Interview: Lisa Scheps of Ground Floor Theatre

In what is planned to be a series of articles about Austin theatre companies, we start by talking with Lisa Scheps who in January of this year opened a brand new theatre space in Austin. Although they did have a first performance in December of 2014, Ground Floor Theatre did not officially open until January.

Lisa, in partnership with Patti Neff-Tiven, created Ground Floor Theatre with a simple goal: to provide a space usable for theatre that serves the underserved.

We asked the following questions of Lisa.

Q: How long has Ground Floor Theatre been in operation?

A: We officially opened in January of this year.

Q: Is this your first theatre company in Austin?

A: No. In 2004, I opened play! Theatre Group, which was around for about three years.

Q: Lisa, what are your goals for Ground Floor Theatre?

A: Huge, lofty & more... But, seriously, we eventually hope to offer space at drastically reduced rates to companies that share our mission.

Q: And what is that mission?

A: Ground Floor Theatre fosters an environment for creative thinkers and artists to produce new works by and for under-represented communities lifting voices that need to be heard to people who need to hear them. Ground Floor Theatre provides a performance space for companies that share our vision and serves as a creative home for the Austin Performance Community for collaboration and artistic development.

Q: And what about your personal mission?

A: I want to change the culture of theatre in the city of Austin. Theatre artists can't make a living here in Austin and this community has the ability to change that. In other cities, when performers are not in a show, they are taking classes to hone their craft. In Austin, they can't afford to do that. I want to see a theatre community in Austin where the rising tide sails all boats, not just a few.

Q: How do you see that change happening?

A: We need to grow the kind of audience that goes to see theatre. By that, I mean all theatre, not just the work of a few companies. The really interesting stuff is happening in the smaller venues that are doing original work or taking old work and making it groundbreaking.

Q: Where do you see Ground Floor Theatre in five or ten years?

A: Ten years from now, I would like to see us doing groundbreaking original work. I would like us to be shining a light on underserved groups and getting national recognition.

Q: Right now, Ground Floor Theatre is not a producing entity, correct?

A: Yes. When we began, we decided that 2015 would be all about the venue.

Q: I understand that you will be getting into producing right at the end of 2015.

A: That's right. We did do a co-production with TILT Performance group earlier. TILT Performance is a group that works with differently-abled actors. We had 100's of submissions for that first project. Our 2nd production will also be our first solo production. We're doing a concert production of the musical PARADE, with a 7 piece orchestra and about 22 performers.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to tell the readers of Broadway World Austin?

A: When all is said and done, we have our mission and we have a great space to offer people. I am so excited about the possibility of changing the culture of theatre in Austin. At the same time, I'm saddened by the loss of other spaces that I think can be a death knoll for Austin theatre. None of us are in competition with anyone else in the big picture.

Ground Floor Theatre is located at 979 Springdale Rd, Austin, TX 78702. Their box office phone is (512) 926-2203. For more information, visit their website at www.groundfloortheatre.org.

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