Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The performance venue wild project is looking to secure its future in the East Village with a capital fundraising campaign to purchase its building located at 195 E. Third St., between Avenue A and Avenue B.
I recently met with operations manager Chris Moseley (pictured above) to tour the space and learn more about the campaign called Root Us in the LES.
The 89-seat, ADA-compliant venue stands out with its environmentally conscious features, including solar panels, a rooftop garden, LED lighting and repurposed bamboo risers.
However, if the necessary funds are not raised by February to purchase the $5 million building, the space may be sold to the highest bidder, potentially closing another arts venue in downtown Manhattan.
Since 2007, wild project has hosted over 55,000 patrons and supported more than 12,000 artists through programs like Wild Culture, Sound Stage and MainStage. These initiatives emphasize theater access and outreach for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC artists, offering free or affordable venue space to theater companies supporting 1,200 to 1,500 creators annually.
As NYC's community continues to face rising rents and venue closures, the wild project represents more than just one theater's survival — it's a fight to preserve the spirit of independent arts in the East Village.
I talked with Mosely more about the wild project's prospects and hopes for the future.
Why is it important for the wild project to be able to buy the space, and why now?
The downtown theatre ecosystem cannot afford to lose another space there simply aren't enough left. Earlier this fall, our neighbors at the Connelly Theater were forced to close, putting the community at a serious crossroads.
But the harsh reality is that over the past several years, the theater landscape has experienced devastating losses in affordable space for artists. Local artists can feel this urgency. We need to ensure our legacy in the East Village by providing free and subsidized space to our independent artists and resident companies.
Our capital campaign is called Root Us in the LES because we want artists, patrons, and all our supporters to know we are putting down permanent roots in the community. We have nurtured our theater for so long that planting roots will provide us a solid foundation to serve artists and members of our community for generations to come.
Artistic Director Ana Mari de Quesada, Director Tom Escovar, myself, and our entire staff of technicians and front-of-house employees — we have all lovingly put so much hard work and dedication into wild project. This fast-approaching deadline of February 2025 may seem like a high mountain to climb, but it is achievable with the help of our community!
We are determined to meet our goal and preserve the history and future of the East Village and Lower East Side as welcoming and accessible places for all artists.
How is the wild project involved in the East Village and LES community, and how will this purchase affect the neighborhood in the future?
Beyond being a space for artists, wild project has always been embedded in our neighborhood. We partner with Sixth Street Center's Climate Justice Program to give young people in our community hands-on experience with gardening on our green roof. We host an annual Halloween block party with our small-business partners to provide local families a fun and safe place to celebrate the holiday. We lend our audio equipment to the folks at the Miracle Garden across from us for poetry readings. We host a summer camp in partnership with the Educational Alliance that provides local students from PS 140 with workshops that teach artists about the various aspects of theater to inspire the next generation of artists.
We have this unique opportunity to purchase our building, continue our legacy in the East Village, and keep fostering this community in our corner of New York. If we are unsuccessful and our building is put on the market, another apartment complex of unaffordable housing will likely go up in its place.
How can people help?
Donations to our capital campaign are the most tangible way to help. If just 4,000 people donated $250, we could secure a down payment for an affordable mortgage.
People can also help by spreading the word! By talking to their friends and family about wild project, posting about it on social media — simply telling the people in their lives helps move our story forward.
