Transforming Our Stage: A Renovation for Everyone
After nearly a year of careful planning and consideration, StageCenter Community Theatre is embarking on an exciting renovation project that will enhance the experience for audiences, performers, and production teams alike.
A Stage Worthy of Our Stories
At the heart of this renovation is a complete stage replacement. For years, our stage has served us well, but it's time for an upgrade. The current platform, built piece by piece over time, has become uneven and squeaky, creating both safety concerns and construction challenges for our dedicated production teams.
We're replacing it with a professionally-designed, truss-based stage that will be level, quiet, and solid. No more trip hazards for our actors. No more distracting squeaks during quiet moments. No more struggling to keep flats level on an uneven foundation. The new stage will also feature slight adjustments to give our audiences easier access along the front row and provide better backstage circulation space for our crews.
Flexibility and Safety for Sets and Tech
One tech addition will be electrical floor pockets: recessed outlets built right into the stage surface. This standard feature of professional theaters will open up new creative possibilities for our directors and designers. Imagine table lamps that glow during intimate scenes, or special effects that surprise and delight: all without dangerous cables snaking across the stage.
These floor pockets will be nearly invisible when not in use, with covers that blend seamlessly into the stage floor and can be painted to match any set.
We're also adding removable set support posts that can be installed when needed for structural support or removed completely when a production calls for open space. When removed, flush inserts will make the stage surface completely seamless.
Behind the scenes, we're relocating backstage electrical outlets up and out of the floor, eliminating trip hazards and making it easier and safer for our crews to route cables for lighting and effects.
A Welcoming Lobby Experience
First impressions matter. We're creating a dedicated storage closet for lobby supplies, which means our volunteers will no longer need to scramble backstage during intermission to restock concessions. For our audiences, this means a cleaner, more organized lobby that sets the tone for a professional theater experience from the moment you walk in the door.
Better Tools for Our Technical Teams
Our technical crews work magic from the booth, but they deserve better tools. We're upgrading our video monitor system to eliminate the frustrating lag that makes timing critical lighting and sound cues so challenging. The new system will also provide synchronized audio backstage, helping our actors hear their cues more clearly.
A Piece of StageCenter History
Do you have memories that were made on our current stage? If you would like to have a small piece of it for a keepsake, we are offering them to donors who select and give at the following levels:
Stagehand Sponsor - Receive a small keepsake piece of the original stage floor: real wood from the boards beneath the spotlight, marked by layers of color and time. Perfect for keychain or curio cabinet. $100.00
Spotlight Donor - Receive a hand-sized square of the old floor, showing years of painted history: a true relic of the art and energy that’s passed across it. $500.00
Performer's Circle - Receive a paperback book-sized piece of the original stage floor and with your name engraved on a nameplate. $1,000.00
Producer’s Guild - Receive one of our plaque-sized pieces of preserved floor sections, complete with its unique layers of scenic paint, suitable for displaying. $2,000.00
All sizes are approximate, and while supplies last.