Also of note, a new theater complex will be complete in August, 2018 at Oberlin, so they are definitely investing in their program:
Through the generosity of Irene and Alan Wurtzel ’55, this highly adaptable space will accommodate between 250 and 300 seats. The Nord Performing Arts Annex will also boast a lobby, scene shop, laundry facility, restrooms, and other necessary spaces.
“The Eric Baker Nord Performing Arts Annex will give us, and subsequently the rest of the campus and greater Northeast Ohio, a flexible, medium-sized performance venue,” says Steggall.
This kind of adaptable space—one that allows for seating to be rearranged around a stage—is especially relevant to today’s student and theater practitioner, says Steggall. “It will introduce a whole new paradigm of curriculum and opportunities for the campus and the college.”
The new theater space will also allow the department to experiment with different types of productions. “It allows for modern curriculum,” says Steggall. “There’s a difference between sitting in an audience, looking at actors on stage as you would on a television screen, and looking at actors in the round as they can in this new, flexible space. It changes the energy dynamic, the approach, and the sightlines.”
According to Steggall, a performance in the round leaves little room for error and requires a greater attention to detail. “All the elements of the show have to be finished to a different degree. The audience sees the back of furniture and scenery, the costumes are 10 feet rather than 40 away, and the actors have an audience on all sides. We’ll have a completely different kind of approach to our productions.”
Concurrently, a much-needed renovation to Hall Annex will also take place, thanks to a generous donation from musical composer John Kander ’51. Originally used as a television studio, Little Theatre is considered by many in the theater department as a “found-space” adapted to function as a theater—but the very nature of it presents functional challenges. Following its renovation, the performance space will be renamed the John Kander Little Theatre in his honor.
Upon the spaces’ completion in August 2018, the Eric Baker Nord Performing Arts Annex and the renovated Hall Annex will adjoin directly with Hall Auditorium, creating an interconnected performing arts complex.
According to Stegall, the project is transformational for anyone who is interested in theater performance, and he sees the renovation as a “major hook” for the students who are visiting or intending to become a theater major. He also sees an opportunity to bolster the college’s profile in Northeast Ohio.