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Actor And Director Could Be Evicted By The Blue Man Group
By
Ben Muessig
Published Nov 8, 2009
Modified Nov 8, 2009
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By
Ben Muessig
Published Nov 8, 2009
Modified Nov 8, 2009
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East Village actor and director Sturgis Warner isn't just facing eviction from his apartment of more than 30 years — in a theatrical twist that adds insult to injury, he might get kicked out of his home by the producers of the Blue Man Group. In 2001, the moneymen behind the indigo-hued performance troupe purchased the building that houses their theater on Lafayette Street's Colonnade Row, where the 59-year-old thespian has lived in a fifth floor walk-up since 1978. Since then, the producers have been buying out tenants to convert the residences into their own apartments, a move that housing laws allow.
But Warner — whose lease expired on Sept. 30 and is awaiting an eviction notice — said he plans to stay in the apartment, which he renovated by hand to include a bathroom that serves as a darkroom, a washing machine that fits beneath his bed when it's not in use, and a bookcase made from a salvaged door that hangs from the rafters. "To ask me to give this up is asking a lot,” said Warner, whose rent has doubled from $250 per month to $500 per month over past three decades. “It’s my blood, sweat and tears. I’m lucky and grateful to have it.” Warner plans to fight the eviction in court — a move he hopes will buy him time as he waits for pending legislation in Albany that could protect his right to his rental.
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blue man group
eviction
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Ben Muessig
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