Students ask trustees to build theater space

By Chris Cirgenski

At Thursday’s open trustees meeting more than 50 students showed up to voice their discontent with the current state of performance space at Oberlin and demanded the immediate construction of new theater space.

Despite large earmarked donations and enthusiastic student support, a new theater space has failed to materialize for the last five years.

Approximately $1.1 million was raised in recent years explicitly for building a student “black-box theater.” However, according to Student Performing Arts Center Committee, an organization that has pushed for construction of new performance space for extracurricular student productions, the Board of Trustees has pushed aside building new theater space since Sept. 11 and the economic downturn.

“Oberlin has continuously denied theater and dance groups the space they need,” one student said at last night’s meeting. “The notion that the arts thrive under adversity has been pushed to a ridiculous extent.”

President Nancy Dye said that more funds were necessary to build theater space.

“We just aren’t raising enough money right now,” Dye said. “We’ve raised $1.1 million but we would need to raise at least five million. It’s perfectly appropriate and productive to talk once again about this project but the board will not draw money from the endowment for this. We’re going to have to raise the money.”

SPACE member Josh Luxenberg fears that student theater may be overlooked again.

“We can’t wait forever for a three million dollar donation while leaving current students out of luck and the College lagging behind our peerinstitutions,” he said.

Three options for new theater space are: near Dascomb, behind Hall Auditorium, or a renovation of the Crayne Pool facility in Hales Gym. SPACE supports the renovation of the Crayne Pool.

The Crayne Pool proposal took center stage at the trustees forum with students presenting a diagram of the converted space they say could be completed with the $1.1 million already raised.

Many student theater groups are forced to use unconventional rehearsal spaces due to conflicts in the few performance venues available on campus.

“It’s very disruptive to be practicing in a lounge with people walking through,” said one student at the forum.

Theater is now the fifth most popular major at Oberlin College making the need for new space all the more pressing according to groups like SPACE.

“We need this space now,” one student at the forum said. “We can’t wait any longer.”

The trustees were receptive to student concerns but made no promises about the future.

“This has been a hot topic that we need to take care of right away for about 30 years,” trustee Peter Kirsch said. “It’s an immensely complicated problem.

A 2001 program review by the Theater and Dance program found that extracurricular theater was underfunded.

“It has received very poor logistical support from the College,” the review declared.

Although it has been a topic of discussion within the administration for over 30 years, Oberlin has continuously failed to provide the resources necessary to equip student theater & dance groups with dedicated performance, shop and rehearsal facilities.”

“Please, please, please, build a building where students can have productions, too,” implored one senior.