Say goodbye to Hollywood...

The closing of Origen (sp?) at Hollywood has me thinking about venues.
(They're closing, right? Or just that theater?)
What is it about venues?
I mean, you can perform anywhere, right?
Probably even on a sandbox if you wanted to.

What is it about a sense of place? A sense of... belonging to something or somewhere?
The old ballpark gets torn down, a new one goes up.
I remember seeing games at the Dome. Now, the Astros play at Minutemaid.
Saw games at Franklin County. And then Huntington.
(Of all my minor league ballcaps, The Clippers are the lamest, but still have a strange place in my head. Well, on my head.)

 

Old place, new place.
That's where that restaurant used to be, the one I liked.
Man, do I miss the salads and tacos at Cabo's.

In SL, Old Salt's Pub and Freudian Slip and others have faded from the grid. And memory.
Circe's never was quite the same after she died.
These days, After Dark first comes to mind.
What is it about these places?
What keeps it from being "same shit, different SLURL" ?

There's a lot of venues and theaters out there.
Big stages, small stages.
Some with runways, some without.
Fancy, basic... different seating, different styles.

Some stuff I think is important:

• Group joiner.
• Welcomer? Maybe? Is that annoying?
• Easy access to the seats.
• Adequate seating, a few different poses that don't jam my hand into my innards, and couples seating options. (I’m quite capable of sitting in an Adult sofa without staining the cushions every time, thank you.)
• Schedule.
• Posters for other groups, and DQ. (Gotta plug the DQ)
• Chat relays, because these places are huge, man. Or do they really need to be?
• Tipjar for the venue and group.
• Photos from past shows? Does this cause texture overload and thrashing?
• Who the owner and hosts are. Online indicators?
• Sponsors.
• Freebies and gifts. Or shops? Winds has shops, Debauche is part of Miss S, right?
• Rules, in a concise and simple notecard. Way too many long-winded notecards out there, man. Keep it simple, keep it brief.
• Lighting that does not disrupt performances.
• Personality in the build that distinguishes it from other venues.

What am I overlooking? (Yes, I left out "A wall or shelf for awards" because, man, fuck awards. But that's a rant for another post. I'll recycle my Thank Yous and repackage it for another day, but seriously, fuck awards.)

What do you think a venue should have... and shouldn't?