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Purple Cat Productions moves into downtown theater space
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
The downtown theater space once occupied by the Oakland Center for the Arts is no longer vacant. Purple Cat Productions moved into the theater on the third floor of the Morley Building this month after reaching an agreement with Ballet Western Reserve, which owns the building and is on the first floor.
The 120-seat theater at 220 W. Boardman St. had been vacant for months after the financially struggling Oakland was forced to leave. The Oakland’s rental agreement for the space was canceled in March after it became unable to make the payments.
Purple Cat Productions, which has 45 clients, had been located at the Youngstown Playhouse.
A division of Purple Cat/Iron and String Life Enhancement, an alternative day-program for adults with special needs, Purple Cat Productions has about 30 clients. It moved into the Morley Building this month, where it will produce theatrical shows and music concerts, beginning with “Snow White” in the summer of 2016, said James Sutman, owner and executive director of Purple Cat.
Amy Rigby is the supervisor of Purple Cat Productions.
“We are very excited to have them in our Morley building, and we look forward to doing some collaborations with them,” said Sabrina Shapiro, president of the BWR board of trustees. “They are planning to use the space for art and performance, and we have already discussed some tentative ideas on how we can work together.”
Purple Cat Productions had been at the Playhouse for just one year. Before that, it was located at Southwoods in Boardman, since its inception in 2013.
Both Sutman and Bernie Appugliese, operations manager of the Playhouse, said Purple Cat and the Playhouse parted company on good terms.
“We knew going into this that it would probably be temporary, as both of our organizations are growing by leaps and bounds,” said Appugliese. The Playhouse offered its space to Purple Cat Productions at no fee. “Our time together made both organizations better in the long run,” said Appugliese, who noted that the Playhouse has added one Purple Cat Productions client, Tim Johnson, to its staff.
Sutman said the Playhouse is a busy place, and his clients – some of whom have very precise handicapped-accessibility needs and emotional issues – do best in their own space.
Other reasons for the move is the convenience and practicality of having its clients within walking distance of other Purple Cat facilities downtown, and the need for more space.
“We are also growing,” said Sutman. “We were soon going to outgrow our alloted space at the Playhouse.” Purple Cat Productions is improving its new digs in the Morley Building. It has painted the rooms and plans to install lighting and improve the sound equipment.
Meanwhile, the future of the Oakland remains in limbo. When the theater company left the Morley Building earlier this year, it canceled the remainder of the 2014-15 and all of the 2015-16 season.