College moves forward with new theater plans
Ethan Hendricks
Staff Writer
staffwriter3@occc.edu
Construction should begin in late fall for the new 1,000-seat theater in the Visual and Performing Arts Center, said Pat Berryhill, executive director of Institutional Advancement.
The project will be completed in 2012, Berryhill said.
The theater will have orchestra and balcony seating, along with a major lobby at the entrance with an art gallery, Berryhill said.
She said it would be a definite improvement over the Bruce Owen Theater.
“I think it’s a most exciting project for the campus,” Berryhill said.
“It will be a great facility for the college and the community.”
OCCC dedicated the VPAC on Feb. 26, 2009. Immediately afterwards, college officials began planning for Phase 2, Berryhill said.
In fact, she said, the center was designed in a U-shape to allow the theater to be built in the empty space.
Berryhill said Triad Design, the college’s architect, would design the new theater.
The Bruce Owen Theater will continue to host small performances, but it will be converted into a learning lab for drama students, she said.
Some theater students expressed excitement for the new performing arts center, even though it won’t be built until after they leave OCCC.
The new center will raise the theater program’s profile and cause people to view the college’s program differently, said Cheyanne Strickler, theater major.
“We’re glad it’s finally being done,” Strickler said.
“I don’t think people respect OCCC’s theater program.”
Philip Aken, who has performed in more than a dozen plays, agreed with Strickler.
“We’re a community college so everyone kind of sees us a step below everyone else,” said Aken, psychology major. “In my opinion, this new theater will help raise our image among the colleges in Oklahoma City.”
John Boyd, vice president of Business and Finance, said the college has raised $13.2 million for the theater.
About $8 million will come from issuance of student revenue bonds, Boyd said. Sarkeys Foundation donated $1 million and the Inasmuch Foundation gave $500,000.
Private gifts have raised another $548,000 and another $3.2 million will come from OCCC capital funds.
However, Boyd said, the college needs another $2.8 million in order to reach its goal of $16 million.
To achieve this goal, the Performing Arts Theater Committee launched the Performing Arts Theater Campaign the day Phase 1 was dedicated, said Susan VanSchuyver, dean for Arts and Humanities.
The committee is using several methods to raise money, VanSchuyver said. One method being the Buy-A-Seat Campaign — where for $200 to $500, anyone can buy a seat and have his or her name placed on it.
VanSchuyver said she was excited about the prospects of the new theater. She said it will open new opportunities for the college.
For instance, VanSchuyver said, OCCC’s choirs are too large to perform in the Bruce Owen Theater. With the new theater, they will no longer have to go off-campus to perform.
“I’m really thrilled for all the people who can use the theater and what it will do for the college and the community.”
