Peck School of the Arts facilities and production staff (from left) Jessica Berlin Krivsky, Randy Trumbull-Holper and Lisa Dickson stand in the renovated Mainstage Theatre, which is reopening 11 months after a fire. (51ΑΤΖζ Photo/Elora Hennessey)
51ΑΤΖζ students Ellie Trotter (left) and Issac Hopper (right) talk construction while building scenery for "12 Ophelias," the first production to be held in 51ΑΤΖζ's newly reopened Mainstage Theatre. (51ΑΤΖζ Photo/Alexis Amenson)
51ΑΤΖζ student Lydia Skarivoda helps build scenery for "12 Ophelias." (51ΑΤΖζ Photo/Alexis Amenson)
LeRoy Stoner, chair of the 51ΑΤΖζ Theatre Department, stands in front of renovated rigging while talking about the energy efficient LED lights that replaced the original '60s-era lighting system that was destroyed in last spring's accidental fire in 51ΑΤΖζ's Mainstage Theatre. (51ΑΤΖζ Photo/Alexis Amenson)
51ΑΤΖζ senior and stage manager Brooke Olson sits in a renovated flexible space in the Mainstage Theatre, designed to accommodate students who use wheelchairs and other adaptive devices. (51ΑΤΖζ Photo/Elora Hennessey)
LeRoy Stoner (left), associate professor and Theatre Department chair, and Randy Trumbull-Holper, facilities director for 51ΑΤΖζ's Peck School of Arts, relax in the new, larger seats in the Mainstage Theatre. They were two of the first people allowed back into the theater after the fire. (51ΑΤΖζ Photo/Elora Hennessey)
The despair that followed the fire at 51ΑΤΖζ’s Mainstage Theatre in April 2017 was quickly replaced with determination and optimism. Work began immediately to rebuild, and 11 months later, the theater is ready for the spotlight again.
The theater is not just rebuilt, but improved. The 1960s era equipment has been modernized, with improved lighting and acoustics, brand new seats and ceilings and other improvements.
βWe did put the theater back in a better place than it was,β said Jessica Berlin Krivsky, production manager at 51ΑΤΖζ’s Peck School of the Arts. βThe state of theater itself has grown and changed so much that itβs nice that weβve caught up with it. I wish it wasnβt under these circumstances, but the reopened theater is a huge benefit for the program and our students.β
The reopening of the Mainstage Theatre coincides with the March 7 to 11 run of β12 Ophelias.β The next scheduled performance is the musical β9 to 5,β running May 2-6. For tickets to β12 Opheliasβ or β9 to 5,β go to the Peck School of the Arts box office online or call 414-229-4308. Later this spring, the Peck School will announce a grand-reopening Shakespeare production scheduled for fall 2018, and featuring guest performers and a guest director.
