This semester is an anomaly for both the Center for the Arts (CFA) and for Second Stage. Not only are there more student productions than usual, but there are also a greater number of CFA-sponsored theater and dance performances all vying for use of the Patricelli ’92 Theater. Contracts that have been settled for more than a year in advance with visiting artists and an increasing number of theater and dance faculty performances have left Second Stage with only four weeks in the ’92 Theater. Four weeks. In the first four weeks of the semester.

The ’92 Theater is meant to be a shared space between students and department-sponsored dance and theater performances. The weeks that the departments do not use are given to Second Stage. Increasingly, however, students are losing their voice in the use of the space as the CFA and visiting artists have shown growing interest in the ’92 as an intimate venue.

This semester I am producing a modern opera that I wrote and composed during the course of the summer. This piece is meant to be the performance component of my thesis. I began planning this in the middle of last semester, and have done everything as far in advance as possible to avoid competing with other music productions and thesis performances in the spring.

Little did I expect there to be so many roadblocks in the fall. I met with the CFA and was informed that Nov. 12 was the latest I could produce my opera if it were not to conflict with any other music events, a policy of the Music Department. Through a great deal of miscommunication that I certainly accept a part in, I was under the impression that I would have the ’92 Theater available on the weekend of Nov. 12 for my production. It was my ideal space for its flexibility in lighting and set design and a place in which my staff has plenty of experience.

Miscommunication was what brought me to this predicament. But when I found out that Second Stage’s production calendar was in conflict with a CFA event, I became unwillingly involved in what has proven to be a much greater issue.

In meetings with the CFA, Second Stage is told what weeks they have in the ’92. They have no voice in the process. If we are to support student-run theater on this campus, we need to advocate for a greater voice in the scheduling process and reach an agreement that the ’92 will be usable by students more often than not. A contract must be drafted between the CFA and Second Stage governing the use of the theater. Whether it is something as simple as setting aside a minimum number of weeks for student use or something as intricate as defining the kind of productions, apart from student pieces, that may occur in the space, we need to start from somewhere. In previous years, the CFA was governed by a tacit understanding that the space would be used for a certain number of visiting performances, faculty dance performances, faculty theater performances, and student theater thesis productions in an academic year. My understanding is that the CFA has exceeded this unofficial agreement by hosting in one semester the number of performances that typically span an entire year. While the CFA currently has ultimate authority over use of the space, I believe that we as students must make our voices heard and express our frustration through the appropriate channels. We must advocate for a stronger flow of information and communication. Although I have been told by Pam Tatge, who is Director of the CFA, that next semester looks better for student productions in the ’92, there is nothing to say that we won’t have a repeat of this predicament in future years.

While no one in the administration is personally culpable, no one has taken responsibility either. In my search for answers, I have been led through a merry-go-round list of administrators who have all shared my desire for change to a system that is unfair to students. But no one has come forward with any answers on how to move forward. My hope is that by developing a dialogue between students and the administration, we can seek a means of clarifying the use of the ’92 Theater as primarily for students and ensure that we will not repeat the situation we are in today.