VANESSA TORTOLANO
New team, from left, Rico Sabatini, Lili Luxe and Apollo Marquez.
When Plan B threatened to shutter in mid-December amid accusations of harassment and discrimination, co-founder and former co-owner Rico Sabatini rushed into action.
“I didn’t want to see this space that I helped create close, and it was about to do that,” says Sabatini, who launched the Willy Street LGBTQ night club in 2009 and sold his share in 2014 to pursue a career in real estate.
Weeks earlier, a public uproar ensued when drag performers shared on Facebook how they’d been initially denied use of dressing rooms and bathrooms to prepare for a show, as reported by Our Lives magazine. After Plan B issued an apology, many came forward with stories of discrimination toward female-presenting staff people, underage girls being allowed in and served at the bar, and other unsavory, and potentially unsafe, situations. Then Sabatini bought the club from Josh Scherer, Albert Borokhim, and co-founder Corey Gresen.
Plan B closed its doors for good, effective Feb. 17. The revamped venue, christened Prism Dance Club, will focus on creating a safe space for patrons. Prism is slated for a grand opening on March 1 with aerial performers and go-go dancers and music from DJ Nick Nice. Prism’s first Leather + Lace event will take place on March 2.
Prism, with the tagline “Live Your Light,” has associations with the rainbow, but it also represents “bending to be different,” Sabatini says. He assembled a Madison nightlife dream team to support the new club. One major player is Apollo Marquez, long-time manager of the Inferno and producer of the popular Leather + Lace fetish night, which had been held at Plan B since May 2015 and has run for nearly 20 years. Sabatini and Marquez are finalizing a business partnership. Another addition is Lili Luxe, Madison event promoter, producer and burlesque performer, as social media and events coordinator. Much of the former bar staff was dismissed in order to accommodate new management and direction, Sabatini says.
Luxe has big plans for programming at Prism, including “Hot Flash,” for dancers who aren’t night owls, to be held the second Friday of each month from 8-10 p.m. She also plans more entertainment for weekend parties.
“An important factor to the programming updates is diversifying the artists and entertainers,” Luxe says. “We will be including people from every gender expression and body type because representation is important, and we will be celebrating beauty and talent that comes in all forms.”
Luxe will also provide safe-space trainings to staff so they can recognize and identify signs of aggression, better communicate with patrons, and learn about privilege and its impact on socialization. She undertook a similar role in her former position as manager of Tavernakaya.
“The training is only a component of creating a safe space,” says Luxe. “The active management and accountability is what will ultimately provide that promise to be better for our community.”
Other changes at Prism include lower drink prices and elimination of the cover charge for people 21 and older on Thursday and Friday nights. In addition, bathrooms are being renovated, the bar is getting an upgrade, and the owners plan to attend to some deferred maintenance issues.
Sabatini says creating a welcoming space is at the core of Prism’s mission, calling it “an all-inclusive safe space where anyone should be able to express themselves.” Such spaces are “few and far between,” he adds. “If you’re gonna come here, have a positive vibe, get ready to have fun.”
