FAQ

• list of nearby restaurants and bars

• list of nearish-by B&Bs, hotels, camping

• list of other performance centers in the region

What’s a “listening room”?

It’s a place where people come to be immersed in what’s happening on the stage.

Talking or being loud or otherwise disruptive during a performance or presentation is disrespectful to the rest of the audience and the artist, and it will earn glares and shushes. Do send a gentle shush at anybody who needs it — and if you get a gentle shush, gently shush. People usually aren’t problem-causers on purpose.

This kind of thing isn’t for everybody. Some people are happier in a bar scene, and that’s OK. There are bars within easy walking distance.

We’re not a bunch of dour schoolmarms though. Reward a performance with great exuberance, absolutely! Was that solo outstanding? — cheer like crazy! Was that joke funny? Laugh your head off! (Was that joke lame? Groan long and loud.) Band wants you to clap along, sing along? Go for it with gusto, even if you’re off-tempo and out of tune.

But in general, you’re not who everybody came to listen to.

How do I get tickets?

Some shows are ticketed; some are by donation — the difference is kinda subtle since they basically both work the same way. Advance tickets are only available through our website, and only through the end the day before the show or when they’re sold out, whichever comes first. Advance tickets and advance donations double as chair reservations. We have 40 chairs. We rarely sell out, but it happens. We can’t guarantee seating for tickets purchased or donations made at the door.

There are no actual tickets — we keep a list at the door, somebody will check you in. You don’t have to print anything out. Just show up.

All sales are final, but if a show gets cancelled or postponed, we’ll offer refunds or a carry-over to the new date or a comparable substitute show at your preference.

We recognize that not everybody in our low-income community has a credit or debit card, and that some people won’t do online purchases just because. If this is you and you want to make sure you have seating, leave us a phone or text message at 802-289-0148 or send us an email at stage33@stage33live.com and we’ll figure something out.

Do we take credit cards at the door? We don’t. Cash preferred, check if need be.

We work with the artists to set ticket costs or suggested donation amounts to 1) keep the prices as low as possible, and 2) try to compensate them reasonably, which they deserve.

How do I reserve seats?

Chairs are reserved for people who got their tickets or made their donations in advance, but there are no specifically reserved seats. Seating is first-come-first-served, with chairs up front saved for people who took care of things in advance. The door usually opens 30 minutes before showtime.

We have 40 chairs. We’ll only ever sell 40 advance tickets or accept 40 advance donations. There’s also limited day-of-show standing room. If we haven’t hit 40 by the day before the show, walk-ups will be welcome to have a seat. Or you can bring your own camp chair to set up behind the house chairs.

Is there a dress code?

Clothes and shoes. And leave anything harassing, demeaning, intimidating, or threatening at home. Weapons too. Just don’t be a dick, K? And the inverse corollary is don’t be a weenie either.

(There haven’t been any problems like this BTW, not a single one. Everybody’s been awesome. But the world seems to be spiraling into ever-more-nutso territory so spelling out the expectations is probably a good idea.)

Can I take pictures and get autographs and stuff?

Cellphone pics and clips are pretty much fine. Definitely no flash. If the artist doesn’t want any photography or like-that at all, we’ll advise with as much notice as possible. But most of them are cool with it. If you’re bringing professional gear you really should check to make sure it’s cool with the artist. If you get some good shots we’d love it if you’d share them with us.

We totally encourage people to linger after the show and hobnob with the bigwigs! Everyone we’ve hosted has so far been super-willing to meet-and-greet, and lots of them have merch for sale that they’re happy to sign.

Are you pet-friendly?

Only service animals are allowed, out of courtesy to the rest of the audience and the performers who might have allergies or phobias.

A note for people with allergies or phobias: One of the artist-tenants has a studio cat, and a couple others bring their dogs to work sometimes. These animals don’t roam the building, but they’re in the building either part-time or full-time.

Are you kid-friendly?

We do like kiddos, but this is a listening room where consideration of the performers and the rest of the audience is paramount. Squalling babies and ADHD ankle-biters — and disruptive adults too — are a poor fit.

Where can I park when I get there?

There’s free parking in the lot diagonally across the street from us, next to the canal. Best not to park at the building right across the street because they might make you move your car in the middle of a show. It’s happened.

Is it handicap accessible?

Posted handicap parking is at the base of the ramp leading to the front door. There’s a door threshold to negotiate getting into the building, but everything inside is flat. Our chairs aren’t permanent, so people in wheelchairs can sit anywhere they want. The restroom adjoins the space and is accessible.

If you’re a performer with disabilities that prevent you from getting onto our low stage (about 8″), we can move the audience back and have you in front of the stage. We’ve done it, it works fine.

