May 24, 2024

Unique Auction Finds: Inside Grafe Auction's Theater Auctions

While many of our auctions revolve around retail and food service establishments, business liquidations are conducted for a wide variety of business types. From race tracks to event centers and even theaters, Grafe Auction has conducted auctions for all of them. This blog explores one of those unique auction venue categories - theaters. In the past year, Grafe Auction worked with several venues that contain theaters, some of which we'll explore here.

Laugh Out Loud

After 17 years of making people laugh in Schaumburg, Illinois, Grafe Auction completed an auction for Laugh Out Loud in May of this year. During those 17 years, actors performed improv comedy for audiences in the Schaumburg area. They held both family-friendly and late-night improv shows for adults as well as stand-up comedy nights. They not only hosted shows, but also held classes and workshops for those that would like to learn, as well as private events. Today, the company continues its work outside those theater walls with custom comedy shows and corporate trainings, and plan to bring their comedy to other theaters in the area.

Inventory Breakdown: Laugh Out Loud’s Auction Highlights

The Laugh Out Loud auction had 312 lots, 226 bidders, and 14,271 bids. The auction featured an extensive array of items from various categories, including:

Theater Equipment: Stage lighting, audio equipment, projectors, and more.
Furniture: Tables, chairs, benches, bar stools, and portable staging.
Kitchen and Bar: Refrigerators, freezers, ice machines, beverage dispensers, glassware, and bar accessories.
Memorabilia and Decor: Signage, posters, costumes, and props that captured the spirit of Laugh Out Loud Theater.
Office and Technology: Computers, printers, cash registers, and office supplies.

The sale included both used and new items, with prices ranging from as low as $0.10 for individual glasses to $900 for larger appliances like an ice machine. In fact, the highest-selling items were from the kitchen and bar, which are frequently found at events venues such as theaters. Many of the items were sold individually, while others were grouped together as lots.

Milwaukee Theater Equipment Auction

In April of 2023, Grafe Auction conducted an auction for a theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The theater hosted musical and comedy acts for over two decades before the auction took place in 2023.

Auction Details: From Instruments to Lighting

For this auction, a variety of theater and stage equipment was sold. There were 229 lots, 265 bidders, and 15,058 bids. The main categories of items sold include:

Musical instruments and accessories: Drumsticks, guitar strings, tuners, foot pedals, and drum hardware.
Audio and video equipment: Microphones, speakers, amplifiers, mixers, headphones, direct boxes, and audio accessories. Video equipment included cameras, projectors, screens, and video accessories.
Lighting equipment: Stage lights (ETC Source Four, Martin, Chauvet), light control consoles, dimmer packs, lighting cables, and accessories.
Theater furnishings: Chairs, stools, tables, booths, coat racks, and portable staging. Curtains and drapes: Stage curtains, backdrops, and drapery hardware. Office and kitchen equipment were also on the list.
Miscellaneous stage equipment: Fog machines, snow machines, disco balls, stanchions, and various accessories.

The items ranged from small accessories to large, professional-grade equipment. Prices varied widely, from less than a dollar for individual items to several thousand dollars for high-end audio and lighting systems. Notable high-value items included:

DiGiCo and Soundcraft digital mixing consoles selling from $1,000 all the way up to $27,500.
L-Acoustics speaker systems ranging from $500 speakers to $18,000 subwoofers.
Martin and Robert Juliana professional lighting fixtures selling for $1,100 to $2,300.
Large stage curtains and backdrops ranged from $400-$1600 in drapes to $2,200 for a backdrop curtain with fiber optic lighting.

Overall, the sale encompassed a comprehensive range of equipment used in theater and live event production, suitable for buyers ranging from small venues to professional production companies.

The Comedy Shrine

Also in 2023, Grafe Auction worked with The Comedy Shrine in Aurora, Illinois. The theater opened in 2005 and had moved to a larger location in that included multiple theaters for its comedy acts. The comedy club brought in outside acts, open mic comedy nights, and also planned to host comedy classes during the day. Similar to the other theaters, the club had a bar and lounge area with food service equipment up for grabs once the auction took place.

