Stages of Construction

Each year during freshman week, crowds flock to Theatre-Intime's Hamilton Murray Theater and line up to see Quipfire! or another of the many groups that regularly use the performance space.

This frosh week, however, marks a break with tradition. The Hamilton Murray stage stands empty, thanks to Intime 2000 - the nearly million-dollar renovation of the University's cozy but well-worn performance space.

When construction work on the theater began last spring, the scaffolding encasing Intime joined a myriad of others already in place around campus. And like many of the other campus construction projects, the Intime renovations are still in progress.

The completion date for the renovations was originally targeted for Sept. 1, then projected to be done by today, but the renovations are still in the final stages. Once the project is complete, the theater will stand as a testament to the hard work of Intime alumni and members, to the support of the University and to nearly a decade's worth of dreaming and planning.

With updated technology and an improved design, these renovations - known throughout the Intime community as I2K - bring Theatre-Intime into the 21st century.

According to Theatre-Intime General Manager Adam Friedman '01, the downstairs area - where much of the administrative and artistic work behind Intime productions is conducted - was reconfigured to bring the theater up to modern building codes and to "improve traffic flow and space usage."

The renovations will benefit both those who work on shows and those who attend. Dressing rooms have been improved, showers installed, offices and storage areas completely refurbished and the stage resurfaced and re-leveled, Friedman said.

Moreover, the theater gained additional lighting, new seats, refurbished flooring, an expanded lobby, air-conditioning and a new box office, Friedman explained. In addition, a second public restroom has been installed upstairs.

In addition to these physical improvements, the theater's technical features have been expanded with a new computer and digital sound system, a new digital light system - which was installed last year - a new monitor system, computer system and Website.

In a change that will ease ticket purchases for Intime's productions, the theater will be connected to the Frist Campus Center's common ticketing system, allowing for pre-paid reservations and credit-card billing.

Students should eventually be able to charge tickets to student accounts via PUIDs, though this option will not be available this academic year.

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Talk of a major renovation project has been in the air for years, but it was Intime alumnus William Charrier '69 and University Vice-President and Secretary Thomas Wright '62 who spearheaded the effort to finally bring the ideas to fruition.

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Charrier - whose name may be familiar because of the room in Theatre-Intime named after him -mobilized Intime alumni and supporters while serving as President of the Friends of Theatre-Intime. Geoff Peterson '69, Anna Smith '97 and Charrier ran the I2K fund-raising campaign.

Charrier also facilitated communication among the five groups key to the renovation's success: the general contractor, architects, alumni, University administrators and students.

Wright approached the University for funding, encouraging the administration to increase its financial commitment from the initial $250,000 to $475,000 when it became clear that the costs of preserving, restoring and renovating the structure would approach $1 million. Intime alumni and the University contributed equally to the renovations, which ultimately cost $950,000.

The Intime renovations involved University students from the start. Students participated in every stage of the process, from fund raising to designing to overseeing the construction work.

"Many of the ideas and details that we will see when Intime reopens came from the students," Charrier explained. He also noted that Friends of Theatre-Intime board member Jonathan Dyer '67 and University Project Manager Steve Virostko were responsible for overseeing the design process "as the project moved from concept to detailed drawings."

Charrier complimented the undergraduates involved in the project. "This group [of students] is committed not only to putting on excellent theater but also to leaving a legacy for future Princeton students," he said.

Friedman said the Friends of Theatre-Intime seemed committed to allowing undergraduates to play a large role in the renovation plans. "[Intime alumni] know why they were part of Intime - the freedom of independent theater production and management."

"They also know that these renovations are for us and for the generations of Intimers to come, not them," Friedman added, "so we . . . were in on the design process from the beginning with the architects and most of our requests for the plans were granted."

Despite the construction materials that still litter the Intime stage, the show must go on. The cast and crew of "Noises Off," the first production of the semester, returned to campus in late August to begin rehearsing the show, which opens Thurs., Sept. 21. Theatre-Intime requested a temporary certificate of occupancy in order to use the storage areas, offices, tech shop and stage.

Friedman acknowledged the inconvenience the renovations would pose for shows early in the semester, but said he considers I2K a tremendous step forward.

"Of course the whole I2K, as we call it, won't be ideal," he said. "There were sacrifices made and compromises made, but [the renovation] should significantly improve the operations and appearance of Intime. Finally it will be a theater instead of a converted chapel."

Theatre-Intime's 2000-2001 season opens with "Noises Off," by Michael Frayn, directed by Kate Callahan '01. Thurs., Sept. 21 - Sat., Sept. 23 and Thurs., Sept. 28 - Sat., Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. and Sat., Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. Call (609)-258-4950 for reservations.