Before I get into detailed stories about what I did in college I thought I give an overview of the some of the spaces I worked in.
The first Theatre that I saw when I went to SUNY Buffalo, UB, was the brand Katharine Cornell Theatre in the, then new, Ellicott Complex on the North Campus.
The Theatre is a square shape “multi-use” space that can hold up to 340 people.
The Theatre was not used by the Theatre Department at that time, and this was years before the current Center for the Arts was built.
It was supposed to be flexible, new and “Unique”.
It was odd, hard to use and flooded the first or seconded year I was there.
The design had a few flaws; a big one was that when you sat in the middle section you could see into the woman’s dressing room, right to the shower in back when the door was open.
It had a 10 scene preset lighting board in a control booth that was glass from ceiling to floor and the whole audience could see you at work.
The lighting control consol was very big and “State-of-the-Art” at that time, and made you feel think you were running a transporter on Star Trek.
When I first walked in everything was new, lighting instruments were all lined up neatly up in the catwalks.
When I came back a day later I noticed that some of the small Fresnels, “Inkies” were missing and probably lighting up some dorm room.
Instead of the standard pipes used to hang then lights the Theatre had a “C” shaped channel that appeared to be hung sideways and made it hard to work there.
I worked on a few shows in the Theatre, mostly music concerts, and it was here that I met the late Robert Moog, the inventor of the Moog Synthesizer.
When I final got to the main campus I got to see the Theatre used by the Department.
It was disappointing.
The Theatre was a converted space, a small proscenium stage at one end and the rest was just a big open space with lighting catwalks above.
Not a very impressive space to see and I did not know yet that over the next four years I would get to work on some widely varied and interesting productions in the space.
It would be a few weeks before I got to see the most interesting space which was the Courtyard Theatre that was off campus and near Buffalo State College.
The theatre was in a converted church, and the space was used in several different configurations during my time there.
It was in this space that the more interesting, controversial and just plain fun plays took place.
We had to share car rides, take the bus or even hitch hike to get there.
There was a dance studio in the lower level along with the dressing rooms and the scene shop was in the lower basement.
The main level had a stage at one end, an open area where pews used to be and a small balcony or old choir loft, but we never really used it in a “Normal” way.
Seats and sets could be in any location in the building.
In one production, Ronnie Bwana, Jungle Guide, there were two sets in different areas on the Theatre.
The second floor had a small apartment for a live in Theatre manager and what had been at one time a small stage for when it was a church.
We did use the small theatre for one special production for which I served as the House Manager.
The space was normally the kitchen/living room area of the apartment and had no more then 40 seats, if that.
Because I had volunteered to work on that show I ended up working with the company that summer in NYC.
Details on this and other stories to follow.
The first Theatre that I saw when I went to SUNY Buffalo, UB, was the brand Katharine Cornell Theatre in the, then new, Ellicott Complex on the North Campus.
The Theatre is a square shape “multi-use” space that can hold up to 340 people.
The Theatre was not used by the Theatre Department at that time, and this was years before the current Center for the Arts was built.
It was supposed to be flexible, new and “Unique”.
It was odd, hard to use and flooded the first or seconded year I was there.
The design had a few flaws; a big one was that when you sat in the middle section you could see into the woman’s dressing room, right to the shower in back when the door was open.
It had a 10 scene preset lighting board in a control booth that was glass from ceiling to floor and the whole audience could see you at work.
The lighting control consol was very big and “State-of-the-Art” at that time, and made you feel think you were running a transporter on Star Trek.
When I first walked in everything was new, lighting instruments were all lined up neatly up in the catwalks.
When I came back a day later I noticed that some of the small Fresnels, “Inkies” were missing and probably lighting up some dorm room.
Instead of the standard pipes used to hang then lights the Theatre had a “C” shaped channel that appeared to be hung sideways and made it hard to work there.
I worked on a few shows in the Theatre, mostly music concerts, and it was here that I met the late Robert Moog, the inventor of the Moog Synthesizer.
When I final got to the main campus I got to see the Theatre used by the Department.
It was disappointing.
The Theatre was a converted space, a small proscenium stage at one end and the rest was just a big open space with lighting catwalks above.
Not a very impressive space to see and I did not know yet that over the next four years I would get to work on some widely varied and interesting productions in the space.
It would be a few weeks before I got to see the most interesting space which was the Courtyard Theatre that was off campus and near Buffalo State College.
The theatre was in a converted church, and the space was used in several different configurations during my time there.
It was in this space that the more interesting, controversial and just plain fun plays took place.
We had to share car rides, take the bus or even hitch hike to get there.
There was a dance studio in the lower level along with the dressing rooms and the scene shop was in the lower basement.
The main level had a stage at one end, an open area where pews used to be and a small balcony or old choir loft, but we never really used it in a “Normal” way.
Seats and sets could be in any location in the building.
In one production, Ronnie Bwana, Jungle Guide, there were two sets in different areas on the Theatre.
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| Ronnie Bwana, Jungle Guide Act I |
The second floor had a small apartment for a live in Theatre manager and what had been at one time a small stage for when it was a church.
We did use the small theatre for one special production for which I served as the House Manager.
The space was normally the kitchen/living room area of the apartment and had no more then 40 seats, if that.
Because I had volunteered to work on that show I ended up working with the company that summer in NYC.
Details on this and other stories to follow.
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