The Comedy Shrine Auction: A Detailed Look at Available Lots

The Comedy Shrine auction consisted of 229 lots, 265 bidders, and 15,058 bids. The main categories of items sold included:

Lighting and audio equipment: Various stage lights (Blizzard Lighting, ETC), lighting control consoles, and lighting accessories. Audio equipment including speakers (Yamaha, Behringer), microphones (Shure), mixers (Yamaha, Mackie), amplifiers, and audio accessories.
Furniture and Office Equipment: Tables, chairs, and miscellaneous furniture from around the theater. Additionally, office furniture such as desks, file cabinets, printers, and miscellaneous office supplies.
Bar and kitchen equipment: Refrigerators, ice makers, bar sinks, glassware, and miscellaneous bar supplies.
Décor and signage: Lighted signs, display cases, mannequins, and various decorative items.

The items ranged from small accessories to large, professional-grade equipment. Prices varied widely, from less than a dollar for individual glassware to several thousand dollars for high-end refrigeration units and lighting systems. Notable high-value items included:

Everest glass door self-contained bottle coolers ranged from $1,500 to $1,700 each.
Manitowoc self-contained ice makers went for $1,400 to $1,700 each.
ETC ColorSource 20 lighting control consoles were $750 to $900 each.
Blizzard Lighting Aria Profile RGBW lighting fixtures sold for $375 - $500 each.

Overall, the sale encompassed a comprehensive range of equipment suitable for buyers looking to set up or upgrade similar theater or comedy club venues.

Arts and theater equipment can be found at other venues too, including at auctions for schools like the auctions we conducted for Owatonna Public Schools.

CinéArts 6 Auction Overview: From Concessions to Seating

Theater auctions don't just encompass live performances; Grafe Auction also worked with several movie theaters, schools, and events venues. One such theater, CinéArts 6 in Evanston, Illinois closed in 2020 and its owners reached out to us to conduct an auction two years later. While not a live performance venue, movie theaters contain much of the same categories of equipment on auction. This auction included items from their six-screen theater, concession area and bistro restaurant equipment and consisted of 164 lots, 158 bidders, and 10,493 bids.

Inventory: From Concessions to Comfort

The main categories of items sold included:

Kitchen and concession equipment: Ice machines, coolers, freezers, prep tables, sinks, kitchen shelving, popcorn machines, warming drawers, and an ice cream machine.
Bar equipment: Keg coolers, underbar sinks, ice chests, liquor displays, and bar mats.
Furniture: Theater seating, booths, tables, chairs, bar stools, and lounge seating.
Audio/visual equipment: Speakers, amplifiers, sound systems, projector screens, and digital message boards.
Décor: Movie posters, signs, columns, and lighting fixtures.

The items ranged from small accessories to large, commercial-grade equipment. Prices varied widely, from less than a dollar for individual items to several thousand dollars for larger pieces of equipment. Notable high-value items included:

Manitowoc ice machine with bin and accessories for $1,600.
Turbo Air refrigerated keg cooler for $1,200.
A Taylor counter-top ice cream machine went for $550.
A 12' half-circle stage auctioned off at $350.

Many items, particularly furniture and décor, were sold in sets or groups, while others were sold individually. Overall, the auction encompassed a comprehensive range of equipment and furnishings similar to live entertainment venues.

Encore Performance: Continuing the Legacy of Theater Equipment Auctions

As the curtain falls on our exploration of theater auctions, it's clear that these events do more than just sell equipment; they extend the life and stories of vibrant performance spaces. Theater auctions, like those conducted for the venues described in this blog, serve as pivotal venues for transferring valuable assets from established institutions to new and emerging venues, ensuring the continuation of cultural enrichment and entertainment. Each item sold carries with it a legacy of performances and audiences, now set to create new memories elsewhere.

Whether you're a small community center looking to enhance your theatrical capabilities, or a burgeoning comedy club in need of professional-grade audiovisual equipment, theater auctions offer a plethora of possibilities. Aside from just stand alone theaters, this equipment can be found in venues such as schools, events centers, and more.

With every bid, buyers not only acquire a piece of performance history but also contribute to the sustainable practice of reusing and repurposing equipment that still has much to offer. As we continue to support the arts through these auctions, Grafe Auction invites you to participate in the next act—where your bids help keep the vibrant spirit of theater alive and thriving. Join us at our upcoming auctions and play your part in this ongoing story of performance and possibility.

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