Upside Arts is a beloved youth and teen theatre education company founded in 2018 and is based in the Seacoast area of NH. The company found a new rehearsal and performance space at the Fox Run Mall in December of 2024; however, according to a Seacoastonline article, the mall will be demolished in February of 2026, and Upside Arts will lose its space after only one year there.
The company will be moving throughout January, but has not found a new location yet, and the clock is ticking.
“We knew going in that the mall had been sold and would be redeveloped in 2026. We weren’t sure exactly what that meant or if we would be allowed to stay, but it didn’t work out that way,” explained Alden Caple, co-founder of Upside Arts, adding that the company hopes to find another space in the Portsmouth area, but is “open to expanding our search slightly beyond Portsmouth.”
Upside Arts has created a GoFundMe page to support the company as they search for a new space. The company is looking for a location that includes storage, rehearsal spaces, and ample space to hold their many blackbox theatre productions. The Fox Run mall space provided all of this.
Josh Goldberg, Managing Director of Upside, says the space “meant we didn’t have to pack up our rehearsal supplies after every rehearsal… and even provided a storage space which made pulling props and costumes much easier,” noting that they didn’t have to schedule their productions around any other shows happening in that space, and could choose their own set design.
“It was much better, easier, and more effective,” he emphasized. Their studio at the mall was highly preferred over Upside’s previous “nomadic” feel. Rehearsals were constantly changing spaces, and each production would have its shows in a different space than the last.
Alexa Anderson, who has been an Upside Arts student for a year, commented on the mall space, describing it as “so much less chaotic,” also noting that her parents preferred a consistent space for drop off and pick up, rather than checking the schedule for every rehearsal, with people often showing up at the wrong place.
“I 100% prefer not moving around from location to location. It can be so tiring trying to adapt to a new space every rehearsal,” Anderson explained.
Isobel Ball, age eleven and an Upside Arts student since seven, said that the mall space is far better than Upside’s previous rehearsal spaces. She explained that the space included changing rooms and various rehearsal spaces, allowing the cast to move to different rooms to simultaneously rehearse multiple things.
Bell found that switching locations rehearsal by rehearsal, as Upside previously did, could get confusing and lengthen the rehearsal process, mentioning that every place was different, so the show would have to be re-spaced each time they were in a new building.
According to Goldberg, Upside has previously held their rehearsals and productions at The Players’ Ring, New Hampshire Theatre Project, Portsmouth Middle School, Community Campus, PPMtv, and The STAR Theatre.
Now that the mall space is gone, the company will have to return to their previous mobile schedule until a better space is found. “We’ve done it before, so we’ll do it again until the right space finds us,” says Caple.
Fortunately, Upside Arts plans to continue all productions as previously scheduled. Caple confirmed, saying, “We will do whatever it takes to keep our productions running on schedule.”
Anderson and Ball explained that they hope Upside finds another, hopefully more permanent, space, though they did love the one at the mall.
“It’s sad that Upside just got the space at the mall, and now it’s not going to be there anymore,” Ball said.
“I feel much more confident in theatre,” Ball continued, explaining how the company has impacted her life. Ball also mentioned that she made many good friends at Upside, who have stuck by her side for a long time. She explained that Upside is very inclusive, and no experience in theatre is needed to perform there.
“When I was new, they made me have an entirely new perspective on theatre,” Anderson said describing her experience at the company saying that they made theatre fun for her.
Caple outlined that Upside Arts is here to help kids learn and grow, while also being included and accepted.
“Not everyone who comes through Upside Arts’ doors will go on to do theatre in their life. Our goal is that, no matter where your student’s life is headed, we will help them become a more confident, empathetic, and versatile human being,” said Caple. “[The space] was a stepping stone towards our next chapter.”
