Monday, February 11, 2019

UCB East has closed; what's next for their space on Avenue A and 3rd Street?



The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater's East Village outpost, UCBeast, wrapped up its eight-plus year run on Saturday night.

UCB officials blamed the "extreme costs" of operating in the space as a factor in its closing, as Vulture first reported on Jan. 9.

Starting Friday, UCB will present three nights of programing at SubCulture, a 130-seat venue on Bleecker Street. (You can find the schedule for UCB at SubCulture via this link.)



Here's a statement that UCB released after the news broke:

"Due to the long-term cost of rent, property taxes, and other expenses associated with operating a second venue in NYC, UCB has created this new experience at SubCulture to reduce the financial impact. This move allows us to continue to offer a second venue to our performers and audience. We are forever grateful to the incredible staff, performers and countless dedicated UCB-ers who have committed so much time and effort into making it possible for us to perform and view alternative comedy in NYC."

Now comes the speculation over what might take the large space here. UCB eventually took over part of the expanded Two Boots empire — the video store on Avenue A and the Pioneer Theater around the corner on Third Street...


[Image from 2002 via Cinema Treasures]


[EVG photo from spring 2009]

The Pioneer Theater, which screened indie, underground and cult fare, closed on Nov. 7, 2008. As owner Phil Hartman said at the time: "[I]t was always a labor of love and never commercially viable." The 99-seat theater opened in 2000. (Maybe Charles Cohen will buy this space for a theater too.)

Work started on the UCB space in 2009 (this post has the cargo-shorts comments goldmine — "Go back to campus, you new jack cornballs").

No sign of a retail listing for the former UCB spaces just yet.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Two Boots Video store "in contract" — largest available retail space on Avenue A

[Updated] Your 'Hot Chicks Room' sign update

[Updated] Resident starting a petition to have the 'Hot Chicks Room' sign removed at the Upright Citizens Brigade

Breaking: UCB will remove the 'Hot Chicks Room' sign!

'Hot Chicks Room' sign will now bring ruin to compost

Report: Upright Citizens Brigade closing East Village outpost next month

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I still miss the Two Boots restaurant that was across Avenue A. In a perfect world, the Two Boots pizza place would expand into being a full restaurant and carry the same menu as the original place!

Anonymous said...

I don't mind ucb closing...just hope an even more annoying party-playhouse doesn't open in its place.