The owners of Steeplegate Mall have taken back their demand that Hatbox Theatre leaves within 30 days, although the long-term future of the innovative use of former retail space remains cloudy.
“I spoke with a representative of Steeplegate Mall Realty today and they have reviewed their proposed project, whatever that is, and determined that they wanted to rescind the termination letter for the performing arts space,” Andrew Pinard, founder of Hatbox Theatre, said Tuesday. “They expressed interest in keeping us open and renewing the agreement that we have had in the past.”
That agreement, he said, is not a lease and can be terminated at any time by the mall.
Pinard announced Monday that, much to his surprise, he had received a letter giving Hatbox Theatre until March 13 to leave. Pinard said the conversation with the representative of the New York company that owns the mall didn’t detail why the company had wanted the theater out of the former Coldwater Creek space, where it has been holding performances for more than five years.
Pinard said that although the theater can stay, it will no longer be able to use an adjoining space once occupied by Radio Shack, where Hatbox had been storing equipment and holding rehearsals. That’s apparently because the mall has plans for it.
“I’m encouraged if they are going to redevelop portions of the space on their own. That could be a good thing for us,” he said.
About 10 of the mall’s original 60 store spaces are currently occupied.
Publicity about Pinard’s unexpected letter from the mall owners in the Monitor drew more than 40 online comments, some supportive and some outraged, on the theater’s Facebook page and almost as many on the Monitor’s article.
Although Pinard expressed thanks Tuesday for the reprieve, he was less certain about the theater’s future after the current season ends in August.
“They’ve done it once to us, they could do it again,” he said.
“That’s part of our long-term planning moving forward … We’re probably going to have to be thinking in the relatively near future of finding a space where we’re not in danger of being booted out, and are confident when we make an investment.”
“Once you’ve had a scare like this, it makes you cautious,” Pinard said.
