Everyone was bummed on Friday when the news came down the pipeline that the historic Slave Theater had not only been sold, but was also probably going to be turned into luxury condos. If you were mourning another piece of historic Brooklyn being lost to the forces of gentrification and condo-izaton, we’ve got good news for you: according to the secretary of the board of the New Brooklyn Theater, Jeff Strabone, there will still be a theater at the historic space.
NBT sent a press release to supporters of their project this weekend, assuring them that plans for a 300-seat theater at the Slave Theater space were still on the table. Reached by phone, Strabone said, repeatedly, that “there are no discussions that don’t include restoring theater to 1215 Fulton Street.”
New Brooklyn Theater, which we previously highlighted as a group working to restore the theater to its former glory, had been meeting with “attorneys, architects, local politicians and community members” among others over their first year of existence according to Strabone. Unlike other theater groups that start with performances but no home, Strabone said the primary mission of NBT had always been to re-open the Slave Theater before putting on performances.
He went on to say that New Brooklyn Theater had been negotiating with the Fulton Halsey Development Group since before the sale had become official and that the negotiations with the developers had been going well. While Strabone said negotiations were still ongoing and that he didn’t want to make any definite announcements until “all the pieces had fallen into place,” he reiterated that “one certainty is that there will be a theater there.” So hey, good news. And on a Monday no less!