FARMINGTON – The Side Stage Lounge is the newest addition to the Homestead Kitchen and Bar. The leader of the project is Ethan Wright, local music teacher, theater participant, and choir director. Wright said that Lori Danforth approached him about opening a performance venue at the restaurant because they had done some theatre events and open mic nights that were successful.
“Sandy River Players in the fall, we did a cabaret night that I directed and we cleared the stage off and we set up microphones and had a live band,” said Wright. “We sold out all three shows like really quickly. Homestead made a lot of money, it was really successful, we had a blast, and everyone was really into it and it was that whole thing about being able to eat dinner and have some great food and watch some great performances at the same time because there’s not a lot like that in the area as far as not just live music, but theater and dance and comedy and all sorts of different things.”
Wright said that after the show, Danforth proposed more performances, to which he agreed excitedly and thought of Paul Rogers, who, according to Wright, is especially good at sound and lighting.
“We looked at the space together and we [thought], ‘What can we do with this to kind of make it a stage and not just the restaurant?,’” said Wright. “And he went and priced out and did some research on the best lighting and sound equipment. So we have really high quality sound equipment and a light board and great digital, smart lighting. When there’s a show at this place, our goal is for it to just transform into a nightclub-type thing. Very quickly it got really successful and we were able to hire a lot of acts.”
Wright said that the daytime and early evening shows are typically in the style of “dinner and a show” while the nighttime events are more like performances in a club-style venue.
Wright shared a memory of when he was around the age of 12, where he had a dinner and theatre experience in England. “I’ll remember that as just being the most wonderful experience and so it’s trying to create those special, not just like seeing a live band on a Saturday night, but actually a full experience.”
He said that the Side Stage Lounge is still in “Phase One,” trying a bunch of new things and acts to see what is most successful in terms of audience engagement and affordability.
Wright also credited Savannah Leavitt for help with creating and booking events. “It was actually her idea to bring in a burlesque group and she knew about Nevaja Dance Circus and brought them and she’s here at all the events just making sure everything goes well,” Wright said.
He explained that the Nevaja Dance Circus will perform on March 1 from 6-8 p.m. with a full dinner service. Between 8 and 9 p.m. they will transform the space by shifting tables around to prepare for the burlesque show that will take place between 9 p.m. and midnight.
Wright also said that he is directing two one-act plays, “Among Friends and Clutter,” and “God and Carnage.” Both will be dinner and theatre events. He said that though many of the actors are also in the Sandy River Players theatre group, this will be the first Side Stage Lounge production rather than having a separate theatre group come to perform their own act.
“We have a really, really amazing theater community [in Farmington],” said Wright. “The Sandy River players [are] awesome, but they don’t have their home theater. They rent out the Emery Community Arts Center. So the opportunity to open a place like here, I jumped on it. I’m so inspired by all of the artists and actors and musicians and performers in the area—it just needs something like this.”
Wright said that while the Side Stage Lounge will always host acts local to Farmington and its surrounding towns, they are also looking to broaden their scope and host performers from places like Portland, for example.
“I think the key is being eclectic and [having] something for everybody,” Wright said. “I’m really excited for the burlesque thing because there’s something a little bit unexpected almost, for the homestead to have something like that. And if people are wondering, it celebrates women. It celebrates their strength, especially in this moment of time, that’s what burlesque is. I feel it’s something that we need, for everybody to feel empowered and to go and create some kind of artistic performance.
“We’ve talked about stuff like a poetry night, we’ve talked about stuff like murder mystery theater, we’ve talked about drag shows, having a queer night too and we’re just open to anything. It has become this sort of renaissance for the arts, you know, and food as well.”
Those interested in updates on events or for purchasing tickets for events at the Side Stage Lounge can visit the ticket website or the Side Stage Lounge Facebook Page.
To hear the full conversation with Ethan, look for Saturday Sit-down Chat in the Digital Gallery tomorrow.
