Howdy, y'all! I'm Alex, a queer and trans student from Tennessee. This year I'm involved with a lot: I'm serving as the Production Manager for the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals, acting as Social Chair for Amarna, rushing Phi Tau, giving tours on campus, exploring the offerings of the Dartmouth Outing Club, joining Farm Club, getting more involved with the O-Farm and sustainability on campus, and generally enjoying my second year here at Dartmouth!
As a theater-kid-turned-English-major who already loved Shakespeare before taking this class, highlighting this as my favorite class of the term is a no-brainer. This class is completely accessible to anyone who is has never read Shakespeare while still being an engaging class for seasoned Shakespeare enthusiast. Class time is mostly devoted to discussion of the texts, and I feel like I came out of the class with a strengthened ability to analyze the themes present in Shakespeare's works as well as a better comprehension of the nuances of language used in the plays.
Before this class, my experience on the technical side of theater was severely limited. I've been acting onstage for a decade, and even though I knew that productions would be impossible without what goes on behind the scenes, actually learning how to DO what goes on behind the scenes was another experience entirely. THEA 40 is an incredibly fun and informative class, and I can confidently say I have a much more comprehensive understanding of what it takes to make a show come together. And next term, I'll have to opportunity to apply my new knowledge and skills as Production Manager for the Rude Mechanicals, Dartmouth's student-run Shakespeare company! I can't wait!
In this class we read stage plays through various lenses. These lenses comprised a general overview of the different readings of a play necessary in order to get it from script to stage: reading as actors, writers, directors, designers, dramaturgs, etc. I had an amazing time I feel my foundation of theater knowledge has been enhanced by what I learned in this class! I've been able to apply this knowledge as I continue to read and write plays in my spare time.
NOTE BEFORE READING: there is, coincidentally, a student-run theatre group on campus called Displaced Theatre, but this is not a blog post about them.
I am a prospective theater major, or minor. I haven't quite yet decided where my heart will lead me, (one of the perks of Dartmouth is that I do not have to declare a major until sophomore year) but I know that I will be doing theater in some capacity for the entirety of my time at Dartmouth.
The Hopkins Center for the Arts (affectionately nicknamed "The Hop") has been the home of the Theater and Music departments since 1962, hosting a number of exemplary performance spaces for both theater projects and music ensembles. It also hosted several popular Student Workshop Programs, including woodworking, pottery, and jewelry studios staffed with instructors available to students year-round.
Now, however, the beloved Hopkins Center is under construction, and the departments, ensembles, and programs listed above have been displaced and relocated until… well, until my senior year (the 2025-2026 school year).
Woohoo.
But seriously – what does that mean for me? Or for the Theater department in general? Well, that's what I'm writing this blog post to answer.
Our New Home
Exterior picture of Sudikoff
The Theater and Music departments have been relocated to Sudikoff. Sudikoff was the old Engineering and Computer Science building before the construction of the beautiful new ECSC building (seeing this state-of-the-art building helps me to know that the renovations at the Hop will be worth it – and I'm glad Dartmouth is investing in the arts, giving them the same treatment!). The building is a bit old, outdated, and a little cramped – but, theater people are naturally resourceful, and the department is making the best out of a difficult situation!
Scene Shop
The new scene shop!
Pictured above is the room that the scene shop has been relocated to. I took THEA 40 (Technical Production) this past winter term, and learned a lot about this space and the materials and tools it houses! It's not as spacious as the old scene shop, but it gets the job done.
Costume Shop
A work study student working on a project in the new costume shop
Pictured above is the room that the costume shop has been relocated to. Again, because I took THEA 40, I spent a good bit of time in this room learning about costume design and creation! I learned to sew in the class – a life skill that I am very thankful to have now, and that has saved several of my favorite articles of clothing!
Classrooms
Even when the department's performances mostly operated within the Hop, lots of classes were held outside of the Hop Center. Only a few new classroom locations have been added within the Sudikoff building.
Rehearsal Rooms
The new Sudikoff rehearsal room
Previously there were Hop "garages" used as rehearsal rooms, as well as a rehearsal room in the basement of the Hopkins Center. Now, there is a new rehearsal room in Sudikoff, pictured above.
Performance Spaces
The biggest impact the loss of the Hopkins Center has had on the department is the loss of performance spaces. But many productions in the past few terms have already made do without these spaces, and have done fabulously!
Wilson 301
Next door to the Hopkins Center and the Hood Museum is Wilson Hall – though originally built as the first library of the college, it's now more of a multi-purpose arts building. And, within the past year, the Theater Department has renovated Wilson 301 and turned it into a beautiful (if small) black box theater with a thrust stage, a full set of stage lights, a small but effective backstage area, and a seating capacity of 25-35 audience members. Since its renovation, it's housed several productions, such as Pretty Filthy and Orphan Play, both pictured below.
The newly renovated Dartmouth Hall contains a lecture hall in the center of the building, which has become a performance space very close to my heart. In both the winter and spring terms of 2023, the Rude Mechanicals (Dartmouth's student run Shakespeare troupe, which I am a member and the Production Manager of) have performed shows in this space – Richard II in Winter '23, and Coriolanus in Spring '23. I've written blog posts about each show, which I've linked in the previous sentence. Also, if you'd like to watch any of Coriolanus to see how a production worked in the space, it is posted on the Rude Mechs YouTube channel here. One highlight of this hall is that it has the opportunity for several (preset) dramatic lighting options that we've utilized.
Site-Specific Theatre
Site-specific theatre is generally defined as theatrical production that is performed at a unique, often specifically adapted location other than a standard theatre. Due to the Hop's renovations, we've had several such theatre performances in the past few terms! A student-written play, Noon Panir in the Dark, had a classroom as its setting, and so they performed the play in a classroom! The room was decked out with set and lighting, and seated a small audience – I attended, and I thought it was a brilliant show. I performed in a different student-written play, Anatomical Hearts, (which I've also written a blog post about!) was performed in Steele 006, a large, older lecture hall in our chemistry building. A portion of the play takes place in a Harvard Medical School classroom in 1850, so this lecture hall was chosen because it matched the vibes of the play's setting! I look forward to seeing what other kinds of site-specific theatre will happen in the next few years.
Currier Theater
Finally, just this term the department has added an additional performance venue in downtown Hanover at 4 Currier Place, which is where this term's mainstge production, Lost Girl, will be performed! I can't wait to see the new space, and hopefully I'll blog about it at a later date!
Outro
I hope this provides a thorough overview of how Dartmouth's theatre community is fairing amidst Hop's closure. I'm excited to see how the theatre scene will adapt and thrive over the next several years at Dartmouth!
At Dartmouth, there is an undergraduate requirement for language; after all, it is the liberal arts! Fulfilling this requirement looks different for various people and I will focus on my experience.
I have written about being a student worker plenty of times in the past, but I have yet to talk about one of my favorite jobs ever: ticket selling at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a phenomenal total solar eclipse occurred — and we happened to be within the path of totality. As a result, Dartmouth hosted a variety of eclipse-related events on- and off-campus. Find out how I spent the eclipse!
