New life for an old space

With Bard, Somerville Armory makes the transition to arts center

Bobbie Steinbach and Benjamin Evett rehearse ''Coriolanus,'' a production from the Actors' Shakespeare Project, in the vast space at the Armory. (EVAN RICHMAN/GLOBE STAFF)

SOMERVILLE - The hulking, castle-like building, with its giant turrets and drawbridge front entrance, has sat empty on Highland Avenue for 30 years. But now Arts at the Armory is buzzing.

Paint fumes waft through the century-old building, and boxes filled with saws, drills, and other tools sit off in a corner while organizers scurry through the halls making sure there are paper towels in the bathroom, chairs and tables are set up in the cafe, and the vast gymnasium-like space, with its high ceilings and exposed steel pipes, is transformed into a theater.

Stomping around inside, the cast of the Actors' Shakespeare Project is rehearsing for Arts at the Armory's first theatrical performance: "Coriolanus," Shakespeare's tragic tale of a Roman general who is invincible in battle but whose rage against politics leads him to turn against his own country. Previews start Thursday.

The production, which updates the action to the 1920s and '30s, features huge battle scenes, with plenty of heart-thumping percussion from the actors, led by percussion designer Stephen Serwacki, a former cast member of "STOMP," to illustrate the chaos and violence of war. The physically nimble cast of 16 includes some who specialize in martial arts, capoeira, and break dancing, skills used to capture the essence of battle.

Staging a military saga seems especially appropriate at the Armory, formerly the drill hall for the Somerville Light Infantry of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia and the Massachusetts National Guard.

"It's so expansive, this space. It's really terrific," says director Robert Walsh, pointing up to ward the two balconies above and around toward the movable bleachers. But there are challenges, too.

The play, he notes, begins with a riot. "This is not a theater," he says. "When you got a space this large, how do you make it feel like a battle without it getting smallish because the space is so overwhelming?"

Also tricky, says Walsh, spinning around, is just where to set the audience. "So many of our plays really focus on the intimacy between actor and audience," he says. "I guess that's part of the challenge, part of the fun, playing around with it."

Built in 1903, the Armory was headquarters to the National Guard in the 1970s, when it was shuttered. In 2004 Joseph and Nabil Sater, owners of Central Square's Middle East nightclub, bought it for $2.6 million with the vision of bringing it up to code and turning it into a community arts center.

Today it has 34,000 square feet of usable space, with a new elevator, new roof, and new heating system. But the architectural integrity of the building, with its historic twin staircases in front, has largely been preserved.

Two months ago, amid mixed support and concern from community members, many of whom are worried about amplified noise and parking, Arts at the Armory landed its public entertainment license from Somerville's City Council. Since then, it's been full steam ahead for organizers.

More than 800 people attended a Jan. 24 benefit for the Armory at Somerville Theatre featuring comedian Jimmy Tingle and Boston bands Mission of Burma and the Neighborhoods, says Debra McLaughlin, manager of Arts at the Armory.

During February school vacation, the Armory offered arts courses for children, and it will do so again in April. It also plans to offer adult arts classes, a gallery space, and after-school programming. Inside the cafe, there's a small performance space for book signings, poetry readings, and musicians, says McLaughlin.

The building is now home to the Center for the Arts at the Armory as well as a variety of other organizations, including Actors' Shakespeare Project, Hi-N-Dry Recording, the Mark Sandman Music Project, the University of the Middle East Project, Daniel Ostergren Visual Arts, Moving Celebrations, Forward Web Development, and Case AVP Photography.

"We are still putting on some finishing touches," says McLaughlin of the renovation. "Now that we've gotten our entertainment license we've been flooded with requests from comedy festivals, music festivals, acrobats, rug making - we are just getting all kinds of requests." For upcoming programming, see accompanying schedule.

Still, some community members have reservations.

"I think there is buzz. People are excited to have something in Somerville, but people also wonder just how disruptive this is to the community," says neighbor Mary Calia by phone. Calia grew up in Somerville a few blocks away from the Armory, and she still lives in her childhood home, which is very important to her.

"There's worry about serving food, which attracts roaches and rats," she says. "People are concerned about parking - it's a very congested area. Sometimes I can't even back up into my own driveway, and that's even without the Armory. People don't want to come home - with a baby, or groceries, or even the elderly - they don't want to park far away." There is limited parking in a lot behind the Armory, and an overflow lot one block away.

Calia is a member of the Neighborhood Advisory Board hoping to bridge the

gap between neighborhood concerns and events at the Armory.

"I hope to die in this house," she says. "I hope when I am older I can go there, have a cup of coffee, and have something to do. So I hope it can work with the neighborhood and not cause any more anger. We'll just have to see."

Meanwhile, actress Bobbie Steinbach stares at the balcony above her head during rehearsals. She's in awe.

"The ceiling is soaring," she says. "I'm always interested in seeing what a new space feels like and what the company does with it."

Her role as Volumnia, mother of Caius Martius Coriolanus (played by artistic director Benjamin Evett), is one to die for, she says. Volumnia can be monstrous and threatening, loving and concerned, and the question her son faces is whether his loyalty belongs to his mother or mother Rome.

"On the one hand it's a very large story about this soldier who does not have it in him to be a politician," she says. "On the other hand there's this story about a man and his deep, deep ties to his mother. In fact, there's a line in the play - 'There is no man more bound to his mother.' And it's true."

Will Actors' Shakespeare Project, known for performing in various spaces around Greater Boston, be bound to the Armory in the future? The nomadic troupe will continue to stage works elsewhere, but plans to do at least one show at the Armory per season.

"This space really speaks to everything we are about as an organization," Evett says. "It's unusual, provocative, evocative community space. Our focus on getting into neighborhoods and creating relationships . . . it's just a great way to do that here in a new neighborhhood. We're psyched."

Megan Tench can be reached at mtench@globe.com