tuesday, november 3, 1981
daily nebraskan
page 9
Temple complex debuts after building renovation
By Casey McCabe
"Temple Lives say the buttons that have recently
shown up on campus. After 84 years and a $3.4 million
renovation, the UNL Temple building is getting its new
lease on life and a new home - the Temple Theatre
Complex.
That means the Department of Theatre Arts will soon
be vacating its ycar-and-a-half temporary residence at Bes
sey Hall. ItH be a move that Rex McGraw, department
chairman, says students and faculty "can't wait for." The
transfer of people, furniture, costumes and equipment will
take about two months.
Financing for Temple's facelift came from the 1979
Legislature and Gov. Charles Thone. Built in 1897, it is
the second oldest building on campus, the oldest being
Arcliitecture Hall. While McGraw and theater manager Pat
Overton agree that the renovation will bring some wel
come relief to the department, they both acknowledge
entertainment notes
Andre-Michel Schub,
gold medal winner of the
sixth Van Cliburn Interna
tional Competition in May,
will appear with the Lincoln
Symphony Nov. 10. Schub
has selected Robert Schu
mann's "Concerto for Piano
and Orchestra,", as the ma
jor opus to present in Lincoln.
University Program
Council Concerts presents
new music by 999 and the
Alley Cats Nov. 10, in the
Nebraska Union Centennial
Room 14th and R streets.
Radio station KBHL has
signed an agreement with
Wrangler Country Star
search, America's largest
country music talent con
test which offers a $50,000
First Prize. According to
station representative, Den
nis Ernest, KBHL will con
duct preliminary contests
through November.
The local contest winner
will advance to the Nebras
ka state finals with the state
winner to then vie with 49
other state winners at the
national finals in Nashville,
Tenn. in April of 1982.
All 50 finalists will parti
cipate in a 90-minute tele
vision special featuring the
Top 10 national finalists
and starring Ray Price and
his band, the Cherokee
Cowboys.
Country music singers
and musicians interested in
more details may contact
Dennis Ernest at KBHL,
2820 N. 48th St. or by call
ing 464-0606. Contest cate
gories are: solo, duet, trio,
quartet, instrumentalist, and
country or bluegrass band.
13th 8. P 475 2222
5:15-7:20-9:25
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of rug
LOST Aft (ED
r in
5:20 - 7:35 - 9:50
MERYL , lfKnCL
STREEPTVr
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5 15-7 15 9:15
Nikolais
Pane
Theatre
November 7 at 8pm
November 8 tt 3pm & 8pm
These performances supported in
part by funding from the Nebraska
Arts Council and the National
Endowment tor the Arts-Dance
Touring Program as coordinated by
Mid-America Arts Alliance.
SPECIAL EVENT
Learn about Nikolais
and his unique style of
Modern Dance.
Friday, November 6 at 8pm
Mabel Lee Hall 14th & Vine
Dance Studio, Room 304
No Admission Charge
THE
ACTING
COMPANY
on tour for the
Kennedy Center
Midsummer Night's Dream
November 12 4 13 t 8pm
Waiting for Godot
November 14 at 8pm
Venetian Comedy
November IS tt 8pm
KIMBALL
HALL 11 &R
Box Office (11-5)
113 Music Bldg. 11th 4 R
472-3375
University
of Nebraska
Lincoln
that some of its housing problems have yet to be solved.
New building
"Our initial request was for a new building, and the
Legislature did pass that proposal," Overton said. "It was
OK'd and approved this way until it was changed by the
governor, who didn't want any new capital expenditures.
He wanted the classroom building renovated rather than a
new theater building built. The money was virtually the
same."
The cost of combining the renovation and a new thea
ter building was in the neighborhood of $7 million. The
proposed site for a new theater was next door to Temple,
on what was once the Mid-City Toyota lot on the corner
of 12th and Q streets. The university still owns the prop
erty. "I'm already working on plans for a new theater,"
McGraw said. "The request is ready anytime anybody
wants to hear it. But I was surprised at the appropriations
we did receive. We're very happy we got what we got."
Overton said the theater department lost two of its
theater spaces in the Temple renovation.
"We needed a new theater when we asked for it origi
nally," she said. 'This is a marvelous help, but we still
need a new theater."
Temple's Howell stage seats 382, "a nice size", Over
ton said. "But the department needs more versatility in its
stages.
"We have in the Studio theater the ability to work
black box or in the round, which you can't do in a pro
scenium stage like Howell," she said. "The thing we do
not have that we did in the old Temple is a thrust stage.
You need a thrust stage for some types of theater, and
you definitely need one to train theater students."
"Space cadets"
Overton said the new Temple has a directing classroom
which will be used to stage small plays, and another small
room in the basement could be used if a lighting grid is in
stalled. Besides the type of work necessary to renovate any old
building, Temple was gutted completely to allow the de
partment to use the space as best it sees fit. A faculty
committee, calling itself "the space cadets," examined the
building to put theater department needs and desires into
the initial planning stages.
The university then hired theater consultant Van Phil
lips of Purdue University. He refined the faculty's plan.
McGraw said the department has been well served in
the appropriations for the Temple renovation.
"The building was all gutted, except for the actual
theater, which they are cosmetizing. Beyond that they
made it for us," McGraw said. "The classrooms were not
usable because they were lecture halls. We need big rooms
without furniture for our classes, and that's what we're
getting."
Boosts recruiting
McGraw said the department has been recruiting
"tooth and nail" for theater students over the last four
years. While it hasn't been waiting for the Temple renova
tion, McGraw said it will be helpful. He pointed out that
when the recruiting started, there were three people in the
graduate department. Now there are 34.
"Right now we can't handle any more," said McGraw.
The move into Temple will start Nov. 23. McGraw
hopes the process will be finished and the department
sufficiently settled in by second semester. The first pro
duction in Temple will be Light Up The Sky on the Stu
dio stage in February. The first Howell production on the
renovated stage will be Heddct Gabler in March.
As for the legendary ghosts that have been rumored to
haunt the old Temple:
"I don't know, the attic was never touched so the
ghosts might still be there," McGraw said. "I'm not going
to go looking up there by myself."
HANDMADE FILMS
Presents
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SHELLEY 1XJVALL " Ivi? 35 KATHERINEHELMOND
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MICHAEL PAUN
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RALPH RICHARDSON
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The Supreme Being
PETER VAUCHAN
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DAVID WARNER
The Evil Gemut
wit h DAVID RAPPAPORT KENNY RAKER JACK PURVIS MIKE EDMONDS MALCOLM DIXON TINY ROSS and CRAIG WARNOCK
Produced nd otcui by TERRY GILLIAM spuy by MICHAEL IWUN nd TERRY GILLIAM Son,, b, GEORGE HARRISON
E,ut,v Product GEORGE HARRISON and DENIS O'BRIEN
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THE FANTASY BEGINS NOVEMBER 6