College makes $1 million deal with Town Hall Theater

Author: Tamara Hilmes

Members of both the town and the College communities met at the site of the Town Hall Theater (THT) on Oct. 31, for the groundbreaking of a new wing. This new wing is to be funded by a $1 million agreement made between the College and THT that was announced on Oct. 22.

This long-term partnership formed between the College and THT entitles the theater to a yearly gift from the College amounting to the sum of $1 million over the course of 20 years. In exchange for the College's financial contribution, students and faculty will have access to a variety of the theater's resources.

"The agreement guarantees the College a certain number of days of usage of the theater," said Doug Anderson, Executive Director of THT. "It also guarantees a specific number of student employees and interns."

Not only will the partnership grant students and faculty access to rehearsal and performance spaces - which the Theater and Music Departments currently lack - but it also will benefit the community surrounding the College.

"College students, faculty and staff will be able to use Town Hall Theater facilities," wrote President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz in the Nov. 4 entry on his blog. "Students will obtain internship opportunities at the Theater, our Language Schools, so short on performance space on campus, will have use of the facilities for parts of the summer and the Theater's presence will have a positive economic impact on the town. Just as the town's and College's histories are so intertwined, so, too, are their futures, and I believe it is in the College's best interest to contribute to the town's vitality through this project."

Isabel Mettler Professor of Theater Douglas Sprigg explained that his department did not have much input in the decision. "The President came to the department and asked if we were interested," he said. "We all said sure, if there's a way for Middlebury students to make use of [the theater's] space."

Though the official agreement was made on Oct. 22, according to Anderson, it is not a recent development, but rather was a long time in the making.

"It started fairly organically about four or five years ago," said Anderson. "Students started coming down on their own and participating, as well as faculty and staff. It really just started to snowball."

Just as students and faculty from the College have gotten involved with THT, the Theater has also had a presence on campus. Anderson, a former College faculty member, directs one College musical a year.

"This year I'm directing 'Sweeney Todd' in January," said Anderson, "And last year it was 'Company.' In the future, the shows that I direct will be performed in the Town Hall Theater."

One of the biggest draws to the THT for the College's Theater and Music Departments is the physical space itself.

"When you put on a performance, essentially three different spaces are needed," said Sprigg. "You need space to build the set and space in which to perform, both for the final show and to rehearse. Right now students are stuck using lounges and other places on campus, but if anything were to be available at the theater, I'm sure they would love to take advantage of it."

Language School students will be the first to benefit from the newly-forged partnership once the theater opens its doors in June.

"The Language Schools do a lot of performances, but they are lacking in space," said Anderson. He explained that having language school performances moved in town would create a sort of "international performance festival."

"For local people [the College] can seem very foreign during the summer," said Anderson, "but it will all be free and the doors will be open every night to the community."

Representatives of both the College and THT see the partnership as strengthening the College's bond with the community.

"Though the presence of Middlebury students in the local community," wrote Liebowitz in his blog, "not to mention faculty and staff, is already quite significant, this project will diversify the kind of interaction our students have with the town. The Town Hall Theater and its anticipated full slate of performances will bring townspeople within Middlebury together on a noticeable and significant scale."

Anderson, too, sees the agreement as tying the town and campus communities closer together.

"This really is a win-win situation," he said. "The College will gain a lot and the town will gain a lot. I think this will provide a wonderful cross-fertilization of creative people and that it will continue to grow in a very natural, and very warm way."