AYCOCK AUDITORIUM – RENOVATED!  Both Aycock Auditorium and the Alumni House, closed for two years for major renovations, officially opened in a burst of celebration October 11.  A gala dinner in the Virginia Dare Room of the Alumni House acknowledged major donors of two organizations formed to raise funds for the projects.  The Aycock Auditorium Campaign Committee, chaired by Don and Mary Gay Brady, long-time Angels of the Theatre, also included, among others, Tom Behm and alum Barry Schwartz of NYC.  It was great to talk with Barry, and after we got to the Aycock Lobby he introduced me to his younger son who is a senior theatre major.  The committee’s funds supplemented the State’s 19 million!  Not surprising to us theatre folk is the fact that there is never enough money!  The sterling silver shindig was organized by the UCLS which has charge of the management of Aycock.  Lily Tomlin was the star of the evening on the new stage which is much larger now that there is a double-platform lift filling the old pit and front of orchestra area.

LARGE SEATS  There is not space here to list all the changes, but new large seats and aisle space now has some 1,600 seats rather than 2,510 which were there when I arrived in the mid-fifties.  The Campaign Committee offered the seats for sale as one of their fund raising techniques.  Marshall Johnson, husband of the late alum Katherine Wright was honored as a donor:  he bought two seats.  Many of you will remember her because for 30 years I talked to classes about a practical joke she played on me when the theatre was performing “The Women” in Yokohoma, Japan in 1959.  They had a daughter Meg Johnson Switzer who also came to UNCG to major in drama some 20 years ago.  Meg couldn’t be with her father but he gave me a professional produced tape of a Christmas musical she originated and produced, “The Christmas Post” – a musical comedy which is built around a Norman Rockwell painting which comes to life.  I got a real treat, because I was invited to dinner the night before the official opening by Leslie Daisy to celebrate Marshall’s being here.  He came two days early because he was guest lecturing in architecture classes on campus.  Now there’s a man who really believes in giving something back.  Leslie is a long time very active member of the Angels, and currently a staff member in University Development.  She devotes a lot of time to the Theatre Department.

THE NEW LOBBY  After the performance UCLS gave a party for the audience in the Slane Lobby, a new space directly under the traditional lobby.  That space once was used for scenery storage and before that in the sixties the Art Department held classes there.  Double staircases lead from the upper to the lower lobby.  There is also a huge elevator for those like me who have trouble walking and climbing steps.  There’s carpet all over the place and an upholstered bench running the entire length of the high room.  It has a very high back and is much more attractive than I’m describing.  Down there I ran into Newton Neeley and his brother, up from Columbia, SC for the gala.  Newt is now retired from being a professor at the University of Montevallo in Alabama.  Off the Slane Lobby are two very large restrooms, both with purple walls and mirrors all over the place.  Well, I’m trying to explain that Aycock got a total renovation!

UNCG THEATRE opened its season with the musical “Big River” on October 5 in the new Aycock.  I thought it a perfect selection because of its wide appeal.  It looked as if the theatre was full at the performance I attended.  I saw many people including alum Jane D’Auvray, her sister, Trudy Adkins, long time Angels, Marian A. Smith, former chairman of the Angels, and Dottie Gordon whom you all know with her husband and son.  We were all at the Angels party presided over by Jim Fisher, Department Head.  And, I must mention that very handsome Theatre season brochure with a very artistic and unusual Aycock Auditorium likeness on the front proclaiming “The Grand Dame is Back.”  Indeed she is!