David Greenspan, Actor/Playwright/Director

Resident at Westbeth since 2000

Bill [Kennon] and I were on the Westbeth waiting list for ten years–diligently updating our application year after year. I was acting in a play at HB on Bank Street when we received the call about an apartment. Bill met me, and we hightailed it around the corner. Shelly and Victor showed us the place. It seemed so small to me compared to our railroad flat in Jersey City. Bill knocked some sense into me. We were accepted–and from the moment we moved in, we knew how lucky we were. Once we took down the extra closets left by the previous tenant, the apartment filled with northern Bethune Street light.

The gallery is a blessing for Bill. He has exhibited numerous times in the holiday and print shows–and had a very successful solo exhibition. I move the furniture around in our apartment to rehearse my theater roles. I write my plays at an eleven-foot desk (also left by the previous tenant).

Years before we moved in, Bill and I worked as waiters at the old Paris Commune (411 Bleecker Street). I dreamed of living in this neighborhood, but never thought it would come about, never thought we’d be able to afford it. We still couldn’t afford it were it not for this building. We love this Village enclave. It never ceases to amaze me that we can greet at least four or five Westbeth neighbors every time we’re out with the dog or walking home from work or shopping. It’s a great home.