The curtain remains closed at Lyman Hall as renovations on the theatre, speech and dance department's building will continue into October.
The summer renovations of Lyman Hall, which began in May and were slated to finish in August, were part of a University initiative to restore buildings in the historic core of main campus, The Herald reported last October.
The physical changes come at a time when the department is considering revamping itself as well as its building, possibly changing its name, tweaking its courses and expanding its purview.
The renovations include remodeling the exterior of the building, providing more administrative office space and upgrading the quality of the classrooms, said Rebecca Schneider, associate professor and chair of the department.
"The building was unbearable," Schneider said.
Problems include vermin, mold and heating issues, she said.
Still, Schneider called the newly renovated building a "really well-loved stuffed animal that just got all its hair rubbed off."
The University is "trying to bring out the old accents of the building," she said.
Students and professors both said that, though the renovations are inconvenient, they are willing to pay the price for an updated building.
"The downstairs space will be more welcoming and my students will be better served by the administrative office because it will be more accessible to them," said Patricia Ybarra, associate professor of theatre, speech and dance.
For Professor of Theatre, Speech and Dance John Emigh, who has been holding his acting class at the Brown/RISD Hillel instead of Lyman Hall, the show must go on.
"It seems to me that we're still functioning just fine," he said.
Still, Ybarra said that the renovations have interrupted her ability to teach.
"There's often loud drilling and noise," she said, adding that in the summer she was unable to work in her office in Lyman because of poor air quality.
Julie Siwicki '10, a member of Attitude Dance Company and a frequent student in the department's classes, said the renovations have not affected her but will be helpful in the future.
In addition to the renovation of Lyman Hall, the Theatre, Speech and Dance Department has proposed several changes to the curriculum, including renaming itself to better encompass people with multiple interests.
"The department is talking about changing a lot of things, from it own name down to reorganizing courses in the concentration," Schneider said.
The proposals to modify the curriculum have yet to be approved by the College Curriculum Council, she said. In addition, though the change is yet to be finalized, the University playwriting program plans to move from under the auspices of the Literary Arts Program to the theatre, speech and dance department, said program director Forrest Gander.
The decision cannot be finalized until Professor of English Paula Vogel decides whether to become a full-time professor at Yale in December, he said, adding that the "linchpin" will be hiring a new playwriting director in the spring.
Vogel is currently on a one-year leave of absence, directing the playwriting program at the Yale School of Drama.
Moving the playwriting program out of literary arts would provide students with more access to professional playwrights, Gander said.
"They have more resources than we do, including professors who have international experience and classes in theory and performance," Gander said.
The playwriting program "has been moving toward performance over the last few years," he added.
"It's an exciting time for us," Schneider said. "The department gets to re-imagine itself."
