Roulette Intermedium facts for kids
The Street view of Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn
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| Address | 509 Atlantic Avenue (at the corner of 3rd Avenue) Brooklyn, NY United States |
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| Owner | YWCA of Brooklyn |
| Type | Performing arts center |
| Capacity | 400 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1928 |
| Rebuilt | 2011 |
| Architect | Frederick Lee Ackerman and Alexander B. Trowbridge. Renovation by Warren Freyer |
Roulette Intermedium is a cool place in Brooklyn, New York City, where you can experience amazing live performances. It's a special spot for new music, experimental dance, and other creative shows. Roulette started in 1978 and has moved around a bit. It was first in Manhattan and is now in a beautifully renovated theater in downtown Brooklyn. It's a non-profit group, which means it focuses on supporting artists and new ideas, not just making money.
Contents
History of Roulette
How Roulette Started
Roulette Intermedium Inc. was created in 1978. It was founded by a trombonist named Jim Staley, along with sound artists David Weinstein and Dan Senn, and graphic artist Laurie Szujewska. They wanted a space where artists could show off new music, dance, and mixed-media art.
The name "Roulette" came from David Weinstein's music piece called "Café Roulette." This piece was inspired by chance and new ideas in music. The first Roulette space was in Jim Staley's loft apartment in TriBeCa. It quickly became a key part of the exciting "Downtown Music scene" in New York. They put on between 50 and 90 concerts every year!
Jim Staley explained that the main ideas behind Roulette came from two famous musicians: John Coltrane and John Cage. He wanted to include both experimental jazz and new classical music. This mix made Roulette a very important place for improvised music in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Finding New Homes
In 1997, a loud French restaurant moved in below Roulette's first location. The music from the restaurant was so loud it disturbed the concerts. This made it hard for Roulette to keep using that space. By 2003, new city rules for loft spaces meant Roulette had to find a new home.
For the next three years, Roulette held shows in many different places around New York City. These included The Flea, The Performing Garage, and Symphony Space. By 2006, they were performing regularly at a place called Location One in SoHo. But they still needed a more permanent and suitable venue. Finally, in 2010, Roulette found its perfect new home.
Roulette's Brooklyn Home
In August 2010, Roulette signed a 20-year lease for a large concert hall in downtown Brooklyn. This hall is about 7,000 square feet and has a cool Art Deco design. It's located near the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
This building was originally part of the historic YWCA and was built in 1928. It was designed by Frederick Lee Ackerman and Alexander B. Trowbridge. The building was made for many uses. It had housing for women, a theater, a pool, and health services. It was also special because it was the first YWCA to welcome people of all races.
The venue was a popular spot for concerts and a big community center in Brooklyn. People came for dances during World War II. It also hosted important meetings for the Civil Rights Movement and protests during the Vietnam War. Women's Rights groups met there in the 1970s, and a Peace Conference was held in the 1980s. It was truly a place for community action.
By the 1990s, the building needed a lot of repairs. In 2009, a report showed that water was damaging the top floors. Fixing the building would cost a lot of money. By 2010, the YWCA had raised the money and fixed most of the building. However, the theater part was still in need of repair.
On September 15, 2011, Roulette officially opened its doors in the newly renovated space. The theater now has two levels of seating for up to 400 people. It can even hold 600 people standing! It has a great sound system, a big screen for films, and modern lighting. The stage can be moved around, and the floor is specially designed for dance.
The New York Times newspaper said the new space looked "cool" and "elegant." It kept its Art Deco style with gray and silver colors. To celebrate the opening, Roulette had a four-night series of shows. Famous artists like Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, and John Zorn performed. This opening was seen as a big step to make downtown Brooklyn an even more important cultural area.
Roulette TV and Archives
Roulette TV (RTV) started in 1999. The idea was to let more people see the amazing performances and learn about the artists. RTV shows concerts and interviews with artists. This lets people all over the world experience Roulette's programs. They can see the shows and also get a peek behind the scenes. The first RTV show was with Christian Marclay in early 2000.
The RTV collection has over 100 programs. These shows feature many different experimental musicians, composers, and mixed-media artists. Each episode focuses on an artist's work. It includes interviews and video clips from their performances at Roulette. You can see famous avant-garde artists and also newer, rising stars.
You can watch RTV on cable TV in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It's also available online on Roulette's website, Vimeo, and YouTube channels.
The Roulette Concert Archive is a huge collection of information. It documents over 3,000 events that Roulette has put on. This archive includes audio recordings, videos, posters, and photos. You can search through this amazing database at roulette.org/archive to discover more about the performances.
Founder: Jim Staley
Jim Staley is the person who started Roulette. He studied trombone in college. After graduating, he joined the U.S. Army and played in military bands for three years. He was stationed in Berlin, Germany, from 1971 to 1973. There, he was inspired by the creative and experimental music scene. He also met many composers and artists involved with the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).
In 1978, he moved to New York City and founded Roulette. Jim Staley has received awards for his support of artists. These include the 2005 Susan E. Kennedy Memorial Award and the 2012 ASCAP award.
Jim Staley's Music
Jim Staley is also a musician himself. Here are some of the albums he has released:
- Don Giovanni (Einstein Records, 1992)
- Mumbo Jumbo (Einstein Records, 1994) with John Zorn, Bill Frisell, and Elliott Sharp.
- Northern Dancers (Einstein Records, 1996) with John Zorn, and Zeena Parkins.
- Blind Pursuits (Einstein Records, 1997)
- Scattered Thoughts (Einstein Records, 2010) with Joey Baron and William Parker.
Einstein Records
In 1991, Jim Staley also started a record label called Einstein Records. The goal of this label was to help adventurous artists share their music with the world. It worked just like Roulette helped artists in New York. Many artists who worked with Roulette also released music on Einstein Records. These included John Zorn, Ikue Mori, Zeena Parkins, Elliott Sharp, and Shelley Hirsch.
