Business & Tech

St. Vincent's Passes on Novato Theater Company Lease

The school rejected a five-year lease agreement with NTC at the last minute.

Novato Theater Company continues to look for a new home, as recently passed on a five-year lease agreement with the organization.

In a recent newsletter to theater goers, NTC President Sandi Rubay wrote that St. Vincent’s, located in San Rafael, decided to say “no” to the lease a day after the company approved its terms on June 4. According to Rubay, their reasons for the rejection were: NTC’s requirement of stage time was too great, play-goers would crowd the campus and St. Vincent’s wanted to make money renting the stage.

“Why they didn't say this a month before is beyond us, but there it is,” Ruby wrote in the newsletter.

St. Vincent’s assembly hall was one of two possible venues NTC was looking to relocate, since the lease for their Playhouse at Pacheco Plaza is set to expire on June 30. The assembly hall would’ve accommodated 500 seats and allowed for enough space to create dressing rooms for the actors, a backstage and a collapsible stage extension.

when they changed their minds at the last minute, according to Rubay.

“I do not know if there is any chance to renegotiate with St. Vincent's, but we are making an effort still,” she wrote in the newsletter.

The first show of NTC’s season, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, will be performed at 32Ten on Kerner in San Rafael as the company searches for a new home.

32Ten is a former Lucasfilm facility turned independent production house and has a screening room that can serve as an alternate location for performances.

NTC has tried to stay in Novato but Rubay said she has done an extensive and frustrating search of space and nothing has turned up that would fit the playbill.

“I hope the next time I write to you is with news that St. Vincent’s changed their minds again,” she said.  “But in the meantime, the NTC Board is working hard to maintain our momentum and present the NTC season as scheduled, as well as looking for a permanent home.”

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here