Irondale Center

I’m struggling with giving the Irondale Center a definitive rating, because it’s difficult for me to separate my feelings about the space itself and my feelings about the performance that I saw here. I came here on a Friday night to see a show called «Step One», which was put on by the Possibility Project. What a beautiful, moving show. All of the feels in the whole damn world. So I commend the Irondale Center for opening up its space to nonprofit organizations that might have trouble finding a performance space otherwise. With that in mind, here are my thoughts on the center itself.
First: As a twenty-​something who typically opts for the usual boozy weekend nights in Manhattan, coming to the Irondale Center was a wildly different experience – in the best kind of way. To find your way into the performance space, you need to climb up a few creaky flights of stairs and into a semi-​claustrophobic waiting area. I think my affinity for this place came from the sense I got that there’s just a ton of history here. It’s got that old-​timey, disheveled charm to it. The fact that it’s not a glamorous/​spotless/​cushy venue made it more special for me. If this bare bones vibe isn’t your thing, maybe not the best place to spend your time. But my advice would still be to embrace it.
The performance space itself is, like the waiting area, fairly cramped. Because I went for a show, I can’t speak to the room that I believe other reviewers are referring to. This was just your average theater setup. I’m going to guess that the room holds about 100 people, but that might be a bit of stretch. Maybe 10 – 15 rows of chairs, and leg room comes at a premium. If I wasn’t so enamored by the play I saw and the Irondale Center as an entity I could’ve easily gone with a two-​star rating – so I suppose the enduring message is… it depends. I know, very helpful.
Lastly, if you think you’ve arrived here but are standing face to face with a church, do not fret. You are not lost (also, contrary to popular belief, it’s not the worst thing in the world to be lost). «85 South Oxford» appears to apply to a few different buildings on this block, which is annoying/​irritating/​silly/​foolish but I don’t make the rules. The Irondale Center is to the left of the church, so keep an eye out for it.

I loved the space itself, but likely for the wrong reasons. The Irondale Center for Theater, Education, and Outreach is really two floors in a dilapidated, ancient-​feeling Presbyterian church that can be rented out for social events. This place had shades of history, mystery and claustrophobia, because it was packed to the rafters during The Brisket King Festival back in March. Although this center is comprised of a ground floor and a partial balcony style second floor, the space really looks like it cannot comfortably hold more than one hundred or so people standing. Although it may have had air conditioning, I could not tell as hundreds of Festival goers attended church for an entirely non-​religious purpose. All of that being said, I would easily return as it reminds me of a room in a Western European cathedral.

We were just here the other night to attand the Brisket King of NYC event.
Reminds me of an old church or school gymnasium. Well, it is in a church. Kind of worn out looking and showing it’s age. Decent size that holds a lot of people with a balcony area overlooking the main floor. You can envision many past proms and dances happening here back in past generations. Decent bathrooms too.
Even though it was still only 40 outside it became way too hot in here. Does this place even have air conditioning? Meh, I’ve been to better event facilities in NYC.

this is an event space but a darn good one. Its an old church or maybe the church just rents our the space? not sure but I had a good time. The space is larger and in a great location not too far from the trains.
I had a awesome time at this venue

My friends and I came here for Gemini & Scorpio’s NYE «Bootlegger’s Ball». The concept of the party sounded great, but it was very poorly-​executed.
The place was so crowded you could barely move — which can be fun, for a NYE party! — but unfortunately it also meant that we spent the majority of the evening waiting in lines instead of enjoying the party. They only had two bars set up, and each one was mobbed by a disorderly crowd. It took about twenty to thirty minutes to get a drink. Then the line for the bathrooms was possibly the longest bathroom line I have ever waited in. And for the grande finale: the line to get our coats back from the coat check at the end of the night was HELL. Pure chaos and poor management and angry patrons.
The party invitation had stated that there would be a vintage photo booth at the party, but we were unable to find it, if it existed at all (we asked several people working there, and no one had seen or heard of it).
I was disappointed, as this was my first time attending a Gemini & Scorpio event, and I had been really excited about it! I might give them another chance, because their parties SOUND so creative and fun and I’d like to still believe that they could be — but only at a different venue.
If G&S host more events at this location, they should seriously consider limiting the number of people invited, because this venue is clearly not built to handle such a large crowd. And if you plan to attend an event here, you should probably bring your own flask so you don’t waste time waiting to buy a drink from the bar!

So we came here for a black and white NYE masquerade ball… There was a church attached with the same address and literally EVERYONE kept going in there first which was hilarious since it was a conservative church party… With chairs lined up along the wall in a circle and people dancing an arm’s length away from each other in the center… Like something from a bad movie or a really boring dream.
Anyhue, after finding the right location they were about 20 — 25 minutes late to let everyone in (which is more fault of the host than the actual center.) We checked in our coats and bags upstairs for a modest 4 $ fee and explored, had drinks, had fun… They had a burlesque dancer, acrobats, some kind of interpretive dancer, a belly dancer and some other cool stuff. There was also a Russian guy with a fake French accent in a top hat and tight fitting 3 piece suit who was the host /​speaker of the event. There was a brief swing and tango dance lesson for those that wished to participate, which was fun! After that a full band played for the duration of the night until a little bit after the ball dropped.
The most TERRIBLE coat check in the world LITERALLY LOST all of our stuff, along with several other people’s stuff. They eventually just gave up with a defeated look on their face and told those that were missing things to dig through the racks and find their own stuff… SERIOUSLY?! You take people’s expensive night-​out coats and bags, put it on a hanger, and give them a number — Later you take said number and get said property. You don’t have hundreds of drunk angry people digging through the coat check rack… It was chaos.
In the end, I found my jacket after about an hour of wasted time, effort and probably life longevity due to increased stress.
Other than the coat check anarchy, it was fun and drinks were strong.

I came to Irondale to see my friend perform at the Irondale Adult Improv Class Showcase. It’s a lot like «Whose Line Is It Anyway.» The actors were in the moment, reacting to each other making organic scenes from an open-​ended starting point which was often an audience suggestion. Some participants are aspiring actors and some are just having fun. And it was so much fun watching them! I’m thinking maybe I’ll try it out.

I was at Irondale Center for the first time on 4-​3-​2012 to see Kid Koala’s Space Cadet Headphone Experience (got to meet the master turntablist himself after the show!). It’s the former home of the «Lafayette Church», and now quite a unique performance space. The goal of the venue is to promote theater, education, and and outreach. It was founded in 2008 by the Irondale Ensemble Project. Lots of character, and the place has almost like a little castle/​medieval feel to it or something… Could use some AC/​ventilation though! It got real hot in there quick. I’d happily go back though in the meantime… G-​Train Fulton St. stop, C-​Train Lafayette St. stop.

Cool space. Was here for Kid Koala’s Space Cadet headphone concert. A little hot and cramped, but had a great time nonetheless.

This was our second new years spent with Gemini and Scorpio at the Irondale Center. Although this year’s party was a total flop, we managed to have a great time anyway, but that was not the venue’s fault. The actual venue is spacious, well designed, and a pretty great place to throw a party for a ton of people in general.
It has a lot of character in and of itself, and I like it:)

«The Nightmare Story» — this off off broadway show (so off it’s in Brooklyn!) is quite entertaining. It combines song, puppetry and imagination in the telling of an Ukrainain tale. It’s a small production (5 guys who play various roles) and about an hour long. It’s performed in a converted church, so the setting is cozy and intimate. It’s a unique and enjoyable experience.