When former real estate developer Steve Kreitenberg purchased a Laundromat in Historic Filipinotown a year ago, he never envisioned it turning into a live theater.

But a few months ago,

Kreitenberg was contacted by Heidi Duckler, artistic director of the Collage Dance Theatre, a contemporary dance company in Beverly Glen that specializes in putting on performances in unusual places, from the old Herald Examiner building to the Lincoln Heights prison. Duckler wanted Kreitenberg’s Laundromat to host one of the company’s “Laundromatinee” performances.

Kreitenberg, a fan of local theater, agreed. But he soon found out it was a little more than he bargained for.

Every afternoon for two weeks, six dance troupe members rehearsed for two hours, amusing the customers. “Good thing that early afternoon tends to be our slow time,” he said.

Then on a late April weekend came the performances, which Kreitenberg described as “quirky.”

“They were putting themselves in the dryers, hanging from shelves, standing on the washing machines and dancing to what sounded like a hip-hop beat,” he said. “It’s a good thing that the dryers weren’t running.”

The audience loved it, though Kreitenberg said some of his regular customers were a bit put off when they were relegated to a small section of the facility. He did lose some income over the weekend.

After one of the performances, Kreitenberg was surprised when he was given a proclamation from Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas for being a patron of the arts.

Would he do it again?

“I might, but there would have to be some ground rules, like better signage so my customers know what to expect,” he said.