Torn Ticket II loses access to drama department resources

The Drama Department has banned Torn Ticket II from using the Balch Arena Theater and other resources for its major fall theater production, following a safety violation committed by two students in the spring. The incident involved members of the student-run musical theatre group operating a power saw without supervision.

Torn Ticket II President Lucy Kania, a junior, said that the students involved in the incident were not aware that they were violating department rules, but that the group has accepted the restrictions it will face in the upcoming semester.

In addition to not being able to use the Balch theater, Kania said that the group will be restricted from using the Drama Department’s costume shop, which contains costumes, props and furniture.

“These are resources that student designers like myself depend on in order to gain practical experience in theatre design and construction, and losing our access to them deprives us of valuable learning opportunities,” she said.

In the wake of the incident, the Torn Ticket II leadership has taken steps over the summer to create a “Code of Conduct,” a concrete set of standards for students involved in the organization, and a Production Staff Handbook to address issues regarding institutional memory, according to Kania.

“Repairing the relationship with the Drama Department is my number one priority as president, because I value the Drama Department’s mentorship and resources, and I know that [Torn Ticket II] wants and deserves to learn from them,” Kania said.

Kania expressed the importance of keeping all members on the same page and fully aware of the functions within Torn Ticket, which according to former president Tyler Beardsley, had not been clearly delineated before.

Beardsley, a senior, explained that there is a complicated, mutualistic nature to the relationship between Torn Ticket and the Drama Department.

“They give us access to many resources, we take their classes,” he explained. “It’s all under the understanding that we will utilize their spaces and equipment correctly. Honestly, the lines of communication are not as strong as they need to be…[and] it’s wrong to say that the problem is entirely Torn Ticket or the Drama Department’s fault.” Drama and Dance Department Chair Heather Nathans echoed the idea that both groups need to take steps to improve communication between them.

“We’re all taking a semester to review how we can promote safety, accountability and good collaboration — all of which are critical values in our program,” Nathans told the Daily in an email. “We need everyone to stay invested in the conversation, stay patient and remember that we’re not looking for a quick fix. Thus far, the leaders of Torn Ticket II have been fantastic partners in that process.”

Nathans said she understands the difficulties that are intrinsic to running an organization like Torn Ticket, and commended the efforts that its leadership has put forth.

“Part of the challenge when you have multiple teams working together to produce a show can be clarity and timeliness of conversations and consultations,” she wrote. “It’s also incredibly difficult for students overseeing a show to guarantee that all of their members/volunteers are adhering to the safety and space-use requirements for the theater.”

Beardsley said the restrictions will not hurt Torn Ticket’s production quality.

“We are a TCU-funded group,” Beardsley said. “We have our own costume stock and prop stock and a large budget that we can spend on lights and sets, and we own our own piano and musical instruments…It’s going to be absolutely fine.”

He added that in past years, the group’s fall production has been performed in other venues besides Balch Arena Theater, citing an outdoor production of “Cinderella” back in 2010.

Despite the limitations facing the group now, Nathans hopes tha the working relationship between Torn Ticket and the department will emerge all the stronger and better suited to address both group’s needs.

“Our Torn Ticket II students are extremely talented and invested in their work,” Nathans said. “We want to create an environment where they can realize their projects in the most collaborative, supported and safe way possible. I hope that the impact will be a positive one in the end, even if the process has felt difficult at times along the way.”

Torn Ticket’s major fall musical “Little Shop of Horrors” will be held in Cohen Auditorium in lieu of the Balch theater, according to Kania.

Kania believes that creative solutions to cope with these changes will be key to the group’s preparations for the fall production, and she expressed her confidence in the production’s quality.

After all, the show must go on.