Kitchen Dog Theater is pinning down its future and a 10,000-square-foot warehouse in the Design District. With the help of a large donation, Kitchen Dog signed a contract for the space at 4774 Algiers St. in May and hopes to begin renovations soon.
The company has been bouncing from theater to theater since its long-term rental, the McKinney Avenue Contemporary, was sold in July 2015.
“The first year that we were out of the MAC, that was actually our 25th anniversary,”says Tina Parker, KDT’s co-artistic director and administrative director. “Chris [Carlos, KDT’s co-artistic director] and I had already talked about how we wanted that season to really focus on the company…So, we were already looking at a season that had smaller casts.”
After moving out of the MAC, Kitchen Dog had stints at the Green Zone and Undermain Theatre, before moving to the Trinity River Arts Center, where it resides for its current season. It didn’t take long for Kitchen Dog to realize renting was not a permanent solution.
“It was clear that this was a make or break moment for the company,” says Tim Johnson, KDT’s managing director. “There was no way that another rental would be sustainable…We would’ve only been able to stay open for about 10 years.”
To build a future with longevity, Kitchen Dog started an ambitious fundraising campaign. Months of house-hunting and a $500,000 anonymous donation later, the company found itself the proud owner of a diamond in the rough. With a good location, a doable price tag, and blank-slate appeal, the warehouse was a perfect starting point for Kitchen Dog’s very own theater. The company hopes to complete renovations on the space in time for a fall 2018 move-in, but Parker is leaving the risk-taking attitude on stage.
“Our goal is to raise 75 percent of renovation costs before we start renovations of the property. We’re fiscally conservative, artistically liberal,” Parker says.
The company will divide the warehouse into a larger main stage and a cabaret-style rehearsal hall which will also house smaller productions. There will be room to grow, but not too much.
“We’re hoping to grow the house size modestly,” Johnson says. “We think intimacy is part of our brand, so we don’t want a stage that’s too large, but the hope is to grow into a space that’s somewhere between 140-150 seats.”
Johnson and Parker know that this is a big step for KDT. Owning a theater will allow the company creative liberty for years to come.
“Kitchen Dog is known in the community for doing a lot of new work,” Parker says. “We take risks…in order to do that kind of risk-taking, you do need a secure place to do it. Sometimes things aren’t a huge financial success, but you never want to be tethered to what’s going to make a lot of money as an artist. That’s the kind of work we do, and we don’t want to compromise the mission because we have to pay the rent or whatever.”
Johnson says the last couple years have encouraged Kitchen Dog to push boundaries and continue to tackle controversial subjects.
“We always viewed that as a deficit, and as we’ve gone through this process and really trying to get clear on what our role is and what gives us value, what’s become clear is that those things are assets for us. And it’s really shifted our mindset, and we’re really clear now about the role we play within the artistic ecosystem,” Johnson says.
While the future home is in the works, Kitchen Dog is shacking up at the Trinity River Arts Center, where the first show of its 26th season just closed. Johnson says it’s been a challenge to keep all the theater’s patrons throughout the moves.
“We were always associated with being the MAC. I think that modern patrons didn’t differentiate between the MAC and Kitchen Dog,” Johnson says. “So now the building is gone — I still run into people who say ‘I thought you had closed.’”
Despite these challenges, there’s only optimism at Kitchen Dog Theater.
“I think we have an opportunity [to grow] here at this current location. I mean, it’s a huge community right there that we’re trying to tap into,” Johnson says. says Johnson.
Feathers and Teeth opens November 18. The dark comedy centers around a 13 year-old girl whose biggest fears come to life when a mysterious woman moves into her family’s home.
Continuing its mission of providing smart, provocative theater has helped Kitchen Dog throughout the move. While it lost its old home, Parker says the company held tight to its identity.
“When we moved out of the MAC we had a huge garage sale. I joked we were like Willie Nelson, we had to sell our memories…we had a lot of stuff, old props, costumes, stuff like that. It felt almost like we were shedding our skin in a way,” Parker says. “I feel like we’ve been reenergized, reborn in a way. Leaner and meaner.”
