You’ve heard of secret menus (Skittles Frappucino, anyone?) but what about secret bathrooms? Well, grab some TP and buckle in, because we found one at freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg.
When I first found the secret bathroom at freeFall Theatre, so many people chose to walk past it to head to the (typically more crowded) main restrooms, I felt like I’d stumbled onto Platform 9 ¾ in a world full of muggles. The usher assured me I could use it, so I did. Instead of rows of stalls, I’d found a private bathroom and sink. Instead of a stall with splashed bits of pee on the seat (women who think they can squat to pee really annoy those of us who know they can’t) I had a clean toilet seat.
Reader, I was in public bathroom heaven.
So how do you find the secret bathrooms (yes, they’re ADA compliant, and yes, there’s a men’s room here, too)? If freeFall has a show staged with avenue seating (as they do with their current show, “Lion in Winter”) and your seats are on the north side of the theater (meaning closer to First Avenue North than Central Avenue, past the bar) you’ll walk right past them as you enter the theater. If there’s no avenue seating (as with many of their shows) and only one main entrance to the theater, you can still use the restrooms: Simply look for the double doors just north of the bar; freeFall opens the restrooms for every show. Once through the glass doors, you’ll see signs above the bathrooms. A word of caution, though: If you use these bathrooms during the performance, please don’t let the door shut on its own, as everyone in the theater can hear it open and close.
One last bonus: Actor (and community outreach/marketing director) Matthew McGee tells us “the lighting in the mirrors in those … bathrooms are the best in the building. During ‘Mame’ I would go in there for finishing touches.”
We’ll pee to that.
This article appears in Nov 28 – Dec 4, 2019.