The curtains rise, the show is almost ready to begin. The new theater is expected to be completed later this semester. According to high school principal Adam Littlefield, the only thing holding back the construction is the delayed arrival of the missing parts and the acquisition of a certificate of occupancy.
To earn the certificate, the new building must pass a series of tests. On January 19, after school hours, the theater will undergo its first test. “We will test to make sure that all of the fire safety systems are working properly,” Littlefield said. “The next test is to make sure that the elevator and the wheelchair access are implemented properly and are working.”
Littlefield estimates that all of the tests will be passed around two to three weeks from January 25.
Once the theater has passed all of the inspections it will be assigned to a class. This is one of the most exciting parts for Littlefield and Xander Schultse-Sasse, a sophomore in drama.
“We are hoping to get the drama class inside the theater as soon as possible,” said Littlefield. Schultse-Sasse said “ I am really looking forward to using the new space and to my first performance inside of it.”
Schulte-Sasse also hopes that all of the people who want to use the theater are able to get in. Fortunately, the theater will have a capacity to seat around 400-500 people.
“The size of the theater is the thing that most impresses me,” said sophomore Peter Litwin.
For Littlefield, the most impressive part is the backstage and the wood sides of the theater.
Despite having so much excitement around it, a name has not yet been decided for the new theater. “The school board will meet soon and discuss the name, but we do not know when they plan to do so,” Littlefield said.
