As students flow through the second story hallway of Rolla High School, the sound of machinery and the smell of paint and other chemicals hints of big things happening behind the doors. Despite the unavoidable use of the olfactory sense, it is also with a sense of growing anticipation that Drama teacher Kelli McNeven and her students watch the creation of their new facilities.
“The date that they’re floating around, when we will be able to move in, is the end of September, beginning of October. Unfortunately, because of supply chain issues, we’re going to be waiting on all of the rigging, which is the stuff that holds the curtains and the light fixtures… so fingers crossed that we can do the spring musical in the brand new space. That’s my dream. It just depends on whether those last few elements get installed in time for us to do that again,” McNeven said.
Senior Haylee Gray is also excited about the new theater possibilities, especially for the backstage workers.
“I think everyone who is actively involved in the theater department is very excited and hopeful for the move to our new facility at the high school. The middle school is functional, but there’s a lot of extra work to make every show smooth and seamless…Our new facility is supposed to be very fancy, with lots of storage space, lots of extra opportunities for us, like individual booths for the stage manager and a new intercom system,” Gray said.
Despite the new possibilities of an improved space, there will be inevitable roadblocks when transitioning to a new area and new systems.
“We have a system at the middle school. Everyone knows where everything goes. And we have a system for tech, sound, props, costumes. We have a very set way of [doing] things. When we move into the new space, there’s going to be a learning curve, because we will have to figure out where everything goes and where to put things, and how to use our new space on the fly. We won’t have, like a summer work camp to figure out where things go, it’ll simply just be figured out as we go,” Gray said.
McNeven has similarly mixed feelings about leaving behind the old to embrace the new.
“The fall show is Trap, and we’re performing it the first weekend of October, and it is an audience immersive play. So I’m very excited about it. I think I will probably be sad when we move out of the space, there’s a lot of memories backstage at the middle school. Like the students who have done shows their senior year always sign their name and all the shows that they did,” McNeven said.
All things considered, the change is a sacrifice that eager drama students are willing to make.
“So I think what we’re able to do with a brand new lighting system that works, in the way that a lighting system should, will be really exciting for the shows…I think what shows we’re able to do- the quality of those shows, the spectacle- all of those things will fill up as we get access to that new space,” McNeven said.
