As the school year quickly approached, theatre teacher Zachary Jackson had one thing on his mind: the brand new auditorium.
After being told about the new structures and technology that would come with the new auditorium, Jackson was more than excited to get to view the space.
Along with Jackson, Memorial theatre officers Shannon Cook and Emily Kintner were more than thrilled to get to see the new set-up.
Jackson was one of the first to get to see the auditorium. When asked what his initial thoughts and feelings were, he stated that the auditorium was beautiful and that “it had everything he could’ve asked for.”
He also pointed out some of the differences between the new auditorium and the auditorium at Rider – where he was formerly a teacher at.
“The stage is much bigger, we have a scene shop which makes it easier to build and unload sets, and we now have stadium seating that can come out and retract,” said Jackson about some of his favorite changes and features.
Kintner was pleasantly surprised by how big the auditorium was, more specifically she was excited to see there was a second floor of seats located in the auditorium.
In contrast, while Cook was very happy with the auditorium, she described it as smaller than the auditorium at Rider, but “she liked it better that way.”
Both of the officers, along with Jackson, were pleased with the technical aspect of the auditorium.
“I really liked that the tech booth is in the center of the auditorium,” Cook said. “I think that’s really helpful for those who are working in the tech booth.”
Jackson explained that although he hasn’t got the opportunity to work with a lot of the tech in the auditorium since it’s still being worked on, he is glad to have “LED lights and new light and sound boards that he will get to work with and learn how to use.”
Although Jackson told us he had little say in the construction of the new auditorium, it was clear that Jackson, Kintner and Cook all felt a mutual feeling of excitement at getting to see and utilize the new space.
