Leavingthe darkside

by Melissa Lepouski staff writer

The Red Cloud Coffee House on campus has traditionally been a black box theater, which means a room filled with black boxes. The room is black, the boxes inside are black and the stage and audience areas are designed to be mobile •so they can change with each production. Last year they had plans to renovate the coffee house to make it more appealing to work in and for the audience. The renovation started last year, but never was :finished.

"I supplied the students with money for their materials but it is not my project, it's theirs," Neal Newman, theater director says.

Junior Gary Rupacz, a.k.a.

"Garass Rupacz," is credited with the idea for the renovation of the Red Cloud Coffee House.

"Now as a theater, what we are looking for is more of a practical continuance," Rupcaz says. change it again is what the theater is looking to avoid.

The theater is looking to provide itself with a stage, back stage, wings and a permanent audience. This would be very different from what the coffee house is now because they never had something like this before. Last minute scrambles to build a stage, do their show and then change it again is what the theater is looking to avoid.

The theme for the new decor will be medieval and gothic from the 11th or 12th century. The coffee house will have stone walls, illusion of stain glass in the windows and tapestries hanging from the ceiling. They want to make it more of a theater that appeals to their audience as well as themselves.

Helping with the renovation are work grant students and people who are involved in the theater. They hope to have it completed by November for their next show.

"It should not take that long, it just has to be done," Senior Lisa Finegan says.

A meeting for people who were interested in the theater and who are doing work study or grant was just held.

"We had a real big turn out of students that wanted to help," Rupcaz says.