reasonable rates. "We try to keep our overhead costs low off the top," Skinner said. "If someone wants to do a one-man show, they don't need all the bells and whistles."
The first production in the room is an intimate, immersive theatre piece.
