A vision for vacant space in Parkdale

A vision for vacant space in Parkdale. Leon Francis Hickox, Max Jeffs and Nikolas Doucette bang a drum during a Theatre Exploration Class at FIXT Point in Parkdale. The classes are facilitated by Lisa Marie DiLiberto and combine elements of theatre, music, puppetry, creative movement, costumes and play. Staff photo/ERIN HATFIELD

Empty storefronts dot the streetscape of Queen Street West, but one Parkdale theatre artist sees them as a real opportunity. In fact, Lisa Marie Diliberto has proven it.

Sitting in a cafe on the west end of Parkdale, Diliberto looks at a huge empty building across the street and wonders out loud what could be made of it. Theater rehearsal spaces and art galleries, perhaps a record store.

"And we could live in the apartments over top," Diliberto said.

Dream big, start small. It's the motto for the studio she runs just down the street at 1550 Queen St. W. Formerly a vacant storefront itself, FIXT Point puts that dream into practice.

Diliberto said she is a person who notices empty space on the streetscape. She sees vacant buildings and the potential they hold.

Originally from Hamilton, Diliberto studied theatre at George Brown College. She then went on to study mask, vaudeville, character and clown at Ecole Philippe Gaulier, an international school of physical theatre in Paris, France.

When she returned she worked with Second City and the Carousel Players in St. Catharines.

"Then I thought I didn't want to keep doing other people's plays," Diliberto said.

In the fall of 2007 she moved to Parkdale. Having won a lottery to show at the Fringe Festival, which gave her the right to show her original piece, Tale of A T-Shirt, at six festivals, she needed a space to rehearse. But, many of the spaces around the city were booked or too expensive.

"I noticed a lot of empty storefronts," Diliberto said. "Working in community theatre, I know a lot of people who have done storefront revitalizations."

So she started looking into finding a space of her own to rent. She happened upon a hand-written sign in the window of 1550 Queen St. W, and called the landlord.

"He was really reasonable and we negotiated a reasonable weekly rent for four weeks with the agreement that if someone wanted to rent the space on a more permanent bases I would leave," she explained.

The deal was done, and after she got into the space she realized there was an unused apartment backing her new studio. Diliberto decided she needed to at least try to realize a longtime dream of having a studio and theatre company. She spoke to her landlord and negotiated to rent out the apartment and the store frontage for the studio.

"It took me a year to get everything going," she said.

Diliberto lives in the apartment out back, has a roommate and she often hosts visiting artists. In the studio Diliberto runs a series of children's theatre exploration classes and rehearses her own plays.

In addition, any manner of activity has taken place in the space since it opened. She has rented out the space for a half a dozen plays to rehearse there, birthday parties, band rehearsals, meetings and parties.

Last year she charged $7 an hour for the space, but she said that might increase to $10.

"I want this space to be accessible, but I also want it to pay for itself," she said.

And on occasion she will rent the space in exchange for services, like help cleaning or postering.

"I don't want it to be all about money," she said. "It can transform to what people want."

But, the space hasn't existed without some opposition. Last October Diliberto received a letter, which in not so subtle terms, complained of a mess of flyers, which littered the sidewalk after a Halloween party at FIXT Point. Diliberto said she couldn't say if the papers were from the party.

"I didn't know how to react," she said. "My number is in the window so if someone had a concern they could call or e-mail."

She took the letter to the restaurants on either side of FIXT Point and then posted it in her window. She said she was delighted when the response from her neighbours was one of support for the studio. A few neighbours wrote letters supporting Diliberto and the studio, which she also posted in the window.

The space, she said, fills a niche needed in the community and indirectly brings business to the surrounding stores and businesses.

FIXT Point is a vision that comes from what others in the community desire. She advertises it as a theatre space, but doesn't want to limit it to that or really define the space at all.

"I have a long way to go with the studio," she said. "I am trying to go slow and ride the wave of what the community wants it to be."

There are plans for a summer camp for children and more children theatre exploration classes.

Diliberto plans to do a run of her play Story of a Town, about the invasion of big box stores, in the fall.