Performing Arts’ New Home

You might have noticed the recent construction adjacent to the school that has been progressing for the past few months.  This site, though it might look like a mess of metal at the moment, will soon be home to an impressive new complex for the performing arts departments as well as the school and community.

Principal Vaughn says that it’s been an idea floating around for a while.

“It’s been several years that people in the community have been interested in having some type of auditorium. I would say it’s been at least 10 years that it’s been talked about.”

The auditorium will be of great help to both the school and the community. Principal Vaughn continues, “It will be of multi-use; we anticipate having plays, band concerts, and choir concerts all in there. It will probably be used for various school community programs as well. We think it will be pretty busy.”

Mr. Shoemake, the director of the theater arts department, describes the interior of the new center.

“There are three performing spaces inside the performing arts center: There’s the main auditorium which seats over a thousand people and will be state-of-the-art with state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment. It will be used for performances, not only for the high school, but for all the schools in the district and the community as well. There’s also a smaller blackbox, or studio theatre, which is where I’ll have all of my acting classes, and we’ll do some more intimate performances in there. And then there will be a choir hall which is where they will rehearse when they move out to there.”

Mr. Shoemake continues on the center’s usefulness for the theater department.

“It will be wonderful to not have to rent out a space across town and will save us a lot of time with set transportation. It will also give us a lot more opportunities as far as lighting and effects go because we will be in our space and have the ability to do some things we can’t do now, like flying people. It’s also going to be the best space in all of West Texas as far as performing goes because the acoustics are supposed to be amazing and our lighting and sound are going to be state-of-the-art, and it will have everything you need in there for a world-class performing arts center.”

However, it’s not only principals and teachers that that are eagerly awaiting the PAC’s completion. Students from all performing arts departments seem to be anticipating this new addition.

“I’m really looking forward to it. It will be a great experience to perform there from now on, and it should be easier for people to find and come to our concerts,” says Madalynn Hayes, a sophomore clarinet-player in the band.

The auditorium is scheduled to be ‘Substantially Complete’ in December, and following that will be final touch-ups and renovations during the next few months.