News

‘92 Theatre renovations will utilize large donations

Renovations on the’92 Theater will begin this summer with recently donated funds totaling $3.8 million. George and Dee Ring of Watchung, NJ donated $1.3 million. On the curtails of the Ring donation, the University received a gift of $2.5 million from the Robert and Margaret Patricelli Foundation. 

What is now the ’92 theater opened in 1867 as the University’s first library, then known as Rich Hall. In 1928, Olin Memorial Library opened, and the class of 1892 donated enough money to turn Rich Hall into a theater. This theater opened in 1929 as the "’92 Theater." The Theater Department used the ’92 as office and performance space until 1973 when the Center for Fine Arts opened. Last year was the twenty-fifth anniversary of Second Stage, the student-run theater company based out of the ’92 that began in 1974.

In the April 29 issue of the Middletown Press, Robert Patricelli said that his donation to the ’92 Theater is a memorial to his father, Leonard Patricelli ’29. Wesleyan is close to the heart of George Patricelli, a Hartford philanthropist–eight members of his family graduated from here. 

"Our money was originally given for operations," Dee Ring said. "It’s a long time revered institution, one that our son and daughter both have been involved with, and we wanted to
improve it."

Justin Ring ’98, their son, was a theater major, and Chessa Ring ’02, their daughter, is now a theater major.

George Ring is part of the Development Campaign, a group comprised mostly of alumn, who give money to the University. Though not an alum, Ring is on the committee because he gave substantial sums of money to the University in the past. He and his wife fund two scholarships per year, which they award to students who have done exceptional work in the arts. Also he donated money to the newly completed Stewart M. Reid Admissions Building. The University recently gave all members of the Development Campaign a list of upcoming projects, which included the restoration of the ’92 Theater. 

"After six years of hearing stories from me and my brother, my parents know how much we care about Second Stage and the ’92 Theater, so when given the opportunity, they decided to give money to this project.," Chessa Ring said.

The ’92 Theater is important to anyone who has ever worked there, according to Chessa Ring.

"It needs renovation," Chessa Ring said. "I mean, it used to be a library, so the acoustics in there are not ideal. Getting around during shows is fairly difficult–there’s no way of crossing from stage right to stage left without the audience seeing you. The heaters are loud and don’t function well. We turn them off during shows, and in the Winter it gets very cold in there."

Mary Winn Heider ’00, the former managing liaison for Second Stage, said a corridor connecting the theater to the chapel, much like the one adjoining North and South College, will be built. This corridor will house a bathroom and a ramp, making the ’92 handicapped accessible.

"There so many small things we need," Heider said. "The roof leaks, the air conditioning and heating systems are inadequate, all the doors and locks need to be replaced. Ultimately we’ll have a washer and dryer, too. We have to wash all of the costumes we use before we give them back to the Costume Shop–we dry clean them, and this gets really expensive."

When the Theater Department first heard of the donations, Jack Carr, chair of the theater department, approached the members of Second Stage with a list of proposed renovations, according to Heider.

"He said, ‘You guys look this over, tell me if you have anything to add.’ It’s wonderful that from the beginning there have been numerous efforts to include us. I think Jack deserves so much credit for making sure Second Stage stayed involved," Heider said.

"This means so much to me," Heider said. "It’s nice to get recognized because it’s as one of the largest and most inclusive student-run theater companies in the country. We’re so lucky to have our own buildings, our own shops–to have autonomy, but at the same time certain things make production very difficult–in the winter it gets so cold, for instance. It’s a wonder to finally be able to fix these things."

"It’s just amazing that anybody’s supporting this, because although so many participate in Second Stage, some people take it for granted because it’s so common–there’s a show every weekend in that building."

This semester alone, 11 shows went up in the ’92 theater, and of those 11, three were double billed, according to Heider. Five shows went up in alternate venues, as there were not enough weekends for all the productions. The Theater and Dance Departments also sponsor productions in the ’92 apart from all of Second Stage’s shows, but mostly student-run productions run in the ’92. 

Heider and Ben Clark ’00, another Second Stage staff member, expressed fears that these renovations may ultimately limit Second Stage’s use of the building.

"Part of me is afraid that [the University] is really supporting this to make another resource for themselves," Heider said. "But what makes me hopeful is that George and Dee Ring, two of the primary contributors, have students who have been intimately involved with Second Stage, they know how important the theater company is to all of us, and they won’t let the building be usurped."