Campus Theatre update
The theatre is located at 135 West Hancock St. The historic building will soon become the Campus Theatre, used for performances, retail sales and as an academic building for the Theatre Department.
The theatre opened on a Monday 73 years ago. Once the doors opened, patrons could attend vaudeville acts featuring comedians, music and dancers. The theatre was “the most ornate movie house ever built in Milledgeville” writes R. Brian Jackson. The famed theatre closed its doors in 1983, but Randall Hattaway’s accounting business stayed upstairs. He moved out last week, so that renovators could continue abatement without being inhibited.
In 2010, the doors will open again. The Campus Theatre will be transformed from its drab appearance to a black box theatre for campus performances and a bookstore.
The Board of Regents gave GCSU approval to purchase and renovate the Campus Theatre earlier this year.
It is estimated to cost approximately $7 million to renovate the building.
Mark Bowen, head of plant operations, says that the renovations will be paid for through bonds. These bonds are planned to be sold starting Nov. 24. Once the bonds are sold, a full-scale renovation will begin.
The plans are completed. The marquee will be redone. Patrons will enter the new double doors into a bookstore that will include a café. Retail companies will bid for the space, and collegiate goods will also be sold.
“The store will resemble the Paw Prints book store,” said Bowen.
Beyond the bookstore, will be a descending walkway that leads to a store that sells textbooks. On the ground level, and beyond the bookstore, will be the blackbox theatre, which is a theatre in the round that can be converted into various seating arrangements. Technical offices and labs will fill the upstairs of the building.
Karen Berman, the artistic Director of Theatre Programs at GCSU, is very excited about the project.
“It’s going to be a huge advocate for students to learn to perform in the round, to work with high quality light and sound systems, and to learn about state of the art technology,” said Berman. “Teaching and learning will benefit.”
Berman says that the theatre department will move offices to the upstairs of the theatre. Practicing and rehearsing will also take place above, and design labs, specific for teaching students the technical part of theatrical productions, will be moved upstairs. Bowen confirms this, as it is in the plans for development.
“The above will serve as a support space,” Berman said.
“It’s the heart of the town,” said Berman. “It will be a great outreach to the community for their participation and involvement”.
The history of the theatre mimics the history of the rest the buildings in the great historical district of Milledgeville. One very interesting fact about the theatre is that there remains a staircase set aside for black individuals. To the right of the ticket booth, there is a door that leads to a staircase that leads up to a segregated seating area. Just before the seating area, is a very small and cramped concession area set aside just for African- Americans.
“They’re going to commemorate the staircase with plaques and displays,” Berman said.
A walk into the theatre, in its current condition, shows very little remnants of that time long ago. The staircase where blacks used to come up is now shabby and will need to be rebuilt. The beautiful brick walls are a trick to the eye, for they are not brick, but actually clay tile that will come down and be covered with drywall. The theatre will be revived, so that its past is apparent. The theatre will be transformed into a beautiful place where students can enjoy productions in their own piece of history.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Oct 31 2008. Filed under Features.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
