Humanities Theatre closed for renovations and upgrades (and reveals historical gems)
Over the lockdown(s), the Humanities Theatre in Hagey Hall quietly changed hands from being centrally managed for all its years of operation to Faculty of Arts management. Given its location and name, many might have assumed the theatre had always lived under the administrative umbrella of Arts, but that’s not the case — until now.
Today, Janelle Rainville, Director of Production and Theatre Operations (Department of Communication Arts), is hard at work to ensure the Humanities Theatre will be safe and modernized for all theatre users. “Inspections by independent accessors have identified health and safety concerns that need to be addressed immediately,” says Rainville. This means the theatre is now closed for one year while necessary renovations are completed. “We plan to re-open, including welcoming rentals again, in 2023.”
The list of renovations includes enclosing the balcony railing to meet building code, upgrading the stage rigging system, replacing the asbestos fire curtain and upgrading the fire safety system, and installing proper safety equipment for staff, faculty, and students working at heights in all areas of the theatre.
Archival photo of the Humanties Theatre under construction, circa 1970.
In researching the Humanities Theatre history and consulting with external experts, Rainville discovered something exciting. In a note to the Dean of Arts Office this summer, she wrote: “I wanted to share a fun fact that I just learned from our fly system consultant, Rick Boychuk, who wrote the book (actually, two books) on the history of theatrical fly systems. I’d been sending him building drawings and whatever paperwork I found. He got super excited when he saw the drawings: The Humanities theatre was designed by George Izenour, a huge figure in theatre architecture and technology. Rick says ‘Wow. Just wow. This is huge.’”
This story continues and was originally published on the Faculty of Arts website.