The Culture Project Will Move to 55 Mercer Street in January

The Culture Project, a not-for-profit theater company known for its commitment to political plays, is leaving its home at 45 Bleecker Street and will move to 55 Mercer Street, home of the Manhattan Ensemble Theater, in January, according to a company spokesman.

The Culture Project had recently signed a seven-year-lease at 45 Bleecker, which houses a 199-seat theater on the ground floor as well as a 99-seat basement theater, at a cost of $50,000 per month. The rent was likely to rise much further in subsquent years.

Meanwhile, Dave Fishelson, MET’s founder and artistic direcor, had been renting out the space at 55 Mercer — which seats 140 — for the past three years while producing some of the company’s big hits, including Golda’s Balcony and Nine Parts of Desire, outside of New York CIty. Because of these projects, Fishelson has been seeking someone to take over the $16,000-per-month lease at 55 Mercer for the past 18 months. The Culture Project is buying MET’s lighting and sound equipment as part of the deal.

Over the past decade, The Culture Project has presented such theater pieces as The Exonerated and Bridge & Tunnel. It is currently offering two shows: Speak Truth to Power, based on the book by Kerry Kennedy, and Iris Bahr’s multi-character solo show Dai (enough). A schedule of productions at the new space is still being worked out.