{"id":4785,"date":"2017-04-21T09:49:57","date_gmt":"2017-04-21T13:49:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/?p=4785"},"modified":"2025-08-16T17:49:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T21:49:00","slug":"preserving-theater-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/2017\/04\/21\/preserving-theater-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Preserving Theater for All"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\nA crowd stands outside the theater entrance.\u00a0 Soon, a stage crew member opens the doors.\u00a0 They say, \u201cCome in.\u00a0 Enjoy the show.\u201d\u00a0 People walk inside UMPI\u2019s Wieden Auditorium and find their seats.\u00a0 Not long afterwards, the room goes dark and the stage lights up.\u00a0 Performers then give the audience members an experience that won\u2019t be forgetten anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Since 1960, this scene has been played out at Wieden Auditorium on a regular basis.\u00a0 Joe Zubrick first entered the theater in 1982, he started out as the theater\u2019s director and stage designer.\u00a0 In 1985, he became the director of UMPI\u2019s theater program.\u00a0 He remembers when the program put on eight to 14 shows every semester.\u00a0 Students also performed shows during the summer.\u00a0 UMPI brought in dance troupes and musicians from across the state and country.\u00a0 The Pioneer Playhouse, a community theater group, made Wieden Auditorium their home stage.<\/p>\n

Zubrick said that hundreds of people used to buy season tickets to Pioneer Playhouse shows.\u00a0 He called the theater \u201ca centerpiece of the community.\u201d\u00a0 But Wieden Auditorium has taken much wear and tear through the years.\u00a0 In the mid-90s, UMPI closed its theater program and less people used the stage for shows.\u00a0 Physical problems that existed in the theater went unnoticed.<\/p>\n

In the early 2000s, Zubrick came to Wieden to help prepare for a show.\u00a0 He found many dangers and accidents waiting to happen.\u00a0 Tracks that stage curtains hung on rested on other tracks, the curtains could fall if someone pulled on them.\u00a0 Many curtains had splotches of paint on them.\u00a0 Insulation fell off cables that had burned out.\u00a0 Zubrick knew that the theater needed a lot of changes to become a better space for performers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe space itself is really hard to work in.\u00a0 It\u2019s relatively small.\u00a0 It has no wing space,\u201d Zubrick said.\u00a0 \u201cEverything you do in this theater is a compromise because the things that you would like to do you can\u2019t do because of the physical facility.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a while, UMPI started to bring more performers to campus.\u00a0 Early on, the Presque Isle Community Players made Wieden Auditorium their home venue.\u00a0 Zubrick continued to help with productions.\u00a0 The first official fundraiser for the theater happened in March 2011.\u00a0 The Presque Isle Community Players performed \u201cAlmost Maine.\u201d\u00a0 John Cariani, a Presque Isle native and Broadway performer, wrote the play.\u00a0 The show raised a large amount of funds for renovations.<\/p>\n

UMPI has been working to raise more renovation funds for several years.\u00a0 Rachel Rice, UMPI\u2019s director of community and media relations, became in charge of Wieden Auditorium around three years ago.\u00a0 She has helped bring a variety of music and theater groups to campus.<\/p>\n

Just these past few semesters, UMPI has hosted Boston folk-rock band Adam Ezra Group and local Motown band Star City Syndicate.\u00a0 Shakespeare touring troupes have performed four plays at UMPI during the last several years.\u00a0 The Presque Isle Community Players performed another Cariani play \u201cLast Gas\u201d on March 31 and April 1, 7 and 8.\u00a0 All shows were fundraisers for the theater.\u00a0 People donated at the door and filled most of the seats.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what we\u2019ve seen is that people have really embraced and enjoyed the concerts and performances that we\u2019ve offered,\u201d Rice said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s very nice to have the support that we\u2019ve seen from the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far the Wieden Auditorium renovation has consisted of smaller projects.\u00a0 But all renovations have had a great impact on the theater.\u00a0 Last year, Rice and Zubrick installed new back curtains on the stage.\u00a0 Recently, they hung new side curtains as well.\u00a0 The curtains give performers more privacy.\u00a0 They can walk backstage without audience members seeing them.\u00a0 Wieden Auditorium also has had a new light board in the sound booth for almost a year and a half.\u00a0 People in the sound booth can dim lights and gels in the lights allow them to change colors.<\/p>\n

Debbie Roark, executive director of university advancement, is another team member on the renovation project.\u00a0 She said that eventually the theater will have new seats.\u00a0 But for now the group has focused on buying smaller equipment.\u00a0 They are looking to purchase headsets for stage crew members.\u00a0 With headsets, crew members in the sound booth and backstage could communicate during a show.<\/p>\n

Roark said that improving the theater is a good thing for the community as well.\u00a0 Wieden Auditorium is one of the few venues for cultural arts in Aroostook County.\u00a0 The better shape the theater is in, the more performances UMPI can bring to campus and the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe realize that not everybody has the time or ability to drive to Bangor to go to a major production.\u00a0 This is one thing that we could do to help people in our community,\u201d Roark said.\u00a0 \u201cWe want people to come and enjoy the venue and have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wieden Auditorium does not just host professional actors and musicians.\u00a0 The Presque Isle Community Players and University Players put on plays and musical revues every semester.\u00a0 No matter who performs, one thing doesn\u2019t change.\u00a0 Students and community members can help the theater in any way they can.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome to events.\u00a0 Anytime you hear about an event happening in the auditorium, come be a part of the cultural arts and leave a donation at the door,\u201d Rice said.<\/p>\n

The theater renovations still have a long way to go.\u00a0 But Zubrick feels hopeful that one day Wieden Auditorium can become a popular place for theater again.\u00a0 He said that Wieden has always had a tradition of putting on quality shows.\u00a0 The recent performances have given him a glimpse of the theater\u2019s past and its possible future.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had people visiting during the summer who couldn\u2019t believe local people put on the quality productions that we had.\u00a0 They thought they were touring companies,\u201d Zubrick said, about past student and community productions.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I remember is the effort and the creativity and the determination to make things happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wieden Auditorium might not be the same as it was before.\u00a0 But more than ever people have stepped up to show their support.\u00a0 The theater\u2019s seats have been filling up again.\u00a0 Actors and musicians, both local and professional, bring stories and music to life onstage.\u00a0 Wieden has brought together people who want to see the theater thrive.\u00a0 For those who love theater, the auditorium will continue as UMPI\u2019s center for the arts and community.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A crowd stands outside the theater entrance.\u00a0 Soon, a stage crew member opens the doors.\u00a0 They say, \u201cCome in.\u00a0 Enjoy the show.\u201d\u00a0 People walk inside UMPI\u2019s Wieden Auditorium and find their seats.\u00a0 Not long afterwards, the room goes dark and the stage lights up.\u00a0 Performers then give the audience members an experience that won\u2019t be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":202,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7381],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/202"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4785"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8850,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4785\/revisions\/8850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}