Oberlin is constantly infused with creativity: The beginning of spring semester packed six productions in under 14 days, not including a film festival, art exhibits and student concerts. Six weeks ago, student improv groups performed, short films were screened and a night of spoken word occurred all within a few days of each other.

Two weeks ago, the first annual ArtsFest filled all corners of campus for four days showcasing theater, dance and music performances, gallery and installation art, student films and workshops. Despite an abundance of student productions on campus, an agreement has yet to be reached concerning an adequate theater facility.

ArtsFest was the culmination of efforts put forth by the SPACE Committee in an attempt to express the variety of student art events that could enhance Oberlin culture with the addition of a new performing arts building, or what they are calling the Oberlin Arts Center. Led by senior Josh Luxenberg and junior Jon Levin, the Committee describes themselves as “a group of students dedicated to following through on the College’s commitment to construct a new theater and arts center and to the planning and administration of the completed project.”

Pamphlets distributed by the Committee that same weekend ventured to convey the progress of the situation, saying that “the College is in the process of renovating the basement of South Dormitory...con-vert[ing it] into several spacious new theatrical rehearsal studios, which will be complete and operational by fall ’06.”

“Personally, I think the SPACE Committee made a big mistake this weekend...they make it sound like everything will be fine. It might not be,” said a sophomore theater and dance major who wishes to remain anonymous.

Appeals have been made at class trustee open forums and the Committee has also made this issue known to College President Nancy Dye. Where things stand, however, seem to be hazy, especially when the question of a source for funding arises.

“Nancy seems very supportive of it, but she has not been able to raise money for it,” said theatre professor Paul Moser.

“Getting the jazz building had nothing to do with students jumping up and down...it was sheer luck,” said theatre professor Michael Grube, suggesting that a donor stepping in would solve a large part of the problem.

There are a number of student theatre organizations on campus, such as the Oberlin Student Theatre Association, Oberlin Gilbert and Sullivan Players and the Oberlin Musical Theatre Association. Students have also gathered to form radical groups of their own, ranging from improv, such as the Sunshine Scouts, to physics-defying, such as OCircus!

With an abundance of performances and even more potential performances, the issue of just finding a place to meet for rehearsals becomes a stressful endeavor. In the past, according to Moser, some students have even resorted to working in the basements of campus buildings. Eventually, fire safety regulations prohibited such use.

“OSTA shows sometimes don’t have space to rehearse,” said OSTA co-chair junior Barry Bryan. “I just want those who aren’t in the [theatre] department but are very artistic and creative to get to do things.”

With all this overcrowding, Grube believes that a lot of “shows that should happen, haven’t.”

“We have one theatre that we share with the Conservatory, and that’s just absurd...[it is] totally peculiar. [It is] not healthy for the theatre department to have that relationship with the Con.” Moser said.

Existing facilities on campus include Hall Auditorium, Little Theater, Wilder Main, Warner Center, Hales Gymnasium and North Starlight Lounge, none of which were originally built to be theatres. In 1954, architect Wallace Harrison envisioned Hall as a multi-purpose auditorium, later refitted to be a theatre. Similarly, Little Theatre was a television studio in the 1960s; there is a low ceiling in the current lighting booth, because it had been a changing booth.

“I love Little Theatre...but it’s just not enough,” said OMTA co-chair sophomore Emily Tinawi. “We might as well be doing high school theatre...It’s a shame, because great shows go up all the time.”

With “no dressing rooms, no backstage, no entrances, [it is] a horrible, horrible little space, but at least it has a little intimacy,” said Moser.

Sources claim that Wilder Main used to be a ballroom, a sort of banquet party room.

“There is no backstage area,” said sophomore Anne Cherry.

“It’s fairly homogenous. It ends up being a lot of people standing around talking,” said Levin.

Windows let light into the room and hamper the imaginative capabilities for any production. Interference from the ’Sco presents a problem stacking multiple layers of sound. In all the current theatre spaces, adequate seating is also a difficult obstacle.

The idea of renovating the Crane pool constructed in 1931 was entertained for a bit; Grube spent some time creating a possible design. The SPACE Committee hopes for a facility with a black box theatre as the main stage, a “cabaret” theater for improv shows and student films, gallery space, screening rooms and design and rehearsal studios.

“The spaces we currently have are antithetical to creativity,” Levin said. He believes that the lack of an up-to-date facility “definitely puts Oberlin at a disadvantage.”

Moser noted that other liberal arts colleges have recently erected new theatres and may begin to slowly gain in the race against Oberlin to provide a multi-faceted theatre environment.

Grinnell completed the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts in May 1999 outfitted with three theatres (including a black box theatre), climate-controlled gallery space, state-of-the-art recital hall, fully equipped art studios and more.

In Northfield, Minnesota, Carleton College has been working closely with Minneapolis planning firm Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc. in assessing the needs of the fine and performing arts program in order to renovate their facilities. An admissions representative stressed that over the past three decades, the size of the school has increased almost 50 percent, prompting adjustments to more adequately accommodate academic programs.

“People come to do theatre...we’re regarded pretty highly,” said Tinawi. “As more and more colleges are getting better facilities...people interested in theatre [will] ask about that kind of thing, and I think that really affects us.”

The Oberlin website states, “It would be an understatement to say that Oberlin students are passionate about the arts.” The SPACE Committee has mentioned before that the College’s rankings in the Princeton Review for theatre have fallen; others speculate that Oberlin may lose its creative edge.

“If you raise the standards, people are going to want to come here,” said Luxenberg.