Clear Space conducting market study to find new home

Clear Space Theatre Company has called Celebration Mall on Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach home for nearly 15 years. Looking to meet the growing cultural needs of eastern Sussex County, the theater has announced it’s conducting a market study to find its next home.

“As our region grows, it has become evident that Clear Space must grow with the region to meet our communities’ needs,” said Clear Space Managing Director Joe Gfaller. “To that end, Clear Space is currently envisioning a new performing arts/cultural arts center for coastal Delaware, the first of its kind in Sussex County.”

During an Aug. 16 commissioner meeting, Gfaller read a letter he sent to Rehoboth Beach commissioners the week before. He said Clear Space is working with consultant Theatre Projects, an international organization that’s helped create performing arts/cultural arts centers at the University of Delaware and University of Maryland, and in Philadelphia, Kansas City, Orlando, London, Bahrain and Cyprus.

Many of its previous projects involved public-private partnerships, which is a model Clear Space may consider, said Gfaller.

The purpose of the study is to aid in site selection and to ensure the building will adequately meet the needs of the community for decades to come, said Gfaller. The study is expected to take about three months to complete, and based on those results, the theater’s board and leadership intend to complete their site selection by the end of this calendar year, he said.

The majority of Clear Space’s audience resides in Rehoboth Beach and Lewes, and it’s committed to those core audiences, said Gfaller. All sites being considered at this time are in the 19971 or 19958 ZIP codes, he said.

“While Clear Space would operate this new facility, [it] would be an accessible home for a range of arts institutions in our region looking for improved performance space,” said Gfaller. “We hope the new facility can become a source of civic pride for our region and a destination for year-round residents, seasonal residents and cultural tourism.”

Following Gfaller’s presentation, commissioners said they wanted to try and figure out how to keep Clear Space within the city limits of Rehoboth Beach.

The city can’t just wait; it has to entice Clear Space to stay, said Commissioner Edward Chrzanowski.

The theater, which began operations in 2004, tried to build a new home at 413, 415 and 417 Rehoboth Ave. Ultimately, that didn’t come to fruition after years of pushback from neighbors concerned about parking and other issues. All three properties are now slated to be developed with three-story, mixed-use structures.

Gfaller was scheduled to make the same market study presentation to Lewes officials Thursday, Aug. 22.