Three weeks after the Brooklyn Mirage abruptly canceled its opening night, the venue is still dark — and its CEO has reportedly been axed.
Josh Wyatt, who took over the role in October, was fired on Thursday, according to an internal email shared online and confirmed by BKMag and Billboard.
“Effective immediately, Josh Wyatt is no longer with Avant Gardner,” the email reads, and non-executive Chairman of the Board Gary Richards will be stepping in as interim CEO to manage “day-to-day operations.”
Representatives for Avant Gardner did not return a request for comment on Friday, and Brooklyn Paper was not immediately able to reach Wyatt, who also set his previously-public Instagram account to private.
Wyatt, who had previously worked as CEO of Fotografiska International and CultureWorks Group, was brought on as Avant Gardner’s first-ever CEO last fall. He immediately announced plans to “transform” the Brooklyn Mirage. In March, Avant Gardner released renderings of the “New Mirage,” which would feature large screens, a bigger dance floor, and state-of-the-art tech and was set to open May 1.
But come May 1, the Mirage canceled its opening night hours before DJ Sara Landry was set to take the stage. In an Instagram post, the venue said it had failed to meet its final inspection deadline.
City records showed that several of the Mirage’s construction permits are “on hold,” and that the venue has yet to obtain a Temporary Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation from the Department of Buildings. City Hall told Brooklyn Paper the Mirage “does not currently meet the standards required for either a permanent or temporary structure.”
The following day, the Brooklyn Mirage canceled all of its shows for that weekend. On May 7, it postponed a performance scheduled for May 9 until August, and relocated another performance to the Brooklyn Storehouse.
British record label Ajunabeats, which had been set to hold its Ajuna25 NYC “takeover” event at the Brooklyn Mirage on May 16 and 17, was forced to host the event across five different venues in the city, saying it was “impossible to secure a single venue capable of hosting the entire experience.”
On social media, the Brooklyn Mirage repeatedly thanked fans for their patience and said it was hoping to open “as soon as possible.”
On May 20, the Mirage postponed all of its shows for Memorial Day Weekend to dates in July and August.
“We apologize to our incredible community of fans, artists, crew members, and staff for the delay,” the venue wrote in an Instagram post. “Although the Brooklyn Mirage is opening later than anticipated, we are making great progress towards opening our doors. We take responsibility for the delay and are working diligently with the City of New York to make sure that we meet all regulations and requirements, so that we can deliver a safe and unforgettable experience for everyone.”
The venue promised to share additional updates about its projected opening date “by the end of this week,” but had not posted any information as of 5:35 p.m. on Friday, May 23 — the start of Memorial Day Weekend.
As of May 23, no inspections had taken place at Brooklyn Mirage, per public records, and none were scheduled.
