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Out ch'Yonda, Albuquerque's space for alternative thinking, action, theater and other entertainment, is preparing to shut down by the end of June.

Co-founders Virginia Hampton and Stephanie Willis cited difficulty in coming up with rent for the space at 929 Fourth St. S.W. as the main reason.

But the marginal condition of the building itself, which has been an auto sales and repair shop and a tractor and equipment company, also played a role.

"We needed to do more with the building," Willis said. "I think we kind of reached a point where we needed to put up more or not do it. We were just at a crossroads."

In an e-mail sent to supporters this week, Out ch'Yonda's staff asked for donations to help pay this month's rent.

"If you can, please drop a donation in the mail or by the space by Sunday," the e-mail read.

Hampton and Willis started Out ch'Yonda more than five years ago in the funky, old building in Albuquerque's Barelas neighborhood.

The first show in the space was George Wolfe's "The Colored Museum," a collection of humorous, irreverent and feeling skits about being black in America.

Since then, it has staged a wide variety of plays as well as poetry marathons, White History Week celebrations, theater workshops for kids, yoga classes, video dance parties, art shows and more.

"It's been good," Willis said. "It's been great to have access to so many great artists, both local and national. So many really incredible artists have done things in there."

But running Out ch'Yonda could be tough on a small staff that needed other jobs to make a living.

"It takes a lot of our energy," Hampton said. "It's a lot of work."

And making ends meet has always been a challenge. According to the e-mail, staff members paid the December and January rents out of their own pockets.

Hampton said the winter months are particularly tough because the heating bills for the old building are high, and because the space is so cold it's difficult to book programs or attract audiences.

Hampton said the company plans to move out by the end of June but will continue to present programs through May and is still accepting proposals for empty dates during that period.

Out ch'Yonda's annual poetry marathon, scheduled for April 18-20, is being called "The Last Word" to mark the company's impending demise.

On Sunday, after the presentation of the play "My Name is Rachel Corrie," Out ch'Yonda is having a Black Tea Party featuring an aggregation of DJs playing music to listen and dance to, a chance to trade favorite music mixes and, of course, black tea.