The auditorium has stood in its place since it was built in 1962, and the theater department has called it home since it was founded. But as time goes on, sometimes improvements must be made. Last year Conroe High set their plans in place for a new, better auditorium to be built, however, In order for the renovations to take place they had to start demolition first.
This meant saying goodbye to their old auditorium, and began their move to the ninth grade campus. The process of moving came with many challenges.
“It was like putting a circle in a square hole,” Theater Duchess Kendall Johnson said, “Because this space is so small and we’re coming from a space that huge, we had a lot we wanted to bring but just weren’t able to.”
Not only were the logistics difficult, but also the move out itself.
“It was definitely hard work. I really disliked having to move a ton of heavy furniture, like couches, from the tall lofts where we kept them,” Junior Sofia Berry said.
But the biggest struggle of moving for the members of Theatre wasn’t the physical process, but rather letting go of the space they’d cherished for so long.
“I miss running down the aisles, going up those stairs to the stage, walking behind the cyclorama. Just those little things,” Johnson said.
A lot of history is being torn down alongside the auditorium. “A lot of people got to be there, it’s sad that we’re erasing all those memories that those people went through,” Junior Monica Aguilera said.
Learning to work in such close quarters with your peers can have its own set of challenges.
“There are a lot of times where a fellow actor or technician is getting to be a little too loud, and since the sound carries, everyone can hear it,” Berry said. “This can cause conflicts as no one likes being the reason everyone was told to be quieter.”
Senior Tori Davis describes the struggles backstage during performances. “Here you have to be behind the stage instead of in the wings, and you can’t see anything. It’s like something you’ve worked so hard for you don’t really even get to see.” Davis said.
While it has its struggles, there are certainly some benefits to the smaller space. “Being able to see the audience's reactions fuels me. It encouraged me to become a better actor.” Berry said.
The change affects the very fundamentals of how they must perform. Blocking (the movement of the actors on stage) and acting both must be altered a lot in this case, and in many ways actors must be more precise.
“You can see each actor's facial expressions and feel the purpose behind every one of their movements,” Berry said.
While it has its struggles, ultimately it has also brought the department together.
“Having a smaller scale theater room has allowed us to bond and connect more.” Aguilera said. “This has really brought everyone together. It doesn't feel like ‘underclassmen’ and ‘underclassmen’ anymore, it feels like we’re all in it together and ready to make this small space work,” Davis said.
All and all, It’s clear the morale of the theater department has never been higher, and while everyone is sad to see their auditorium go, they know that it’ll all be worth it for the future Conroe Tigers who will benefit from the new auditorium.
by Sarah Wheeler