After years of silent suffering, the calls to renovate LASA theater’s aging walls and outdated equipment have finally been answered. Starting in the summer of 2024 and scheduled to finish at the end of the year, the theater has undergone various renovations, including installing a new pulley system, fixed lighting, and even a refurbished roof. Thanks to the parents and school’s fundraising efforts, the equipment has been replaced and the roof has been repaired.
Ben Burford, an English and one of the theater teachers at LASA, was affected by the previously unsolved issues surrounding the problems with the theater. His biggest concerns were regarding the danger of the roof to people working in the building, especially with the water problems.
“Sometimes when it would rain hard, water would get into the theater building and cause mold on the carpets, floor, and drapes,” Burford said. “It was also a safety hazard because of the amount of lighting and electrical equipment in general.”
According to LASA senior Naman Mishra, the Alley Cat Players’ student manager, the breaking of technical equipment, like lights and pulleys, and rain has heavily affected the ability of students to hold rehearsals and build sets. He explained that this was a large problem that wasted a lot of students’ and teachers’ time when preparing for their “Importance of Being Earnest” production.
“We were able to get things done, but we were severely limited,” Mishra said. “Sometimes an entire rehearsal would be lost because we would have to mop up the stage, or because the light stopped working, and we had to figure out why before we could go back to using it.”
However, Burford explained that simply replacing the theater’s technical equipment, such as the pulley system and lighting, wouldn’t have addressed the building’s structural issues. Because of this, he stated that renovations included upgrading key stage equipment and rebuilding a lot of the roof, allowing the Alley Cat Players to enjoy their newly improved space.
“It was stressful to feel that costumes and set pieces were molding from rain,” Burford said. “That was on top of an already stressful time working on a production. And so having that taken off of our plate has been great… We were already doing a lot with a little, so it’s exciting that students can experience technical opportunities that are closer to real-world application.”
The renovation wasn’t as simple as simply remodeling the theater and fixing the old equipment. Juliet Auby, the ACP secretary, says aspects of the renovations required emptying the entire theater, which was a hassle for everyone involved. She explained the process that was required to enable the crew to come in and fix up the theater.
“It was really inconvenient for the last play because we couldn’t rehearse in there while they were working on elements of the remodel,” Auby said. “The stage had to be completely clear, which was a pain to do because it’s just about never empty. I’ve only ever seen it empty once or twice in the whole time I’ve been here, so that was a major problem. It was really difficult to clear out the stage for them to be able to come in.”
According to Mishra, many theater students were enthusiastic about the renovations. Students appreciated roof repairs, but specifically, they appreciated the new equipment in the theater, such as the lighting and pulley system, that were previously unusable.
“It’s been quite a lot better for a few things,” Mishra said. “It’s really nice to be able to make really cool, complicated lighting designs like we weren’t able to before. We have a brand new pulley system. We were never able to use it before because its age made it not safe to hang really heavy things. But now we’re able to do that, and that was something we were able to use in our winter play.”
No longer threatened by the difficult working conditions, the Alley Cat Players have been able to focus on making their productions better. Mishra described the students’ appreciation of having more time to spend on productions.
“The biggest benefit, honestly, has probably been that now we have to spend so much less time on working around these problems,” Mishra said. “Now we’ve really been able to leave that behind and focus on our truest potential.”
LASA’s theater community has embraced the long-awaited changes to its space. According to Burford, now that the improvements are complete, they’re eager to leave the past behind and step into a future filled with new possibilities.
“All of the renovations have been fantastic, and we’re very appreciative about them,” Burford said. “If anything, I just wish they would have happened sooner, but it’s wonderful that they’re happening at all and happening now. So I don’t want to focus on the time that we had with the old roof and just appreciate the fact that these improvements are occurring.”
