Regents select contractor for studio theater

Northwest's Board of Regents met Thursday, Aug. 9, via teleconference and named E.L. Crawford Construction Inc. of St. Joseph as contractor for a proposed "studio theater" addition to the University's Performing Arts Center.

The $3.8 million bid was the lowest of three submitted. Total estimated cost of the new performance space, including furnishings, equipment and incidentals, is just over $4 million.

Administrators received permission from the board in April to proceed with the project, which is being partially funded with a $1.3 million private donation through the Northwest Foundation Inc. The remaining $2.8 million will come in the form of a loan from the Foundation.

Faculty in Northwest's Department of Communication, Theatre and Languages have long urged the creation of a small theater dedicated to student productions and experimental drama.

Such plays currently take place in a large room in the basement of the Performing Arts Center known as the "black box," a theatrical term used to denote a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space. While suitable for some productions, the room has limited seating and a number of technical constraints.

An earlier studio theater, along with the University's original main auditorium, was lost in a 1979 fire that destroyed the north wing of the Administration Building.

Scheduled for completion in late summer 2008, the new theater will connect to the southeast side of the Performing Arts Center and comprise approximately 8,000 square feet on the main floor, which is to include a lobby, ticket office, restrooms, a classroom, dressing rooms, performance and seating areas and equipment storage.

A 2,500 square-foot mezzanine will provide additional storage and mechanical space plus a perimeter catwalk. The theater is also to be equipped with stage lighting and sound equipment, motorized rigging and collapsible risers.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone (660) 562-1704
Fax (660) 562-1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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