These things only address physical handicaps, we acknowledge that. If we could, we’d totally offer ASL interpretation, assistive listening devices, audio descriptions of visual elements, large-print and braille media, or like-that full-time and all the time. If you have a need, please contact us and we’ll try our level best to make your experience as good as anybody’s.

For those with severe MCS or scent allergies, you should know that there’s an artisan soapmaker in the building.

Can I BYOB?

No. (Refer to the 33 Bridge Street House Rules that we need to abide by.) You can bring in your own food though.

Where can I nosh and/or libate before and/or after?

There’s a range of choices walkable from our place. Business hours aren’t noted here because they sometimes change arbitrarily and without notice. Several don’t have websites (!), but most do have some kind of online presence — Facebook, Google, Yelp, etc. There’s a couple good breakfast/lunch-only places included because sometimes we have matinees. Presented here in order of distance from Stage 33 Live.

Subway, 61 Square
ubiquitous chain restaurant
2-minute walk, 450 feet
subway.com 802-463-4101

Flat Iron Co-op, 51 Square
coffeeshop
3-minute walk, .1 mile

Popolo, 36 Square (Still closed for pandemic, reopening status unknown but they say they’re gonna)
modern Italian restaurant & bar
4-minute walk, .1 mile
popolomeanspeople.com 802-460-7676

Wunderbar, 22 Rockingham St
surprisingly urbane bar with Tapas menu
4-minute walk, .2 mile
wunderbarvt.com 802-489-0289

Moon Dog Cafe, 24 Rockingham St
healthy, hearty breakfast and lunch
4-minute walk, .2 mile
802-732-8453

Rockingham Roasters, 3 Rockingham St
coffeeshop
4-minute walk, .2 mile
www.rockinghamroasters.coffee

Donovan’s, 65 Rockingham St
Irish bar with food
5-minute walk, .3 mile
802-463-4940

Miss Bellows Falls, 90 Rockingham St (Closed and for sale)
breakfast and lunch diner
6-minute walk, .3 mile

PK’s Irish Pub, 113 Rockingham St
sometimes food
7-minute walk, .4 mile
pksirishpub.com 802-463-9007

Pizza Palace, 111 Rockingham St
pizza & comfort food
7-minute walk, .4 mile
802-463-4447

Athens Pizza, 83 Westminster St
pizza & comfort food
8-minute walk, .4 mile
athenspizzaonline.com 802-463-9777

China Garden, 117 Rockingham St (Currently take-out only)
standard Chinese
8-minute walk, .4 mile
chinagardenvt.com 802-463-9885

Dari-Joy, 140 Rockingham St
comfort food & ice cream – seasonal
11-minute walk, .5 mile
802-463-9816

Famous Pizza, 89 Atkinson St
pizza & comfort food
13-minute walk, .6 mile
802-463-3425

7-11, 154 Rockingham St
you know, 7-11
13-minute walk, .6 mile
www.7-eleven.com 802-732-8290

Lisai’s Corner Deli, 92 Atkinson St
deli and groceries, breakfast / lunch
13-minute walk, .6 mile
802-732-8052

Lola’s Pizzeria, 16 Church St, North Walpole
pizza & comfort food
14-minute walk, .7 miles
603-445-7151

Here are a few more that are a little bit farther afield that you’d probably wanna drive to.

Joy Wah, 287 Rockingham St
better Chinese
1.5 miles
joywahrestaurant.com 802-463-9761

Father’s, 7079 US-5
American diner fare
1.9 miles
802-463-3909

Leslie’s Tavern, 660 Rockingham Rd
sit-down dining, get reservations
3 miles
lesliestavern.com 802-275-7809

The Hungry Diner, 9 Edwards Ln, Walpole
comfort food
3.5 miles
hungrydinerwalpole.com 603-756-3444

Smokin’ Bowls, 831 Rockingham Rd
well-loved drive-up soups and comfort food
4 miles
802-463-9800

The Restaurant at Burdicks, 47 Main St, Walpole
sit-down French, make reservations
5.3 miles
47mainwalpole.com 603-756-9058

Where can I stay? (B&Bs, hotels, camping)

Want to make a weekend of it? Good call. The nearest population centers to us are Brattleboro VT and Keene NH (either is about 30 minutes’ drive) and they have bunches of options that you can Google up. The lovely village of Chester VT (20 minutes) has quite a cluster as well. Here’s a starter list of others to check out.

