When students who perform in the Balch Arena Theater returned to campus this fall to begin work on their orientation shows, they learned that an entire section of seats were missing from the theater. Work done on the Balch over the summer entailed the refinishing of the theater floor and removal the third section of seats in the- formerly- round theater.
The changes have prompted student theater groups to worry about their ability to afford various costs and accommodate all those who want to see their productions. Ticket sale revenues as well as the TCU's annual budget allowance have sufficiently funded the groups' set and costume expenses in the past.
Barbara Grossman, chair of the Department of Drama and Dance, said that the members of the performing groups as well as audience members will eventually get used to the new set-up.
"People's first reaction to change is 'oh, it's different!' but I hope that they will recognize that every show has its own constellation of creative opportunities that will serve the actors and the piece," Grossman said. According to Grossman, the Arena's configuration was built to be flexible enough to be rearranged for every play performed there.
The capacity of the theater with all five sections in place is 212. Section three, as the biggest section, affords the arena 55 seats, or about one quarter of the Balch Arena's seating capacity. The chairs, platforms and railings have been removed from section three and are now being stored backstage. If necessary, the chairs can be placed on the floor of the Arena to increase the seating capacity. As reinstalling section three would take several full days of labor, Grossman does not foresee the section being reinstalled before the January break, if ever.
Altering the seating capacity in Balch Arena is nothing new. In last fall's production of "Zombie Prom," some of the seats from section 2 were removed to make room for the orchestra. In the fall production of 'How I Learned to Drive,' the car driven by the main character was placed in section two with audience members surrounding the car in sections one and three.
According to Grossman, the last time that section three was removed was in April of 1998, when she directed Tony Kushner's twentieth-century adaptation of Pierre Corneille's 17th-century rendition of "The Illusion" in the Arena. For this production, a cave was created from platforms that rose from the stage to the top of the seating area, and smoke and strobe lights were used to add a feeling of depth to the cave.
The members of the Drama department who came up with this year's season of shows have, according to Grossman, decided on shows that need special sets with a thrust, or gap, in the seating, instead of the usual 'theater in the round' set-up.
"I like to see this as an opportunity for students to work in a different configuration," Grossman said. "You have to think of every play as a house, and as the director you have to help the students find the key." And as Grossman suggests, the key to a theater production is often the stage setting. Taking out section three provides the opportunity to build elaborate sets in the extra space.
Senior Rah-nee Kelly, who directed this weekend's productions of "Thanks," a show about a dysfunctional family's Thanksgiving dinner, admits that she was taken aback when she first saw the Arena's new arrangement.
"I was really surprised to see the giant gap at first, and it was actually somewhat disconcerting," Kelly said. "But I'm sure that we'll adapt to it very soon, especially because the arrangement is beneficial in that the technicians will have an easier time with the lighting, and it will be much easier for directors to call stage cues."
Senior Michael La Fazia, who directed Torn Ticket II's "Falsettoland" for the Orientation Show this year, was also surprised by the changes.
"I had been blocking the show this summer, figuring out where people would enter and exit, when a friend called to tell me about the changes," La Fazia said. "At first I was very worried, but now I really like it because while there is still an intimate setting, it is a bit more like the proscenium seating that you see in Cohen Auditorium."
La Fazia was concerned, however, with the effect that the loss of seating capacity might have on audience members. "Last night [before the beginning of Falsettoland] we had to turn people away," La Fazia said. "I and others worry that we will not be able to accommodate everyone who wants to see the shows."
Amanda Raymond, a senior directing "Godspell" for Torn Ticket this fall, gained permission from the licensing company to put on five shows instead of the usual three to make up for the arena's lack of seating. "I'm not as much concerned with the lack of revenue from the ticket sales as I am that people who want to see the shows will not be able to since the seating capacity has been so dramatically decreased," Raymond said.
Recognizing that the change is going to be an unexpected hurdle, 3Ps president and senior Sarah Kauderer believes that the student drama community will be able to overcome the obstacle. "I think that we have intelligent and competent designers, directors and actors who will be able to work around not having as much room for the audience," Kauderer said. "There are now several new options that we can pursue as far as set design, and we can experiment and make the best of the new situation."
