Changing Faces opens new Idea Room space in Downtown
Downtown Lodi arts groups — along with workshops in crafts like costume design.
“We’d love to colaborate with other artists and other mediums,” Bartram said.
A joint Halloween event with b Sharp School of Music is already in the works, he said.
Willis-Bartram also plans to host some “Mommy and Me” style classes.
“We’d really love to offer Spanish puppet shows,” she added.
They want to use the space to make theater accessible for the whole community, the couple said.
For example, their son takes piano lessons weekly,
but it adds up to more than $100 a month.
A lot of families don’t have the money to give their kids those opportunities, Bartram said. He and Willis-Bartram want to make sure their classes are affordable enough that anyone who wants to take classes at the Idea Room will have the chance.
On Saturday, the pair will be showing off their theater company’s new home with a special event.
Coleman Smalley and Rhett Hill, performers at the most recent “Lodi’s Got Talent!” concert, will provide live music. Smalley, 11, has won the citywide talent contest for the past two years. He plays piano and sings. Hill, 14, is a singer and guitarist who performs top hits.
The event, which doubles as a fundraiser for Changing Faces, will also have a dessert and coffee bar and a silent auction. Information will be available for those who want to audition for the company’s upcoming production of “Alice in Wonderland,” and a ticket package to see the show at Jessie’s Grove will be among the auction items.
The Bartrams invite Lodi residents to come out, see the new space, and offer their ideas for how Changing Faces can better serve the community.