Northwest Academy Adds Scene Room

Over the summer, Wade Willis, David Bliss and a group of students transformed what was formerly Wendy Bell’s book room into a scene room. However, it isn’t just for the theater department. It’s for everyone.

In the past, Technical Theater students constructed everything on the stage, even props, creating more to clean up and slowing down the construction of the sets.

“We no longer have to drag everything out onto the stage and create a scene shop, then put it all away,” Bliss, Technical Director for the Theater Department in his second year, said.

The transition into a bigger area has sped up production.

“David was able to do things this summer in only 40% of the time that it would otherwise take him when had to set up a temporary area,” Willis said, in his new office, sitting at his desk free of overcrowding props, papers and costumes for the first time since he came here.

Not only does it expedite the process of construction and arrangement of sets, it gives everyone doing theater this year a lot more space.

“With the addition of the new Plaza Building, which is about 12,000 square feet, it opens up about 1,200 new square feet for students and teachers to use,” Bliss said. “It gives us a lot more room.”

The move added a green room, make-up area and improved costume storage. Included in this new addition is a far more organized area for tools and building supplies, easily accessible equipment and a specified paint area.

“The best part is, it’s open to everyone,” Bliss said. “Anyone in the community has the ability to use it.”

Already, on the first day of school, the scene room has been put to use by others than those involved with the theater program by borrowing tools.

“Sean Cain and John Savage have already used it, just since we finished it,” Willis said. Everyone can use it.”

Bliss and Willis said that it is of the utmost importance for everyone to understand that the scene room is open to the public.

“It should really be known that students, faculty and even parent volunteers can just talk with me or Mr. Willis if there is [a tool] they need, or want something fixed, built, they can come in and do it,” Bliss said.

The new scene shop is appreciated by those who will use on it a regular basis for classes.

“With a shop like this, my class sizes could even be smaller than they are and we would still be able to do more than what we could have done before,” Bliss said. “We are better, faster, stronger.”

Reported by Jack Brebner and Xavier D. Stickler