Brianna Guillory
The tarps and fencing have come down.
Five years and $214 thousand later, the amphitheater’s renovations are finally complete and students can once again utilize the space.
“The main things (updated) were that the grass was removed and replaced by concrete, staining of sections of the concrete happened, additional safety barriers were installed and then landscaping was all trimmed up,” said Dean of Arts , Letters, and Social Sciences, Don Miller, in an e-mail to The Express.
The amphitheater was first built in 2010 and originally had grass in the concrete bleachers for cushioned seating. However, due to drainage problems, administrators made the decision to remove the grass and replace it with concrete.
Although the structure for the amphitheater has been complete, there is no word on whether or not the truss system, covering, sound system or the mixing, lighting and cable systems from the original design will be installed.
The performing arts department plans to use the amphitheater as the stage for its summer production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” based on the book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart.
“It will be the first full production to be performed in the amphitheater since it was originally build and remodeled. Very exciting,” said Titian Lish, General Performing Arts Coordinator.
Lish does not know of any finalized plans for events in the amphitheater but expects them to pop up in the near future.
