The new East and West Towers of the stage serve both onstage and backstage functions. Besides providing structural support for the Kemper Light Bridge, the East Tower includes a new house management office and the Berges Oak Room used for VIP and donor cultivation events. The Berges Oak Room is just below the precise location where our beloved oak tree grew on stage for a century. The West Tower includes new Men’s and Women’s Orchestra Rooms, and new sound, electric, and prop rooms. The Towers also include 24 blowers housing 140 directional vents to help evenly distribute a breeze throughout the theatre.

Key improvements include suitable dressing room facilities which can be reconfigured based on the cast for each show. The Holekamp Costume Shop is in the lower level of the Artists’ Building, with dressing rooms and “Aunt Jane’s Wig Room” on the second floor. The renovated building has everything in one space, with an efficient flow from the costume shop to the laundry room to the dressing room, and from the wig room to hair and makeup departments. In an adjacent space, the sound team can put microphones on the performers. The building also includes a dedicated craft and dye room for costume craft which never had before the renovations.

Crews have sufficient work space and facilities to support the production of top-quality work. We have new scenic and prop shops, a crew locker room, and prop storage. These renovations provide the backstage artists, craftsmen and laborers a modern-day workspace centered around the demands of today’s productions.