The company has been bouncing from theater to theater since its long-term rental, the McKinney Avenue Contemporary, was sold in July 2015.
“The first year that we were out of the MAC, that was actually our 25th anniversary,”says Tina Parker, KDT’s co-artistic director and administrative director. “Chris [Carlos, KDT’s co-artistic director] and I had already talked about how we wanted that season to really focus on the company…So, we were already looking at a season that had smaller casts.”
After moving out of the MAC, Kitchen Dog had stints at the Green Zone and Undermain Theatre, before moving to the Trinity River Arts Center, where it resides for its current season. It didn’t take long for Kitchen Dog to realize renting was not a permanent solution.
“It was clear that this was a make or break moment for the company,” says Tim Johnson, KDT’s managing director. “There was no way that another rental would be sustainable…We would’ve only been able to stay open for about 10 years.”
To build a future with longevity, Kitchen Dog started an ambitious fundraising campaign. Months of house-hunting and a $500,000 anonymous donation later, the company found itself the proud owner of a diamond in the rough. With a good location, a doable price tag, and blank-slate appeal, the warehouse was a perfect starting point for Kitchen Dog’s very own theater. The company hopes to complete renovations on the space in time for a fall 2018 move-in, but Parker is leaving the risk-taking attitude on stage.
“Our goal is to raise 75 percent of renovation costs before we start renovations of the property. We’re fiscally conservative, artistically liberal,” Parker says.
The company will divide the warehouse into a larger main stage and a cabaret-style rehearsal hall which will also house smaller productions. There will be room to grow, but not too much.
“In order to do that kind of risk-taking, you do need a secure place to do it.
“We’re hoping to grow the house size modestly,” Johnson says. “We think intimacy is part of our brand, so we don’t want a stage that’s too large, but the hope is to grow into a space that’s somewhere between 140-150 seats.”
Johnson and Parker know that this is a big step for KDT. Owning a theater will allow the company creative liberty for years to come.
“Kitchen Dog is known in the community for doing a lot of new work,” Parker says. “We take risks…in order to do that kind of risk-taking, you do need a secure place to do it. Sometimes things aren’t a huge financial success, but you never want to be tethered to what’s going to make a lot of money as an artist. That’s the kind of work we do, and we don’t want to compromise the mission because we have to pay the rent or whatever.”
Johnson says the last couple years have encouraged Kitchen Dog to push boundaries and continue to tackle controversial subjects.
“We always viewed that as a deficit, and as we’ve gone through this process and really trying to get clear on what our role is and what gives us value, what’s become clear is that those things are assets for us. And it’s really shifted our mindset, and we’re really clear now about the role we play within the artistic ecosystem,” Johnson says.
While the future home is in the works, Kitchen Dog is shacking up at the Trinity River Arts Center, where the first show of its 26th season just closed. Johnson says it’s been a challenge to keep all the theater’s patrons throughout the moves.
“We were always associated with being the MAC. I think that modern patrons didn’t differentiate between the MAC and Kitchen Dog,” Johnson says. “So now the building is gone — I still run into people who say ‘I thought you had closed.’”
Despite these challenges, there’s only optimism at Kitchen Dog Theater.
“I think we have an opportunity [to grow] here at this current location. I mean, it’s a huge community right there that we’re trying to tap into,” Johnson says. says Johnson.
Feathers and Teeth opens November 18. The dark comedy centers around a 13 year-old girl whose biggest fears come to life when a mysterious woman moves into her family’s home.
Continuing its mission of providing smart, provocative theater has helped Kitchen Dog throughout the move. While it lost its old home, Parker says the company held tight to its identity.
“When we moved out of the MAC we had a huge garage sale. I joked we were like Willie Nelson, we had to sell our memories…we had a lot of stuff, old props, costumes, stuff like that. It felt almost like we were shedding our skin in a way,” Parker says. “I feel like we’ve been reenergized, reborn in a way. Leaner and meaner.”
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