CMU School of Drama


Friday, January 13, 2023

Choosing Between Performance Equipment Upgrades or a Venue Renovation

ASTC: In the second half of the 20th century there was an explosion of performing arts venues built on college campuses, in city centers, and in more far-flung areas of the United States. Baby boomers born in the postwar years were coming of age, going to college, and there was a need to build new venues for theatre, opera, dance, and music.

1 comment:

Sawyer Anderson said...

I found this article to be very interesting. The one thing that was addressed but I do not think it was addressed clearly enough was safety. If your venue is not structurally sound or has asbestos how is safe for actors to perform, crew to do their job, and audiences to sit in the venue? That is a major issue. Additionally, what do you do if you are not fortunate enough to have the money to fix these issues? Of course you can go to donors and seek out the help of your university or community, but if you are unable to do so you may have to find a new venue. As well, ticket sales bring in money. If you do have the money to make these renovations, how do you continue to make money while these renovations are going on? There are solutions such as outside performances or doing the construction during your off season, but if it is a major issue they need to be addressed immediately. When it comes to new technology your crew needs to be trained on it, and quite frankly, they might be resistant to it if they have been working with the same technology for years. There needs to be a sense of adaptability that is instilled from the beginning for all these issues, and hopefully it is there as that is a part of theater.