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OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL A new act for an old building Strike the set storage and bring actors on the scene for rehearsals By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 20, 2015 @ 7:49 pm Updated Aug 20, 2015 at 7:50 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 20, 2015 @ 7:49 pm Updated Aug 20, 2015 at 7:50 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> A $4 million overhaul of Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s big scene shop on First Street will be done this October, allowing its rebirth as the Hay-Patton Rehearsal Center, replete with advanced lighting, sound and plenty of room for previously cramped actors.  The large, nondescript building, just below Oregon Cabaret Theater, was built in the 1920s as a parking garage. It was later used as a bowling alley and roller rink and, in the 1970s, was an art school, before being taken over in the early 1980s by OSF as its production and scene facility, says OSF General Manager Ted DeLong.  Those functions — scene, prop shop, prop storage, maintenance and physical plant — moved to Talent last year, leaving the Hay-Patton center available for its present facelift.  The Ashland building, says DeLong, “will be primarily used for rehearsal, with some offices and a studio for voice and text staff, working with the Shakespearean language.”  The building, opened up long ago for production uses, is being made into six rehearsal rooms — three large, two small and one medium — and some conference and office rooms.  OSF did a “pretty hefty renovation” in the '80s when it bought the building, installing a gabled roof and steel supports, says DeLong.  “We’ve worked on this all year,” says OSF spokeswoman Amy Richard. “Right now, we’re spread all over the place, with various places for meetings. We have a real shortage of space.”  DeLong notes it’s a “top-to-bottom renovation, with new roof, interior partitions, all new windows, lots of new steel to support the roof, advanced lighting, all LED-driven, so it’s very cool and energy efficient, as well as dimmable. We’re adding theater infrastructure, so you can rig it from the ceiling to hang things. It’s got a totally new HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system, all the electrical connections for stage lights and a very advanced sound system. The sound can go anywhere in the building, so an actor can listen for a cue or you can page anyone.” Funding for the project was raised from major individual donors and institutional funders, and will, says DeLong, “provide state-of-the-art facilities for rehearsal and provide lots more space and amenities than we’ve had. It helps relieve the space crunch we’ve been undergoing for many years, in terms of rehearsals and educational events. We absolutely hope it makes life a lot better, more easy to schedule things and just more gracious in general.”  The building is the namesake of OSF Senior Scene Designer Richard Hay, who has designed 243 productions in 58 seasons with the Festival, and late Artistic Director Bill Patton, who served four decades, starting in 1955. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 20, 2015 @ 7:49 pm Updated Aug 20, 2015 at 7:50 PM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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