Academy Theatre Cancels Steampunk Fest

The Academy Theatre in Avondale Estates has cancelled this weekend's Cinco-de-Steamfest (a combination of Cinco de Mayo and a steampunk festival) because of what theatre management calls "building problems."

In an email to Patch, artistic director Robert Drake said the organization may have to move out of its building at 119 Center St. next month.

Drake couldn't be reached Tuesday to elaborate on the problem. Avondale Estates City Manager Clai Brown said the city doesn't have any problems with the theatre.

Brown said the building owner wants to put it on the market. Several people working at the building on Tuesday afternoon said the theatre had lost its lease.

Patch will seek more information on this development.

Cinco-de-Steamfest was headlined in a Monday Patch article that previewed events this week.

Last year the steampunk festival called STEAMFest drew a good crowd of people dressed in Victorian period clothing to Avondale Estates.

Drake's email said,

"Our building situation made STEAMFest Tricky! Instead we will be presenting Collective 51's all women's improv and Onstage Atlanta will be using our space to present The 39 Steps."

The Academy Theatre's website says it's "the longest running professional theatre in Georgia" and was the first integrated theatre in the Southeast.

In case you don't know what steampunk is, www.steampunk.com says,

Steampunk has always been first and foremost a literary genre, or least a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy that includes social or technological aspects of the 19th century (the steam) usually with some deconstruction of, reimagining of, or rebellion against parts of it (the punk).