Collapsable Hole to Close Nov. 30 at Westbeth
The 26-year experimental performance space is losing its Bank Street location after Westbeth secured a higher-paying tenant.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Performance Art
The Collapsable Hole, an artist-run experimental performance space at Westbeth Artist Housing in Manhattan's West Village, will close on November 30, 2026, after losing its space at 155 Bank Street. The venue has operated for 26 years across two locations.
Why it matters
The closure removes a long-running collective platform for experimental performance in New York City. Westbeth's decision to lease the space to a higher-paying tenant highlights the pressure on artist-run venues in the city's real estate market.
The venue has operated for 26 years, with 13 years at its original Williamsburg location and 10 years at Westbeth since reopening in 2016. Its future programming and whether the collective will continue elsewhere have not been announced.
The players
Radiohole
Radiohole is an experimental performance collective that co-founded The Collapsable Hole in 2000.
Collapsable Giraffe
The Collapsable Giraffe is an artist collective that co-founded The Collapsable Hole alongside Radiohole in 2000.
Westbeth Artist Housing
Westbeth Artist Housing is a subsidized live-work complex for artists in Manhattan's West Village that has hosted the venue since 2016.
The details
The Collapsable Hole was founded in 2000 by Radiohole and the Collapsable Giraffe and received an Obie grant in 2003. Its original Williamsburg location closed on September 14, 2013, with a funeral service and second line procession, and the venue reopened in 2016 at Westbeth. The space operates on a collective structure without a designated leader, and its partners will host a free Celebration of Life on November 30 from 7:30pm to 10pm, open to artists, audiences and friends, with no RSVP required.
Timeline
September 14, 2013: Original Williamsburg location closed with a funeral service.
2016: The venue reopened at Westbeth Artist Housing.
November 30, 2026: The venue closes, with a Celebration of Life from 7:30pm to 10pm.
Season Trajectory
The 2013 Williamsburg closure ended the venue's first chapter, and its 2016 reopening at Westbeth established a second one. The November 2026 closure marks the end of that second chapter, leaving its future as an open question.
Audiences who wish to attend the final gathering can join the free Celebration of Life on November 30 from 7:30pm to 10pm without an RSVP. After that date, the venue's performances will no longer be available at its Bank Street space.
The takeaway
Experimental performance spaces built on collective management depend on affordable real estate, and the loss of a 26-year venue shows how quickly that foundation can shift. Readers interested in the work can follow the collective's final programming before November 30.
What happens next
The Celebration of Life will be held on November 30, 2026, from 7:30pm to 10pm, with free admission and drinks and no RSVP required.
Further reading
For more on the city's experimental stage work, see Performance Art in New York City.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Broadway World.
