Art enthusiasts in Tallahassee now have a new creative hub with the opening of the Req Room, a venue designed to celebrate all forms of artistic expression.
Located near Fifth Avenue in Midtown and on the corner of North Monroe Street, the Req Room held its official grand opening on Jan. 6. The venue features an art gallery and equipment such as microphones and speakers for performers to use.
Tallahassee has long been a city with a vibrant arts culture, but finding flexible and affordable venues to appreciate art can be difficult. The Req Room, which aims to become a place for creativity in all forms. People can book the venue for musical lessons, open mics nights, or even parties with rates ranging from $50 to $400. According to the Req Room website, the space is available to rent for a variety of purposes including poetry readings, book clubs, award ceremonies, and concerts.
Chris Seepersaud, a music educator of over 20 years and the owner of Seepersaud Studios, is the owner of the Req Room. Seepersaud was inspired to create the venue after noticing a growing need for a space where people could showcase their talents, especially as Railroad Square is undergoing a transformation.
“I have so many friends, fans from my concerts, people that I’ve met, that have so many great things that they do but not necessarily a place to do it. Railroad has been such a staple for people, but it’s going through a transformation and it likely won’t be as helpful to as many artists, ” Seepersaud said. “It’s supposed to be a contribution to all of the artists as well as a place for me to do group teaching.”
Seepersaud cited that the venue is the result of a collaboration between he and Carrie Hamby, owner of the Blue Tavern. Hamby’s love for the arts community is something that Seepersaud noticed while performing at the Blue Tavern, and it has been the driving force of their partnership.
“She and I really want artistic communities to thrive. We want money to flow through the hands of people in Tallahassee,” Seepersaud said.
Seepersaud has already been coordinating with artists and organizations in Tallahassee to create captivating events for the community. Among those artists is literary artist Melissa Price, who currently uses the Req Room to host her literary open mic event known as “It’s LIT,” which takes place every other Sunday.
Through “It’s LIT,” Price has cultivated a space for writers and poets to come together and share their works to an audience. Price has worked with Seepersaud on projects in the past and says the event came about when Seepersaud reached out to her about starting a book club at the Req Room.
“I always wanted to do a literature night instead. There’s open mic nights for musicians but not really one dedicated for speaking only,” Price said. “I haven’t held the event anywhere else. It came out because of this new space which is perfect for it really.”
Many of the artists who will have opportunities to engage with others at the Req Room will be students. Oluwamodupe Oloyede, a Theater-Performance student at Florida A&M University, believes that the Req Room could be a great place for young artists to display their talents.
“It will be great to have a place to use for music, theater, poetry slams. That’s the type of stuff that I grew up really wanting to be around,” Oloyede said. “We have such big dreams and we just need a venue to host them at.”