Construction Interferes With Play

Building updates have turned into a major inconvenience for the theater students of LBCC.

The Russell-Tripp Performance Center is currently getting new earthquake safety updates installed throughout the theater. Construction was supposed to be finished during the summer, leaving enough time for theater students to practice and put on the annual fall play.

However, the finish date has been pushed forward, leaving theater students and Black Curtain Society members alike out in the cold.

“We’ve had to re-think a couple of things. Originally we were to produce a play written by one of our students, Jakob Holding, entitled ‘The Hasbeens.’ Unfortunately, this has been cancelled because there is no theater,” said Dan Stone, the theater director at LBCC, “They are now left with producing a show in a found space…They now will be producing what’s called a harlequinade. This will also be accompanied by a short Commedia dell’Arte play.”

A harlequinade is a type of slapstick play that focuses on clowns, harlequins and stage effects with a love story tucked snug in the middle. A Commedia dell’Arte literally means “comedy of craft,” and is a type of improvisational play.

“It’s a shame the construction has interfered with the 2016-2017 fall term, putting the students organized fall play on a different course. Instead of having a full-length student written, student directed play, we are now hoping to raise money for ACTF by putting on a Commedia dell’Arte show this fall. We are grateful for the safety updates and hope students will become involved in the new project,” said Jaime Lee, student director of the fall term play.

Originally, the Black Curtain Society’s goal for the fall term play was to raise money for an upcoming trip to the American College Theater Festival in Colorado, but without a theater, they cannot use the play that had been student written and tailored for the fundraising event.

“I’m happy that the school is taking the earthquake that’s supposed to hit Oregon seriously. I think it’s really important that everything gets updated so we can be safer,” said Maddie Rogers, co-president of the Black Curtain Society. “I wish that we had a little more time to prepare so we could work the theater schedule around construction. I know it’ll be a bit of an inconvenience for a while, but the show must go on and we’ll find a way to make it through.”

There’s a reason for the construction stalling, though.

“We had discoveries that slowed progress,” said Dave Henderson, LBCC’s Financial Officer.

The construction crew discovered that the drawings provided of the internal structure of the Russell-Tripp were inaccurate, and that much more work had to be done than originally planned for. The theater is slated to be complete in the third week of October.

“This shouldn’t have an impact on anyone studying theater,” said Henderson.

Article by Moriah Hoskins