By Managing Editor Molly Barrieau
Building 310, forever known as Malaspina Theatre on campus, finally received its much needed facelift on Friday, September 2. After news broke about beloved professor Mike Taugher’s passing in August 2015, the Theatre Department has tirelessly spent the last year gathering donations and support for the overhaul.
“I am very proud to have the opportunity to finish what he started in the rejuvenation of the theatre,” said Leon Potter, Theatre Chair and professor.
First to go were the tired seats, replaced with bright blue theatre seats to match the new blue geometric carpet in the lobby—a continuous look that also appears in the Welcome Centre. The new seats have small built-in desktop dedications, and the dark plastic backs allow the theatre to better achieve a “full blackout” during shows, according to Potter. Bar stools and tables have been added by the windows for patrons during intermission, along with a new seating area under a large flood light where the bar used to stand.
“One of the key factors to the lobby was to open up the window corner that had been shut off for so long,” says Potter in an email. “This building is quite often both the first and last impression students have of the university—with everything from student orientation to grads—this is why this whole renovation was so important.”
This year marks the theatre’s 40th anniversary, and with that comes it’s fall and spring shows, planned for November 9-12 and March 2-11. Along with their seasonal productions, the annual One Act Festival in January and a 24 hour playwriting competition from November 18-20 where anyone can join a team and use props provided to create a short play over the weekend.
There are talks of open auditions for the fall production of Departures and Arrivals by Carol Shields, where community members and professors are welcome to join the cast in the contemporary limbo of an airport lounge. Auditions are Sept 14 at 7 pm.
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