Free Range Humans set to open new arts venue inside FSK Mall

Jun. 17—With spooky eyes and ghostly figures looming from dark blue, shadowy walls, the space in Francis Scott Key Mall, across the hallway from KIDS FIRST Swim School, still very much looks like the laser tag center it once was.

But Elizabeth Lucas, Free Range Humans producing artistic director, can see its potential — the seeds for what will soon become The Field Performing Arts Center. The booth at the front of the 7,000-square foot space will be a coffee shop, she said, and it will be surrounded by cafe seating — essential ingredients to the open and welcoming environment she dreams the center will become.

And the line of narrow rooms to the right? Those will be places where creatives can gather and collaborate. There will be a gallery for 2D art that will double as a waiting area for big performances. And, of course, the cavernous, 4,000-square-foot theater and media production space, which Lucas says is the only room in the entire mall where she hasn't been able to hear the sound of voices from neighboring stores.

"We really want to be a place where it's a low barrier of entry to come and gather and share your work and see things that you might not otherwise choose to see," Lucas said. The Field Performing Art Center will be the second venue inside FSK Mall run by Free Range Humans, a nonprofit creating theatrical experiences in Frederick County.

Free Range Kids & Teens, which offers classes on creative ventures like world building and acting, has been operating in the 4,000-square foot space that used to house Justice, a clothing shop for girls, since December.

The need for a space like The Field in Frederick County became clear to Lucas and Free Range Humans music director Marci Shegogue during conversations with other local artists. From circus performers, visual artists, musicians and musical theater actors alike, Lucas and Shegogue heard the same thing.

"Everybody's looking for a place — a place to rehearse, a place to perform, a place to create, a place to collaborate — that's always been a search," Shegogue said.

There have been issues with other available spaces in the county, Shegogue heard from artists. Some spaces were too pricey, others too small or just the wrong fit. When the storefront previously occupied by ShadowLand Laser Adventures became available at FSK Mall, Lucas immediately called Shegogue. It was exactly what everybody had been looking for.

Lucas has big plans for The Field. She's hoping to get a dance floor for its theater and has already been approached by a variety of partners, including an opera company, line dance instructors and a hip-hop group, who are interested in using the space. When Shegogue came from her home in Montgomery County to visit the facility for the first time, Lucas had already given 10 tours that day, the music director recalled with a laugh.

"That is really amazing and promising to me — to hear that people are already going, 'Ooh, what is this?'" she said.

Ultimately, Lucas hopes the Field will be used a third of the time for Free Range Humans programming, a third of the time by other organizations in the county that need a space to gather, and a third of the time by folks who "just want to try things," as she put it, whether they be local bands, individual artists or students.

"We just want to be able to say, 'Yup, come on in, give us part of the door [charge], and do your thing,'" Lucas said. "Let's mix up our different audiences, so that this is a place where everybody feels comfortable coming and trying things."

Although local artists Justin Allen and his wife, Brooke Hall, are still thinking about the specific creative ventures they'd like to explore at The Field, Allen said they are excited to have a space to be able to gather and imagine with other artists. Currently, Allen serves as COO at What Works Studio, the marketing firm his wife founded in 2009 and where she now serves as CEO. Though the firm may be their bread and butter, Allen said he and Hall are creatives at heart. He's a musician, and she's a dancer.

Allen is excited for The Field to open for reasons other than the creative opportunities it will provide. He says it's important for a community's economic development to have a vibrant cultural scene. And while the city of Frederick has done a great job supporting that effort, he said, the area can only benefit from having more spaces for people to come together and create.

"We need art spaces that challenge what we consider art, because isn't that what art is at its best?" he said. "It challenges your perceptions and your notions, it forces you to see things from a different perspective. It makes you question your assumptions. That's what I look forward to seeing in Elizabeth's space, because I think she's the right catalyst for that kind of creativity."

Now, Lucas is just waiting on the county's approval for the center to open. Free Range Humans is aiming to debut The Field on July 16, with its performance of "Triangle," a mystery-romance musical, which will also run on July 17. Then, the plan is to start welcoming people into the space as it currently exists — creepy walls and all. "I hope this is going to be an art center for a long time to come and a resource, but we need the community to want that, too," she said.

Follow Angela Roberts on Twitter: @24_angier

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Marci Shegogue is the Free Range Humans artistic director. She is the organization's music director. This article has been updated.