Incredible news!
Zeitgeist Multi-disciplinary Arts Center celebrated it’s 32nd Anniversary last November. 32 years of bringing a world-class array of alternative films, filmmakers, creative music, theater, performance, spoken word, visual art, dance, burlesque and community events to the New Orleans area.
For the past 19 of those years, we have brought our incredible programming to Oretha Castle Haley Blvd and we feel that we have been an intricate part of the streets rebirth and revival.
Now it is with great pleasure and excitement that after all of these years Zeitgeist will be moving to a venue as world class as our programming. Gone will be our days of what the NY Times called “shabby chic”.
After months of rumors and speculations, it is now official…
Zeitgeist will be moving to the old VALIANT THEATRE AND LOUNGE at 6621 St. Claude Avenue (between Studio Inferno and the St. Claude Arts Studio in the Old Arabi Cultural Arts District).
The new venue features ample parking, a 125 seat black box theater, a small kitchen area for pop-ups, two 3 stall ADA restrooms and a magnificent cocktail lounge that was elegantly designed and renovated by Mitchell and Erica Gaudet and developed by the Meraux Foundation.
The new venue has an illustrious history as the Joy Lounge (one of the first black music clubs in Louisiana) which later became Buster’s Bar and Lounge, then inexplicably for decades, it was a pawnshop and a Carnival Mart.
This venue will allow us to expand our full-time arthouse film programming to include more matinees and repertory programming (which we couldn’t do during the daytime because we currently share our space with a coffee shop and a hair salon). Having the theatre separate from the bar also allows us to add small nightly music, spoken word and comedy events in the lounge while films are screening in the theatre.
We will continue programming at 1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd through February 23rd while we pursue all of the required permits, inspections and licenses. We will then move during the weeks leading to Mardi Gras. We hope to open on Friday, March 7th.
We look forward to becoming a part of the Old Arabi Cultural Arts District. Special thanks to the Meraux Foundation and Artify LLC for this incredible opportunity. We are extremely excited to bring our programming across the Parish line.
Please Note: The Lounge will be smoke-free. We are currently beginning to program films and performances for March, April, and May. As we book events they will be added to our website. www.zeitgeistnola.org.
Artist Opportunities At The New Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge
We will be opening the new ZEITGEIST THEATRE & LOUNGE on Thursday, March 7th. We have NESLORCHESTRA playing @ 7:30 pm. We would like to book a big Grand Opening Show for 9:30 pm. If you would like to perform please contact rene@zeitgeistnola.org or (504) 352-1150
We will be booking music, spoken word, comedy in the lounge nightly while we screen films or performance events in the theatre. If you, your troupe or your organization would like to screen, exhibit or perform in the new space or you are interested in booking or curating a series or staging a theatrical production please contact rene@zeitgeistnola.org or (504) 352-1150.
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