A New Stage For Our Theater

For a playhouse that has not yet had its official opening, the New College Theatre (NCT) has received many accolades. And deservingly so.

Sensitively planned by the architects Leers Weinzapfel—who tend to be quite modernist in their leanings—the 119-year-old building’s façade and vestibule were restored while the theatre itself underwent a drastic modernization. Looking back on the old—the walls are adorned with old playbills and posters advertising events from generations past—the Theatre nevertheless manages to shoehorn in a 270-seat theater with a new sound system, motorized lights, and a stage thrust that also serves as a scenery elevator or a orchestra pit, depending on the production’s need. Offices and new rehearsal space fill the rest of the carefully designed six-story building, half of which is entirely underground.

Harvard’s Office of the Arts (OFA), which managed the renovations and will also manage the active theatre, deserves most of the credit. The current season’s line-up, which features both student-produced and professional events and includes performances by Yo-Yo Ma ’76, is particularly exciting. We hope that it sets a strong precedent of diverse events for seasons to come. In this regard, the OFA is the ideal theater operator as its obligation is to promote the wellbeing of all arts disciplines at Harvard. In its previous incarnation the building was used only by the Hasty Pudding Club and a select few other organizations. We hope that students and faculty alike take full advantage of the opportunities the theatre now affords.

If volume is any indication, the arts are by no means floundering at Harvard—there will be almost 20 theatrical events this semester alone. We hope that, after its dedication tomrrow, the beautiful New College Theatre will accommodate and encourage these efforts well into the 21st century.ntury.