Harvest Barn Inn, 16 Webb Terrace
harvestbarninn.com 802-732-8254
1.6 miles

Rodeway Inn, 593 Rockingham Rd
802-463-4536
2.8 miles

Bellows Walpole Inn, 297 Main St, Walpole NH
bellowswalpoleinn.com 603-756-3320, 603-904-4022
4.1 miles

Saxtons River Inn, 27 Main St, Saxtons River VT
saxtonsriverinn.com 802-869-3033
4.8 miles

Yagna Inn, 61 Williams Rd, Rockingham VT
802-463-0005
7.8 miles

The Inn at Valley Farms, 633 Wentworth Rd, Walpole NH
innatvalleyfarms.com 603-756-2855
9.2 miles

Best Western, 818 Charlestown Rd, Springfield VT
802-885-4516
11 miles

Grafton Inn, 92 Main St, Grafton VT
graftoninnvermont.com 802-843-2248
12.1 miles

Hartness House, 30 Orchard St, Springfield VT
hartnesshouseinn.com 802-885-2115
14.9 miles

Tree Farm Campground, 53 Skitchewaug Trl, Springfield VT
treefarmcampground.com 802-885-2889
14.9 miles

The Putney Inn, 57 Putney Landing Rd, Putney VT
putneyinn.com 802-536-4200
15.1 miles

History of 33 Bridge Street

33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, Vermont, is the building that Stage 33 Live calls home. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Moore and Thompson mill complex occupies a sloping site at the south end of the Island, immediately east of downtown Bellows Falls between the Great Falls of the Connecticut River and the canal (one of the first canals in the United States, completed in 1802). Construction of the mill complex began in 1880.

By the turn of the century, Moore and Thompson produced twenty tons of paper daily. The mill played a leading role in the industry that dominated Bellows Falls’ economy through the 1920s.

In 1914, Moore and Thompson leased water rights from the canal to the Bellows Falls Electric Company. In exchange, the paper company received electricity. The complex is still directly hydro-powered under the terms of that lease.

The principal building on the upper level — where Stage 33 Live is located — was completed in 1925 for the manufacture of paper bags.

In 1963, Moore and Thompson closed the mill. They attributed it to a variety of factors, but a Bellows Falls Times editorial at the time indicated that the company had simply joined the contemporary industrial exodus from New England’s antiquated infrastructure: “New plant facilities and machinery and ample supplies of wood pulp make the Florida plant more economical.”

An attempt by a new owner at reviving the production of paper goods followed in 1964 but didn’t outlast the decade.

In 1974, the complex was adapted to the manufacture of furniture and experienced a revival of activity until the failure of that venture in 1981.

33 Bridge Street today

33 Bridge Street is a creative economy incubator owned and operated by The Island Corporation. The tenants are primarily but not exclusively fine artists and artisan manufacturers. Direct inquiries to The Island Corporation by phone at 802-463-9926.

Current tenants who are open to the public either by posted hours or by appointment include:
Sherwin Art Glass
Tsuga Studios
Charlie Hunter
Grace and Miss Mouse Soaps
Gail Hynes Photography
WOOL-FM

Renting the performance space

The performance space is in a common area shared by the building tenants, and Stage 33 Live operates in full cooperation with and at the prior approval of the building owners, managers, and tenants. We have no sublet authority — all use inquiries must be presented to The Island Corporation by phone at 802-463-9333.

For your convenience and reference, here are the building’s house rules:

The common room at 33 Bridge Street is for the use and enjoyment of 33 Bridge Street tenants. Any use must not interfere with any of the other tenants’ use of the space, and must be cleared by management and with the other tenants prior to the use. From time to time, non-tenants are allowed to use the space. All tenant and non-tenant use must comply with these restrictions:

1. Any requests for use of the Common Room for tenant or non-tenant exhibits, activities, receptions, etc., MUST be scheduled in advance with Dorothy Read, 802-463-9333.
2. Exhibitors will be asked to sign an indemnification form. This is an unguarded space and open to the public. 33 Bridge Street, The Island Corporation, and the tenants assume no responsibility.
3. Commercial exhibitors may be asked to contribute a 10% fee on any sales. This fee would be used to support a local non-profit.
4. Children also use this space, and any work will be reviewed for appropriateness for all ages. No nude exhibitions, etc.
5. All exhibits, shows, receptions, etc., must keep lanes of travel open to the tenants.
6. No exclusive use of the space is to be expected unless cleared with the building owners and the tenants.
7. Handicapped parking must be kept clear.
8. All fire exits must remain clear.
9. Any organization NOT a legal tenant of 33 Bridge Street must provide proof of liability insurance.
10. Any hanging artwork must use the provided rail system. No nail holes allowed, and absolutely nothing hanging from the ceilings, sprinkler pipes, lighting fixtures, etc.
11. All materials must be removed by the day agreed, and space left clean.
12. NO SMOKING is allowed anywhere in the building.
13. NO ALCOHOL will be served at any event unless approved by management AND provided only by a licensed alcohol vendor. No private pouring.

Are Stage 33 Live and WOOL-FM the same thing?

