Achieving Massive Business Growth Through Flexible Shared Theater and Event Spaces

Alexandra (00:00) The biggest benefits that we have had in using a shared space is just being able to... not only have a lot of flexibility to help our business grow, but to have such great collaboration with other businesses that are in the space. We've made some really awesome connections, and we have such a great support system in the business here, and it's been really great to be able to learn from other people, and have a sense of community that comes when you are a small business owner running a small business. Hi, my name is Alexandra Rovirosa and I am the founder and creative director of A Place For Us Productions. We're a theater company based out of Kansas City, and we are currently located at The CO-OP at Shoal Creek in Pleasant Valley, Missouri. We've been utilizing The CO-OP at Shoal Creek since this past March. We had our first team production there in April, and we are about to open our fall musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, tomorrow. We've been here for a little while now and we are really enjoying the collaboration between the two of us. The flexibility that we have in working with The CO-OP is the ability to be able to grow. In other spaces that we've been before it's been a little more difficult. And having that ability to be flexible, to be able to expand and... having the space to be able to expand as has been super, super helpful for us. We have experienced a massive amount of growth already in just a couple of months that we've been here. So for our productions, we tend to use two spaces the most. We use the auditorium for most of our big productions, and we like to use the alcove space for our fundraisers and general events like that. only do we have several musicals and teen and children's productions, but we also host murder mystery dinners and showcases. those spaces have been absolutely invaluable to create a high-quality production that is kind of one of the core values of our company. Working at The CO-OP has been different than a lot of other places in that we have had the flexibility to be able to use the space for all areas from the beginning of the production to the actual show. And a lot of other spaces - when you're a theater community, a lot of times you're kind of all over the place. You might be in this event for a rehearsal space, and then in this event for a show and this event for someone else. just been so nice to have everything all under one roof and to be able to just really focus on creating a quality show by being able to use The CO-OP. The core feature, honestly, that will keep us coming back to The CO-OP versus other venues is just the amazing support that we've had this whole time. It's been so awesome to see a group that is not only welcoming and supportive, but just is so excited about us being there and being a part of it, and we really just feel like it's a really strong community here - people who are backing each other up and doing whatever they can to help support. And that has been such a massive thing for us because that is not always the case when you work in shared spaces. I have definitely made some very valuable connections while being here. There's so many elements that go into making a show, and you can't do it all. It's the one thing with theater is it is very much about collaborative effort. And we have made some really, really valuable connections here that have helped our shows be even better than they are. And I know that is going to continue in the future, and as we settle into the Pleasant Valley Liberty community, The only hesitations that I had working in a church space was juggling the relationship between the business and the church. I have worked in church spaces before and sometimes that is an issue, and they have been so supportive and excited about what we're doing, and that has been just amazing. It's different than anything else that I've worked with in the city. It's just been really exciting. They are ready to help with whatever we need, and it's been awesome. And it's very different than most experiences And this is really something very unique... and I'm very, very thankful for it.