Pink Umbrella Theater Company finally has a home of its own.
Launched in 2018 by Unity Award winner Katie Cummings to provide space to artists with a range of disabilities, the theater company has purchased a 3,600-square-foot building at 1104 W. Historic Mitchell St. for $385,000, a major of portion of which is being covered with financial support from the Susan and Cary Silverstein Family Foundation.
The space, which is expected to open after renovations with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in June, will be known as Pink’s Accessible Theater House, or PATH.
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“We’ve been looking for a space [all over the city] for about two years,” Shaqita Crockett, Pink Umbrella’s headmistress, says. “We were looking for space that, most importantly, is accessible and a space we could move into right away and be able to host our classes and put on our shows as soon as possible.”
The Mitchell Street location offers a fully accessible first floor and a central location with easy freeway access.
“There’s also something special about the charm of being on Historic Mitchell Street,” she adds.
Following renovations, the building will house two theaters – one on the main floor that will seat about 150 people and another in the basement with a capacity of about 30. The space currently houses The Mitch, a wedding, quinceanera, Bat Mitzvah and other events venue, which will remain in operation there until May. Before that, the building was home to Scout, a sprawling art gallery that later relocated to Bay View’s Hide House Creative Complex.
The building has an assessed value of $226,800, according the city assessor’s office records.
Since its founding, Pink Umbrella has primarily used community centers and churches for its classes and performances.
“One of the biggest pieces of feedback we kept getting from our community is the desire to have a home, a consistent place for them to come to,” Crockett says.
Pink’s Accessible Theater House will also be made available to other groups. “We know that there are other small arts organizations and groups out there who are having the same struggle we’ve had in finding a home,” Crockett says. “We want to be a hub for them as well.”
Cummings and Crockett formerly worked at First Stage. It was there that Cummings led First Stage Children’s Theater’s Next Steps Theater Academy, which provides specialized theater classes designed for neurodivergent youth, including those with autism or sensory sensitivities.
Cummings came to realize the need for adults with disabilities to have access to being in theater performances, which led her to create Pink Umbrella, a fully inclusive theater company that works alongside 70-plus actors, ages four through adult that conducts three plays per year while leading workshops for hundreds of area students.
“All of our actors and crew all identify with a disability, and all of our performances are chosen or written by people within the show” Crockett explains. “Our focus is to make sure they have all of the same opportunities as any other individuals within the theater community.”
Pink Umbrella’s most recent performance was Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in December, and the group’s first performance in its new home will likely be in September or October with a show called Out of the Box, which focuses on caregivers.
Donations are needed and being accepted to fund building renovations, which will include the installation of a wheelchair lift to allow access to the lower-level space. To contribute, head to Pink Umbrella’s website.