No, but we’re friends and neighbors. Stage 33 Live was founded by a longtime volunteer at Black Sheep Radio (the community radio station, 91.5 on your FM dial or streaming from www.wool.fm), and they’re both in the same building… but they’re distinct and separate legal entities, with their own boards, charters, missions, equipment, and budgets.

I’ve got a great idea for Stage 33 Live!

Totally wanna hear it! There’s always room for improvement. The more details you’ve got worked out, the better. You should know, though, that we’re mere humans already doing the very best full-tilt flat-out volunteer work we can do. In most cases if there’s more than a sliver of time or energy or dollars involved and it can’t be easily folded into the existing flow of things, chances are it’ll probably end up pretty far down the list. And the limits of what we’re allowed to do in and to the real estate are restrictive, we can’t paint day-glo murals on the walls or anything.

How can I volunteer?

Heck, just ask. We can usually use at least a couple extra people on show days to help before, during, and after with pretty easy stuff. We kindly ask that if you do volunteer, please show up and please actually help. (Yeah, it’s been a problem once or twice.)

I am still bewildered by Stage 33 Live

Us too, a lot of the time.

We were tickled when we saw this social-media exchange:
   “WTF is Stage 33 Live?”
   “It’s a secret room where amazing things happen.”

We’re an occasional venue, and not a full-time anything. We try to go above and beyond, but we’re in no danger of being mistaken for a big-dollar performance center. There’s no bar, BYOB isn’t allowed, and there’s no kitchen — but there’s non-alcoholic drinks and unpredictable, generally unhealthy processed snacks available by donation. We operate on a shoestring but have accomplished one heckuva lot since push-starting this thing. We can squeeze a penny like nobody’s business.

Our main mission is trying to help local and regional performers and presenters find attentive and appreciative audiences; and our second main mission is to offer Bellows Falls people (and anybody else who wants to come to shows) a range of good and good-hearted talent; and our third main mission is to contribute to lifting up, in our own small way, the reputation and visibility of Bellows Falls and the mid-Connecticut River Valley as a cool and talented and smart place to come and check out and drop a few bucks into the local economy.

What those things have in common is that they ain’t about us. There are lots of reasons to visit this area, we’re just one of them. Here’s a list of performance centers and theater groups within 25 driving miles of Stage 33 Live. We’ve kept the list mostly to nonprofits. A few are backed by big money, but most struggle. Art galleries aren’t included in this list, or clubs and bars where performance is an add-on rather than the main thing… but those are definitely around too. Libraries with active schedules are included because libraries are cool. There’s undoubtedly deserving places we’ve overlooked. And there are places that fall just outside our arbitrary 25-mile cutoff, but a line’s gotta be drawn somewhere. The list is in order of driving distance from Stage 33 Live.

Bellows Falls Opera House
facebook.com/BFOperaHouse/
7 The Square, Bellows Falls VT
0.2 mile

Rockingham Free Public Library
rockinghamlibrary.org
65 Westminster St, Bellows Falls VT
0.3 mile

Main Street Arts
mainstreetarts.org
35 Main St, Saxtons River VT
4.8 miles

The Springfield Community Players
springfieldcommunityplayers.org
165 South St, Springfield VT
14.6 miles

Putney Public Library
putneylibrary.org
55 Main St, Putney VT
14.9 miles

Yellow Barn
yellowbarn.org
49 Main St, Putney VT
14.9 miles

Next Stage Arts Project
nextstagearts.org
15 Kimball Hill, Putney VT
15.3 miles

Sandglass Theater
sandglasstheater.org
17 Kimball Hill, Putney VT
15.4 miles

Claremont Opera House
claremontoperahouse.info
58 Opera House Square, Claremont NH
20.9 miles

World Under Wonder
worldunderwonder.org
5755 US-5, Windsor VT
20.9 miles

Keene Public Library
3 Washington St, Keene NH
keenepubliclibrary.org
21.5 miles

The Colonial Theatre
95 Main St, Keene NH
thecolonial.org
21.6 miles

Brooks Memorial Library
brookslibraryvt.org
224 Main St, Brattleboro VT
23.4 miles

Stone Church Brattleboro
stonechurchvt.com
210 Main St, Brattleboro VT
23.4 miles

Epsilon Spires
epsilonspires.org
190 Main St, Brattleboro VT
23.5 miles

Redfern Arts Center
229 Main St, Keene NH
keene.edu/arts/redfern/
23.6 miles

Brattleboro Music Center
72 Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro VT
bmcvt.org
24.2 miles

118 Elliot
118elliot.com
118 Elliot St, Brattleboro VT
24.8 miles

New England Youth Theatre
neyt.org
100 Flat Street, Brattleboro VT
24.8 miles

Latchis Theatre
50 Main St, Brattleboro VT
latchis.com
25 miles exactly

This FAQ will be a work in progress forever. Feel free to hip us to the obvious things we missed. stage33@stage33live.com