Standing outside of an old warehouse on Front Street, the only apparent sign of activity were the El roaring by and the occasional mangy cat. Victor Gennaro, creator and one of the many behind whatever the hell Fishtown Collective actually is, greeted me at the door and welcomed me in. Inside were about twenty college kids running around and working on a dazzling number of seemingly unrelated projects, like a hipster version of Santa’s workshop. In one corner, six or seven people worked on what looked like miniature skyscrapers made out of cardboard tubes; in another, people were hard at work fixing lighting rigs and setting up projectors. There was an obvious excitement in the air, everyone rushing to get ready for May 9th. We sat down at one of the few places where work wasn’t being done in order to figure out just what all this was about.

two.one.five: So, what exactly is Fishtown Collective?
Victor Gennaro, FTC: Fishtown Collective is an old plastic factory me and a bunch of other college kids throughout the city have been working on for the past couple months to put together a performance space for other young artists to express themselves.

two.one.five: What was the genesis of the idea?
FTC: I’ve always been interested in studying music and how different types of music become popular. I came to the conclusion that many movements start around “scenes” which usually develop around certain areas where things go on and it made me think about where our scene was. We live in Philadelphia, which is an affordable place with all these artists living here and there aren’t that many places that serve as a central hub for scenes to grow. I guess instead of waiting around some friends and I decided to create a spot of our own where we could perform our own pieces.

two.one.five: A lot of people would say one that one of Philadelphia’s greatest draws is that it already has a huge music scene. Why did you feel this urge to create your own?
FTC: Oh it does, it definitely does and we don’t want to take away from that at all. One of the things I love about Philadelphia is it has a very D.I.Y. system when it comes to music. Anyone can really work their butt off and get involved without having to be in a certain group. The problem is once you start going north towards Northern Liberties and Fishtown there are less and less spaces available to promote that kind of creativity. When I think of our space, I think of the "Hey Arnold!" episode where they converted the vacant lot into a baseball field. Since we are a relatively new company, with the conversion of the warehouse we can turn the atmosphere into anything we really want.

two.one.five: What is the story with this space anyways? This place is the size of the TLA and I can’t imagine it just fell from the sky?
FTC: My friend Will’s father actually owns this space. It was simply sitting here vacant with a ton of junk in it when he approached me about helping him set it up as a practice space. Obviously, a spot this big shouldn’t just be practiced in, especially in a city where actual space is usually the biggest problem for artists.

two.one.five: How long have you guys been working on this? May 9th is coming up.
FTC: We’ve been working on this since late December.  Since we’re all pretty young we knew most people wouldn’t take us seriously unless we had our shit together. We’ve been planning and getting advice, hoping that we tie up any loose ends before people even find out.

two.one.five: How has support been from neighboring businesses and the community?
FTC: We’ve actually gotten support from the Kelly family and a lot of local businesses in the area. For instance, most of the lumbar used to build the stage was donated and the city seems to be really supportive when you have a D.I.Y. attitude. Situations where we might have been really screwed like not having gels for lights have instantly been eliminated by people willing to lend a hand. I think all of us realize this is a great platform to gain experience with something we might not have a chance to do otherwise.

two.one.five: Any negatives from other venues?
FTC: Ha ha, I wish. It would give us more press, really. I think most of the other venues in the area know that since we’re looking at a slightly younger crowd and were relatively new, we weren't any sort of competition for them. Most are pretty excited since anything that draws talent to the area is good for everyone.

two.one.five: So, it’s May 9th and you’re getting ready to open the doors, what’s your ideal type of crowd?
FTC: I guess I’d have to say open minded, passionate artists. I don’t mean “art type” as in 'does things thought of as normally artistic.' I guess I really just want kids from all over to put aside their regular B.S. differences that says 'I’m this type of hipster,' or 'I’m that kind of punk' or 'I take pictures,' or 'I’m an actor' and realize that we're all trying to say the same thing. I don’t really care what “type” of person it is that comes through the door, just that they want to have a good time and can appreciate other people's talent.

two.one.five: What upcoming projects are you guys working on?
FTC: May 21, we're going to be having a gallery for City Year students to get an even younger audience involved with Philadelphia’s art scene. We’re also working on several projects for the summer, possibly having hour plays by Philadelphia playwrights, followed by films produced in the area.

For more information about Fishtown Collective visit www.fishtowncollective.blogspot.com. May 9th is their debut night with a Gallery at 7-8:30pm and Bands from 8:30pm to 2am.