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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 9, 2005 Chris Sackett, chairman of Southern Oregon University�s Department of Theatre Arts, stands in the scene shop, which also doubles as rehearsal space in the cramped department. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Wanted: elbow room Southern Oregon University’s Department of Theatre Arts has a lot going for it, except enough space By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune ASHLAND — In the five years she studied acting at Southern Oregon University, Caroline Crocker lacked just one thing: room to move. Like most of the 200 sudents squeezed into a theater department built for 60, the June graduate had to scramble for space to practice her craft. "We’d go on the roof sometimes," recalls Crocker, 23, now an acting intern with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. "Sometimes we’d try to get space in the student union and just move chairs." Future students may not have to take such measures, however, thanks to a planned $4.2 million renovation and expansion that recently cleared an early hurdle. Advertisement As its session wound down, the Oregon Legislature approved SOU’s request for expenditures for the project. There’s one catch, though: The approval comes with no funding attached. "Essentially, what they’ve told us is ‘If you raise it, you can build it,’ " said Jacqueline Schad, SOU vice president for institutional advancement. Fund raising is the next step in the project that will add or expand more than 21,600 square feet of rehearsal space, classrooms, a dance studio, a costume shop, a scenery studio, a computer lab and faculty offices, said Chris Sackett, theater department chairman. The current building opened in 1982 when 30 students were enrolled in the program. Organizers then allowed for up to 60 students, which was regarded as a generous projection. By last fall, however, the program counted 210 theater majors and pre-majors among its ranks. "The building is being asked to accommodate over three times what it was designed for," said Sackett. Expansion has been a long time coming. First proposed in 1998, the theater project was second only to the $11.4 million Center for the Visual Arts on SOU’s capital construction priority list. But in 2001, state legislators bumped a $23.5 million renovation of the SOU library to the top of the list. In the meantime, the program continued to grow, Sackett said. Visiting directors such as the OSF’s James Edmondson remarked on the lack of space. "Rehearsal space is inadequate — we actually rehearsed scenes in the men’s bathroom," Edmondson noted in a statement. "The costume shop is cramped but produces miracles. This is also true for the scene shop. The spirit of the department is huge." More space would allow that spirit to expand as well, Sackett said. Plans are under way to add a specialization in musical theater, a popular and necessary option, he said. "We’ve lost some students because the scope of what we have to offer didn’t quite meet their needs," Sackett said. "If you talk to the Craterian, you know what sells tickets there." Crockett, the recent graduate, agreed. "I feel, personally, that it is absolutely necessary in terms of how to prepare us for the workplace," she said. "One of the main places for actors to work is in musicals and Shakespeare." So far, the department has raised less than 2 percent of the necessary funds, Sackett said. Now that the Legislature has given its blessing, the real work can begin, Schad added. "One of the good things about our theater department is it attracts people from outside of our region," she said. "We would like to bring new philanthropic dollars to the table." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail Wanted: elbow room ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Ready-Made Website Templates Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers dvd-r helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Computer Security Home Equity Loans Website Hosting Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Canadian Pharmacy Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Online Casino News Air Purifiers Hotel/Motel Reservations Advertisement s